Muslim cemetery branded 'divisive' and 'scaremongering' as plans voted down

A Conservative proposal to create a private Muslim cemetery in Oldham has been voted down following a debate in which councillors branded the motion 'divisive' and 'scaremongering'.

One of the three new Tory Councillors for Hollinwood ward, Kamran Ghafoor, had moved a motion at full council on Wednesday entitled 'Request for Land to build a Muslim Cemetery'.

It called on the council to ask the chief executive to identify land in the borough to be used as a graveyard for Muslims and that this be donated to the Oldham Muslim Cemetery Committee.

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However, leading Labour councillors, including council leader Arooj Shah, said the motion was causing needless anxiety within Oldham's Muslim community as the existing cemeteries - including Chadderton which contains a Muslim section - had enough capacity for the next five years.

Addressing councillors, Councillor Ghafoor said a dedicated cemetery would also address other issues, such as delays to burials which went against Islamic principles under which a person needed to be buried as soon as possible.

He told the meeting it was of 'utmost importance to the community and reflects the values of inclusivity, diversity and respect'.

"We propose that a voluntary charitable organisation take over the running of its own cemetery," he said. "The reasoning behind this is simple - for the Muslim community to be able to bury their loved ones in the Islamic way.

"When a loved one passes it is the intention of every Muslim to bury them as soon as possible. If this charitable organisation that I propose that runs the new cemetery had control of the burials we could bury until the late evening, this