Private Muslim morgue

Cremation is prohibited, and embalming is discouraged

- NAMHLA MONAKALI

The Muslim Cemetery Board has begun construction of a mortuary at Mowbray Cemetery to store and prepare bodies according to Islamic burial rites.

The foundation for the first dedicated Muslim mortuary at the site was officially laid on Wednesday 5 November during a ceremony attended by community leaders, including the president of the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC), Sheikh Riyad Fatah, and Justice Siraj Desai.

Faizal Sayed, chair of the Board, said the facility will serve as a storage and preparation space and will not conduct autopsies.

“Upon much advice and consultation, we have opted to create a mortuary, which is for the storage of bodies, because of the pressures that we find in the communities at times,” Sayed said.