(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - The province has granted a license to the Toronto Muslim Cemetery Corporation, allowing it to operate the site in Richmond Hill.
The corporation says the cemetery is a joint project between Sunni and Shia Muslim communities and will open in June.
Board chairman Sabi Ahsan said the cemetery is a “landmark co-operation” between Muslims of all denominations and will bring the entire community closer together.
“This is the final nail in the coffin, so to speak,” said Abdulhuq Ingar, one of the founding members of the cemetery project. The group plans to open the 14-hectare cemetery officially in June. It’s expected to serve the needs of the estimated 300,000-strong Muslim community for at least 25 years.
He says the cemetery will be the first in the area which manages services according to Muslim custom, operates on weekends and will have all graves correctly aligned toward Mecca.
The 14-hectare land for the cemetery was bought for $6.8-million from a Jewish company – Beth Olam Cemetery Corporation – which provided the Muslim corporation with an interest-free mortgage. It’s expected to serve the needs of the estimated 300,000-strong Muslim community for at least 25 years.
Mr. Ahsan said it will hold 40,000 graves and will allow Muslims to bury their loved ones on the day they die, according to religious custom.
A Muslim cemetery to meet the needs of residents in Ottawa and Gatineau, Que, is expected to open in June as well
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