Corpses being stacked as Male’ cemetery reaches capacity

The cemetery (Aa-sahara) in Male’ has reached capacity and Male’ municipality council has begun burying dead bodies on top of one another, by adding six feet of soil to the burial ground.

Islamic burial practices state that bodies must be buried six feet under the earth, and must not be stacked above other bodies – a logistical challenge for densely-populated Male’, where space is at a premium.

Head of Municipality Council Adam ‘Sarangu’ Manik said the council had no other choice because there was no other land in the city to bury dead bodies.

”We have to do it like this because every day one or two people need be buried there,” Adam explained.

”The soil was put on top of the graves and prepared by the former government,” he said. ”We have no other place to bury dead bodies, so we continued burying them there.”

State Islamic Minister Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed reiterated that under Islam it was prohibited to bury dead bodies in this manner.

”It is allowed only if there is no other way,” Sheikh Shaheem said, noting ”it is not a must to only bury dead people in Male’ – there is space in Hulhumale and Villingili. We should take the dead bodies in a speed boat to Hulhumale’, Villingili or another nearby island,” he said.

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14 thoughts on “Corpses being stacked as Male’ cemetery reaches capacity”

  1. you mean shaheem is against this and this is haraam thing government is doing. ,, i hope the guy go nation wide protest on this issue cox poor chse students are now forced to study islam and dhivehi at high school coz he felt it and now this becoming haraam and he dose nt go on nation wide protest that will be hypcritic. i support shaheems say...haraam things should not happen we should dig up all the other dead bodies burried like this and re burry them in hulahumale and use the unused land for a good cause like doing what Islam say us to do..yea shaheem go go go.. nation wide protest.

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  2. Mr President Nasheed,
    Why dont you please ask the Italian PM Berlusconi to give Maldivians a piece of land from Sardegna. Its an island almost one quarter of India (24000 km2) and yet its population is only one and a half million. Its one of the largest meditaranean island but so least populated that there is only 60 person for each km2 of land. Iys has sea all around which Maldivians would like and feel like home to live within. I hope the president thinks about this seriously. Im sure we dont have to bury bodies on top of the other then.

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  3. Do they care to explain where this was ruled haram? In the face of so many subjective interpretations being portrayed by these scholars as undisputed facts, I think they owe us to state the origin of this rule.

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  4. It would be easier if we were allowed to burn them... we don't have space for so many dead bodies.

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  5. i think i should agree with shaheem on this. this is fun.this govt. is too unislamic they don t give as shit to halaal or haraam coz back in maummon times his grand scholars and mufthi sheikh rasheed bey say yes but this govt. mifthis baaree and shaheem finds everything haraaam. i say mass protest against sarangeys this decision. also we should dig up all past buried people and re carry funeral to all of them. there is plenty of land in hulhumale' UNUSED. 😉

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  6. @HassanK - Why not take the time to do your own research since I am guessing (I might ofcourse be totally wrong as I do not know what is in your intentions).. but i am guessing that even if someone gives you a source, you would deny its validity since you already have your mind made up. This is a mindset that some has in themselves these days. So better to not waste your own time and others by asking, instead each one of us is given a brain to research multiple sources, see which sources are considered authentic, and again research that.. and come up with your own conclusion. Inshallah people will try to not ask too many unnecessary questions especially they themselves have eyes to read and a mind to think after learning about something.

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  7. oh dear... another shiek with some dead islam issue.. dhen valhulaaneh bin nethee yaa dhen keetha kuraanee.. miulhehnee adhi dhiri thibi meehunah dhiriulheyne bin nethingen... kohmes construction kunfunakaa havaalu kuranveenun.. geygey foundation hadhaa iru body kolhu alhaalan..hahaha! sorry dead..RIP

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  8. maumoon abdul gayoom was credible islamic scholar and he practiced this and why dose shaheem need to reset this now. he thinks he knows Islam better. or he wants to be in the spot light through out until next election for then he can say i m the Islamic president maldivain should elect. damn you shaheem STOP USING ISLAM FOR YOUR POLITICAL MOTIVES and create misconception about islam and hatred among our society. stop thin drama will you president anni

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  9. Hey how about this? Why don't we let all the atheists, heathens, pagans, infidels etc etc, declare themselves as so, and that way at least we can cremate some people?

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  10. Perhaps one should consider the fact that the health sector in the atolls has not been developed over the years and the inhabitants have to come to Male for medical treatment. There are many inhabited islands in the Maldives, and in particular near Male, where they have not buried a body for many months even when islanders from the same island have passed away over the same period. Often they pass way in Male. I had once been on an island not far from Male and inquired from the Katheeb that the cemetery does not appear to be used for a long time and he responded that when people are sick they have to be taken to Male and when they die are buried in Male.

    May be if one looks at the number of non Male residents buried at the Aa Sahara, it will show that the Male Cemetery is mainly being used to bury non Male residents due to the lack of health services available in most of the islands of the country.

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  11. Dear Adam Manik Please save Sagarey Park to bury Gayyoom as most Maldivians will agree that he deserves a spacious buriel ground. His tomb can be adjacent to the National flag.

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  12. @ Ibrahim yasir......I don't' think Mr Berlusconi would like to have muslim near his villas in Sardinia.
    And I don't' think Maldivians would like to stay in poor Sardinia.
    They will take the ferry and go to the continental land for Rome, Milan and Naples, more civilized town.

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  13. @Marina

    Do you have enough wood to burn dead bodies in Maldives.

    Only a few logs left to burn atheists' dead bodies.

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