Posted on 10/11/2007 10:58:41 AM PDT by BGHater
A row has erupted over a plan to dig up a third of a million bodies from an historic east London cemetery to make way for a new Muslim burial site.
Tower Hamlets council in London is considering reopening the Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park in Mile End to answer a long-running campaign for a Muslim graveyard in the area.
The park, off Bow Common Lane, was deconsecrated as a Church of England cemetery by Parliament in 1966, after being deemed full with about 350,000 bodies buried there.
It is not yet clear what the Council proposes to do with the remains, if they are ultimately removed from the graves and a new burial site built in their place.
Council sources have said the plans are not yet at a stage where this has been properly considered.
But already opponents to the proposal are lining up. They include the environmentalist and broadcaster, who is leading calls for the park to be kept as a wildlife haven.
The botanist, who is patron of a charity that acts as the guardian of the graveyard, said he will 'pray that the wisdom of all faiths' prevails in the decision over the cemetery's future.
The other options are to find land outside Tower Hamlets or redevelop the Bow Common gas works.
The Labour-controlled council had asked officers to find ways of opening a Muslim-only cemetery - but lawyers warned them that would be illegal.
The authority then examined the possibility of a multi-faith site, clearing existing graves to create a new cemetery with an area set aside for Muslim burials.
But now outraged East Enders have declared "there is no way we'll allow them to dig up our ancestors".
They have bombarded their local paper, the East London Advertiser, with protests against the plan to exhume 350,000 graves dating back to 1841, including those of the children of Dr Barnardo.
Religious leaders and politicians have also reacted angrily.
Tower Hamlets Tory group leader Peter Golds said no new cemetery had been opened in an inner city area for decades.
Cllr Golds insisted: "Of course, there must be respect for the recent dead and for those who mourn, but this proposal will cause untold damage to community cohesion in a borough that seriously wants for tranquil open space."
Labour's Poplar and Canning Town MP Jim Fitzpatrick said: "The cemetery is a very special piece of green space and I would personally want to examine very carefully any proposal to change that."
The Rev Alan Green, chair of the Tower Hamlets Inter-Faith Forum and dean for the borough, said the former Church of England graveyard was not an 'appropriate' place for a new cemetery.
Rev Green said: "The Church supports the move to ensure suitable future provision for the burial and cremation needs for all local residents.
"However, we do not believe that the Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park is an appropriate location due to the emotional, practical and ecological issues of removing thousands of bodies and destroying an important wildlife centre.
"Therefore, we hope that we can work with the council and other faith groups to find a more suitable alternative."
Even Respect group leader Abjol Miah, who has been at the forefront of calls for a Muslim cemetery, opposed the blueprint.
Mr Miah said: "The Bow cemetery is an historic site and a nature reserve and therefore appears not to be an appropriate place.
"However, there is an urgent need for new cemetery facilities for Tower Hamlets residents.
"The lack of such facilities affects everyone, and is pressing because many, including most Muslims, prefer to bury their loved ones."
But defending the plan, Labour's environment spokesman in Tower Hamlets, Abdal Ullah, said: "To preserve the respect and dignity for everyone, I think most of the graves would have to be cleared out and we'd start afresh."
He said a corner of the cemetery would be reserved for Muslims who are buried in shrouds at a depth of 6ft and on their side facing Mecca.
With the fast-changing demographics of Tower Hamlets, the cemetery would be pre-dominantly Muslim.
Re-opening the cemetery would require an Act of Parliament - involving widespread public consultation and scrutiny but by law, any graves more than 75 years old can be removed.
And what day will that be? A frosty one in the underground I believe...
I’ll rephrase your statment, “At some point we’ll be forced to admit that Islamic culture is counter to peace and freedom and must be eliminated from the Earth...”
There you go...all better.
Never needed to be 'consecrated' by a church to be consecrated ground anyway. The bodies of those buried there consecrate the ground.
England had better draw a line in the sand on this one - or they will have tipped the scale - here's hoping this will be the last straw for the British public and they will rise up.
This story is almost too unbelievable, even after all we've seen
I didn’t realize Muslims needed a graveyard. I thought they just all blew themselves up into little bits.
Exactly = it's certain there's millions of acres of unused sand in muzzie countries...let them bury their dead in their own homelands.
This is the inevitable result of all the 'tolerance' that they = and we - have allowed to be pushed upon us. (have you ever notet that the 'tolerance' only goes one way?)
I dont think anyone really believes Britain is done...are the Ravens still at the Tower?
It’s just tough for many of us in America to be across the Pond and watch our ancestral homeland continue to pander (and seeminly capitulate) to muslim invaders. It’s naive to look at them as immigrants...since they have no desire to assimlate and every desire to establish dominance.
Whereas western nations are gracious in celebrating diversity...muslims would hang us in regard to ours, if power positions were reversed.
It's true. Once we started destroying our own young, we stepped over a line. If these are not the end times then something else will be required - the Jews had to wander in the desert for 40 years until a generation had passed away.
Digging up bodies in an old cemetery to make way for a new cemetery? Have to admit I’ve never heard of that before. Seems like one of the dumbest ideas I’ve ever heard before, not to mention sacrilegious.
Dhimmitude to an exponential degree seems to be the only logical explanation.
Wonder if this has ever been done before in England, or anywhere?
Have they lost their friggen minds?
Quite honestly, the muzzie bodies belong in the trash. They are here to commit genocide on our culture and if we don’t eradicate them or , at the very least, remove them, we will end up in bondage to murderous throwbacks to the dark ages.
I feel like I’m watching some absurd Python skit. It’s amazing how the civilized world id pandering to the Muslims. I doubt they would ever do the same for us.
I’m thinking that the royal family must have converted to islamics at some point in the last decade. This is insane.
Unbelievable....
Next all live non-Muslim Brits will have to leave London to make room for the Islamonazis.... most of whom are on the dole with hidden multiple wives -——copulating, populating and taking over....
The Laws of Civil Society - simply don’t work with so many folks from the Turd World — especially those from Islamic nations who view immigration as a form of invasion with the host country paying the bills for his own bullet..
Madness....
PERFECT!!!
The best and brightest idea i’v heard in along time!!
its lawful, non-violent and solves the problem. damn, wish i lived over there so I could do it!!
“The park, off Bow Common Lane, was deconsecrated as a Church of England cemetery by Parliament in 1966, after being deemed full with about 350,000 bodies buried there. “
De-consecrated??????? As long as Christians are buried there, it should be considered consecrated ground.
As for dead Muzzies,ship them back to Arabia.
The leftist lunatics in this country contort themselves into pretzels when a Christian displays a Baby Jesus in public...but when a muslim wants a special foot bath in school or more to the point demands santas not show up to help light a Christmas Tree in Montgomery County, Maryland because it’s ‘too offensive’...all is right with the world!
Imagine their shock when they get their throats cut once they get their way!
Galloway deserves a trip to Tyburn, followed by posting of his parts to the four quarters of England.
Mark
If the Brits are upset about this, just wait ten years when they will be forced to wear burkas and pray to mecca throughout the day.
Served British Royal Marines Boxer rebellion 1900. China.
Served Royal West Kent Regt. 1914-1918.
Captured in Belgium 1915. Suffered improper nutrition due to British blockade, it helped cut off food to Germany. Not the Germans fault, but that which the war engendered. They tried to do the same to the British.
Betrayed after the war so it was said. Government austerity to put back the pound as it was. Promises like "Homes fit for heroes".
Just damn.
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