Residents near Memphis, Tennessee have objected to plans for a Muslim cemetery, suggesting that the cemetery could bring "terrorism and disease" to the area. When local Muslims announced plans to turn an old farm near Memphis into a cemetery, angry neighbors protested saying the burial ground could become "a staging ground for terrorists or spread disease from unembalmed bodies." Faced with a flurry of objections they believe are based on their religion, representatives of the Muslim Society of Memphis withdrew their proposal to build a cemetery in the county.
Dr. Muhamed Zaman, a professor of medicine at the University of Tennessee and president of the Muslim Society of Memphis, told Arab News by phone yesterday that the majority of local residents in the immediate area of the 27-acre Fayette County tract do not seem to be opposed. The Fayette County Planning Commission approved the proposal, and Dr. Zaman said the proposed site is in an area with 17 existing cemeteries, including one located directly across the road. |