Khaberni - Since 2024, due to the lack of spaces in cemeteries designated for Muslims, Muslim families in the city of Tours are compelled to bury their deceased weeks after their passing or in distant cemeteries from that city, which is a national problem that has worsened since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the French site Mediapart.
The story became clearly evident in Yasmina's case, where she had to wait 29 days to bury her father, who died in December 2025. After a long journey of complicated administrative procedures and rejections from neighboring municipalities, he was finally buried in a city 250 kilometers away from his home.
This young woman aimed to honor her late father by burying him according to Islamic traditions, which prescribe swift burial in a Muslim-specific section of the cemetery with the body facing the Kaaba—a right guaranteed by law.
However, her desire collided with a wall of administrative crises, as it became apparent that the cemeteries in her city "Tours" no longer had room for a place that respects the specifics of her faith.
Yasmina commented on what happened, saying: "We cannot begin mourning knowing that the body of the deceased is deteriorating in the morgue.. It is a disgrace."
This case is not isolated, according to Mediapart, with local testimonies indicating that the average wait for burial is about two weeks, while some cases have extended to more than three weeks amid the total occupancy of current cemeteries.
The crisis extends nationally, as several French cities suffer from a similar shortage in "Islamic squares," partially exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, which prevented the transfer of bodies to countries of origin, along with changing attitudes of new generations preferring burial in France.
Young generations of Muslims in France, born and raised there, have changed their mentality and now prefer to be buried in France to stay close to their families, unlike the older generations.
Despite prior warnings for years, local authorities have not kept pace with the growing demand, putting municipalities under increasing pressure, especially since the creation of these spaces depends on decisions by mayoral offices.
The French Council of the Muslim Faith alerted, in 2020, the government and associations of mayoral offices about the lack of available spaces, but without there being a radical solution to this problem.
This procrastination, according to the site, is due to bureaucracy and political reasons, especially since the establishment of Islamic squares entirely depends on the decisions of mayors, with responses varying according to political orientations and local pressures.
In Tours, authorities are considering temporary solutions, including utilizing new lands, alongside plans for a major regional cemetery, although executing these plans could take years.
Local associations demand urgent action against the crisis, considering it transcends religious dimensions to become a matter of human dignity, as families suffer from not being able to bid farewell to their dead under decent conditions.
Indeed, the Muslim community in France does not view this issue merely as a religious matter but as a matter of dignity and citizenship.
Those active in seeking a radical solution to this issue emphasize that respecting funeral rituals of citizens is an integral part of their right to live and die with dignity on French soil, away from political exploitation during election seasons.
