There is outrage in London over the plans to dig up the ancient graves at Tower Hamlets Cemetery so that is can be reopened as a ‘multi-faith’ 21st century burial place.
Officially it would be known as a ‘multi-faith’ cemetery but it is likely that it would principally answer calls for a Muslim graveyard in the largely-Asian East London borough.
The local newspaper has been bombarded with letters from historians and nature lovers declaring: “There is no way we’ll allow them to dig up our ancestors.”
But the Labour-controlled council’s environment spokesman Abdal Ullah appeared to be in no doubt about the feasibility of the plan when he 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.
Remember the ‘inter-faith’ hospital gowns in London named that as a euphemism for muslim. This has the same kind of ring to it.
I have done genealogical research and know the value of tombstones in preserving history. Not to mention the other historical and ecological value of this cemetery.
The City of London and Tower Hamlets Cemetery was opened in 1841 by an Act of Parliament.
During the Second World War it was bombed five times and some headstones still bear the marks of shrapnel hits.
Other markers have gone altogether, torn down when the graveyard was deconsecrated as a Church of England cemetery by another Act of Parliament in 1966 when it was deemed to be full.
The intention was to create an open space for the public, which led to two bomb-damaged chapels being demolished and a swathe of graves cleared.
In 1986 ownership passed from the Greater London Council to Tower Hamlets and in 1990 the Friends of the Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park was set up.
Seven years ago the park became the borough’s first nature reserve and it is now tended by 1,600 volunteers.
It is home to 27 species of butterfly, a rare bumble bee, woodpeckers, sparrowhawks and the elusive firecrest.
Some 8,000 schoolchildren visit every year for outdoor nature lessons.
Professor David Bellamy, who is patron of the Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, said: “Tower Hamlets Cemetery is still a place of peace and reflection as it has been since it was saved from becoming just another part of East London’s urban sprawl.
“Now in its new guise as a local nature reserve and green lung, people of every colour, creed and kind share their humanity with that of other living things.
“I can only pray that the wisdom of all faiths can together discover the right way ahead for this very special part of East London’s heritage.”
All faiths could come together to find a way ahead for this if one faith wasn’t completely dismissive of the others. We’ve ceded the middle east to islam, must we also allow the take over of Europe? The West capitulates without even a squabble.
Let the remains of our ancestors rest in peace.
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Under Distant Stars…
I received this email Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2007, from Michael Yon. It blew me away, and that was without reading his article! That is somewhat of a great achievement, since I’m used to not believing our dinosaur media. Well, it must be worse than I thoug….