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From This is London
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.
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.
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.
After looting the kuffir lands of all they can take, after wiping out the native cultures, now the moslem hoards decide that even the dead ifidels shall be cast aside as rubbish so that the followers of Mohammed can rest in peace in their new lands...
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 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.
After looting the kuffir lands of all they can take, after wiping out the native cultures, now the moslem hoards decide that even the dead ifidels shall be cast aside as rubbish so that the followers of Mohammed can rest in peace in their new lands... 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."
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."
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.
**Thanks to New Labours open door policy on migrantion.
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.
**Thanks to New Labours open door policy on migrantion.
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.
**Dont expect any help from one eyed Gordon Brown PM who issued this:
Inshalla indeed! A well trained dhimmi grovels in No.10.I am delighted to send my warmest wishes to our British Muslim communities for the forthcoming celebration of Eid-al-Fitr.
I know that the Holy Month of Ramadan has an important and special meaning for the many and diverse Muslim communities all over the world. The period of daily fasting gives you a time to reflect on your lives and your faith.
This celebration is also important for everyone in our country as it reminds us all of our shared obligation to help those less fortunate than ourselves.
Islamic art, science, philosophy and thought have enriched our lives over many centuries. And in Britain, of course, our Muslim communities make a huge contribution to all fields of our national life and the United Kingdom's prosperity. This is something we can all be proud of.
With best wishes at this special time. Eid Mubarak
**Update - the plan to islamize the dead has been canceled for now...
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3 people have spoken:
It has been the custom over centuries for Muslims in new lands, usually those that they have conquered first, to desecrate the burial and holy sites of other faiths and turn them into Muslim holy sites, knowing that they can call upon the faithful to defend them should the decision every be tried to be reversed.
As an example The Mosques of Jerusalem are all built on the sites of other faiths, which in their way is to gain supremacy over them, same goes for Moorish sites in Spain and Arabic mosques in Turkey.
In this particular case in East London, we must hope that this pathetic excuse for an environment spokesman breaks the first sod, only to discover that the site was used for burying victims of the plague.
True, all part of making us a greater Eurabia...
Its a sad fact, that being human means having divisions. The liberals all live in a land far removed from reality where they lick the arses of the various pressure groups. This is grovelling in the truest sense of the word, and i can say that there is a definite difference between "Grovelling" like pigs, and showing respect for other cultures. In the eyes of the muslims, Britains labour leaders and public sector bureaucrats are nothing but pushovers and are as low as pigs.
The Point that the liberal labourites all forget is the tendency's of man or "human nature" which dictates that one race will always rise up and try to conqour another, thus the idea of racial harmony is a misnomer and is purely a utopian dream devoid of any reality in the present phase of human existence.
Quite interesting but the question must be asked when will people of local origin start to stand up for themselves. The irony is that by desecrating the resting place of 350,000 local people that the muslims could be unleashing a power far greater, namely that of the creation of a unified nationalist front among the local British peoples of the east end and other areas. The results are plain to see, namely in Hitlers rise to power and mass extermination of the Jewish people. Such a thing could befall england and will if the Muslim hoard continue to try and takeover Great Britain because eventually the tolerance of local people will break. It has happened before in human history and will happen again if the Muslims don't back down. New Labour, You have been warned!
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