By: I Made Milagro Azra Sentana
Edited by: Vinuri U. Perera
According to Professor Hirofumi Tanada (https://www.waseda.jp/top/en/news/53405), a Professor in Waseda University, ever since the start of the 20th century, the number of Japanese Muslims has increased alongside its cultural presence. There are approximately 90 mosques scattered all over Japan.
Muhammad Tahir Abbas Khan came to Japan in 2001 as a PhD student from Pakistan, and is currently working as a professor at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University. Being a naturalised Japanese Muslim citizen, he was involved in various mosque-building projects including the mosque he purchased in Fukuoka.
Upon moving to Beppu, Professor Khan as the head of Beppu Muslim Association (BMA) worked together to purchase a building in Mochigahama.
“Luckily we were able to find a good building, and it is now the first operative mosque in all of Kyushu.” Khan said.
Origins for the need for a graveyard
The need to have a Muslim graveyard occurred nearly a decade ago when a fellow Muslim student experienced the loss of a family member and needed a final resting place.
“That was the time that I realized the need for a Muslim graveyard” Professor Khan said.
According to Islamic law, burying the dead is the only acceptable method, while cremation is completely prohibited. This difference in values became an obstacle for the local Muslim community as another Muslim in Beppu faced the same issue, but was suggested by Beppu City Hall to carry out the burial in the Muslim graveyard in Yamanashi prefecture instead.
“I’m not going anywhere. I pay taxes to [them] and it’s [their] responsibility to assist me in this” said the Muslim individual.
After hours of discussion, they suggested carrying out the burial in a Catholic graveyard located in Beppu. Since then every burial from the Muslim community has been conducted there. However, Khan says that the major problem they are facing is that, “Unfortunately, there is no space left and that was when I started looking for other graveyards in Beppu” .
There have been many instances where there was no choice but to use the graveyard in Yamanashi. However, Professor Khan outlines that it is not an efficient method to find a final resting place for their loved ones.
“It costs a lot of money and a very difficult thing to do as well,” said Khan recalling the experience of another Muslim individual.
Khan then spent most of his days contacting Beppu City Hall and trying to make arrangements for the Muslim graveyard, but has seen no success until this day. “I’ve been there countless times and it’s always nothing concrete”.
Hope was running thin until one day he stumbled upon a Buddhist monk who owns a temple in Nakatsu and wished to work with Khan in spreading more information about Islam to the community. They hosted cultural events such as Islam Cultural Festival ( イスラム文化祭り) where food stalls provided free food from eight different Muslim countries with the aim of exposing the community to Islamic culture. Afterwards, with the help of the monk, Khan finally found the perfect spot for a Muslim graveyard in Hiji.
An uphill battle
Though Khan is fluent in Japanese, it can still be difficult to read and process the paperworks without the help of a native speaker. Being fluent in both Japanese and English, Professor Kojima made the decision to assist Khan in his journey.
` Professor Kojima, an Associate Professor at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, learned about the subject and Khan through a globalization and diversity class he teaches.“One of the biggest issues for Muslim Japanese is the cemetery problem – many have a hard time securing a place to die” Professor Kojima said. He believes that if the right to practice religion is guaranteed in the Japanese Constitution but enjoyed unevenly in practice, the state or the local government should be responsible in providing its citizens this basic utility that everyone needs. According to him, there are publicly owned and managed cemeteries in almost every city, but they are predominantly cremation only.
He feels that this restriction is outdated, “Diversity has become a keyword for the state when discussing economic growth strategy and the future of Japan at large.” Kojima said.
Kojima has been studying state and local regulations on cemeteries, and been examining how Muslim associations in Japan have been securing burial-based cemeteries.
“If you look at the mosques that were successful in securing cemeteries for burials, there’s always a local mediator… And that's the history”
According to him, there is a law that specifies the requirements for a graveyard on the national level and local level. “Somebody has to go through these documents to see what the muslim associations need to do to abide by the local regulations and negotiate with the local Hiji government,” Kojima said. For instance, he mentions how the graveyard should be built 110 meters away from any housing, schools, hospitals and local stores - which according to Khan has been fulfilled.
After going through the legal aspects, Khan was able to buy land in Hiji for the graveyard near a monastery. Afterwards, it was necessary to conduct a meeting to inform the local community. However, after numerous meetings, a petition against the construction of a Muslim graveyard was submitted to local officials by some of the community members. Their main concern is that the graveyard could potentially contaminate the nearby lake used for irrigation.
“I understand their feelings and empathize with them, but there is no evidence for water contamination,” Khan said.
Furthermore, the petition caused hesitancy among the Hiji officials who have yet to provide Khan with a definite answer “We have fulfilled all the legal requirements and documents, and it is with them for many months now with no decisions yet,” Khan said.
Both Professors have met with several diet politicians, local officials, legal experts, and even the Minister of Labour and Health, but have not seen any concrete progress.
Water contamination
Though Japan does not have laws that forbid burials, there can be backlash from the local communities. In a country where cremation has become the norm in the recent decades, many point out the potential public health and environmental issues that go alongside burials. Hiji does not forbid burials as there is a Christian monastery that practices burial after acquiring permission from the town. But when it comes to the Muslim graveyard, Mayor Hirofumi Honda’s approval is slow to come - but both Professors have stated that they have already met with the Mayor.
One common criticism from the Hiji locals is the negative effects to public health, as they are worried that the deceased bodies will contaminate the nearby water used by the neighbouring village for agriculture irrigation.
“We are willing to send water samples to any laboratories of their choice at our expense. If there are any contaminations, we will either stop the practice or find solutions - we can do whatever they want.” Khan said.
According to the World Health Organization[h1] [h2] (https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/108132/EUR_ICP_EHNA_01_04_01(A).pdf;sequence=1) , recent studies of cemeteries in Australia found that groundwater samples beneath graveyards had high levels of concentrated salt in waters but are qualified for irrigation purposes according to the Australian water quality criteria. A study(https://iwaponline.com/jwh/article/13/2/285/28303/Impact-of-cemeteries-on-groundwater-contamination) states that pathogenic bacterias exuded from human and animal corpses speed up decomposition but are not harmful. Following the appropriate procedures can also prevent contamination as pathogens are unable to survive for a long period of time outside of the host body. For example, trees and plants near cemeteries can help prevent bacteria from spreading in water and rains. According to the same study, pollution is the major cause of groundwater contamination in cemeteries.
Khan says the above monastery that practices burial uses the underground water 100 meters away from their graveyard for drinking and making cookies that are sold to the public. Because of the commercial aspect, the waters are required to be tested on a regular basis. The results have shown no abnormalities and the water has been deemed safe for consumption.
“We showed them the results that the water is perfectly clean, and they still refused to accept. I bought the land which is more than 3km away from their houses, more than 1.5km away from their lake. If they feel uncomfortable, then just give us another site and we will buy that land.” Khan said.
Kojima points out that other countries with completely different climates have been practicing burials for decades and are able to prevent contamination “Thanks to the discussions of students in my class, I know that there are humid countries that have been practicing burials for decades and continue to do so. In some countries that accommodate immigrants, such as Germany, local governments are providing space where its religious minorities can bury or cremate according to one’s religious belief”. To further answer criticisms, both Professors have consulted with an embalmer in getting verification of contaminated waters.
“We have consulted with experts and feel that the burial-based cemetery in Hiji does not contaminate water but there is still this fear. The fear seems to be partly environmental, partly xenophobic in nature. It’s hard to communicate when there is a vague sense of fear. That’s why state intervention is called for,” Kojima said.
The Multicultural predicament
The aspect of multiculturalism within this debate is inevitable as Japanese culture has its own preferred method of dealing with the dead that is at odds with that of the Muslim community. The two different cultural and religious values sparked a discussion raised by commenters, mentioning how foreigners should respect the current local values and traditions.
“But there is a Christian graveyard, which is closer to the river than where our graveyard is located,” Khan reinforces his claims. According to him, the Christian graveyard has existed for more than 20 years and has faced no claims of contamination.
“Why would they come to Japan when they knew that burial was not allowed in Japan unless there were special circumstances,” is another common argument that both Professors have encountered throughout their journey.
“Japan is living in this mythical belief that we are a homogenous nation, and communal harmony should be achieved by assimilating into the Japanese way of life. It is one of the biggest challenges for Japanese people to root their national identity somewhere other than sharing a common ancestry and culture. But, we simply cannot stop globalization as we know diversity promotes innovation and resilience…If we talk to the same people, we remain with the same ideas” Kojima said.
“We have existing examples like Australia and Canada that have benefited greatly from accepting foreigners… I am a Japanese national now - and what about ethnic Japanese nationals who have accepted Islam, should they get kicked out of Japan as well?” Khan answered regarding accepting multiculturalism.
“This whole burial based cemetery issue is not about asking for a special privilege for foreigners. We are asking the governments to follow what is written in the books,” Kojima said.
Despite the name of a Muslim graveyard, Khan is open to and welcomes non-Muslims using the graveyard as well. “It’s not just Muslims but [those from] other religions can come and bury their loved ones too”. In addition, Khan feels it is also necessary to pay homage to the Catholic graveyard for accepting many of their fallen brothers and sisters.
The existence of a Muslim graveyard is critical not just for the local Muslim population, but also for maintaining legal equality. In spite of the numerous setbacks both Professors have experienced, Khan remains optimistic about the future and will continue to advocate for equal treatment.