Shia, Sunni get own Muslim cemetery in GTA

A Shia-Sunni Muslim cemetery  the first of its kind in the GTA  is in the works in Richmond Hill and could be operational by fall.The Shia and Sunni communities in the GTA bought the 14-hectare site at the southwest corner of Bethesda Sideroad and Leslie St., from Beth Olam Cemetery Corp., for $6.8 million, says Abdulhuq Ingar, who represents the Sunnis’ Islamic Society of Toronto. “It is a great opportunity for us, Sunni and Shia to work together,” says Ingar, who estimates that about 80 per cent of Muslims in the GTA are Sunnis and 20 per cent are Shia. “We can coexist, we can work together and become a model,” he says. “It is Canadian values which have brought us together Canadian values which have inspired us and allowed us to have this Muslim cemetery for which we are thankful.”

The fact that the vendors were Jewish “adds more gravy to the dinner,” he says. “They were greatly helpful.”

The cemetery will cost about another $2 million in development and overhead costs, says Sabi Ahsan, a Shia Muslim who helped coordinate the deal, which he described as a “positive accomplishment” for the Shia and Sunni communities. The land had “become surplus” for the Beth Olam group, he says, which has other cemeteries.

The Shia and Sunni Muslims will operate independently as part of the Toronto Muslim Cemetery Corp. and will share resources to minimize costs and maintain the property.

Both Sunni and Shia Muslims have been looking for suitable cemetery plots in the GTA for years but zoning and cost have posed problems.

Before any gravesites can be sold — at a cost now estimated at $700 per plot — the corporation has to have a cemetery licence (it was licensed by the former owners but this has to be transferred) and the site plan has to be submitted to and approved by the Town of Richmond Hill, says Ahsan. He expects the licence transfer to happen before the end of February.

Up until now there has only been one very small dedicated Shia Muslim cemetery in Markham, about half a hectare in size.

The new cemetery will accommodate the needs of the estimated community of more than 300,000 Muslims for at least 25 years, probably longer, said Ahsan. But until authorities approve the site plan, the corporation won’t know exactly how many plots there will be, he said.

Most Muslims have been buried in sections of non-denominational cemeteries in the GTA, according to certain key requirements such as being buried within 24 hours of their death and having their body washed and buried in a shroud with their face turned toward Mecca.

But because of traditional cemeteries’ operating hours, meeting some of those requirements has been problematic.