Quebec City mayor vows to give Muslims a place to bury dead

The deaths of six men in a Quebec City mosque is underscoring a problem that Quebec Muslims have encountered for years they have a hard time findingspace to bury their dead.

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The families of the slain men are left in a heartbreaking situation, said Hadjira Belkacem, the founding president of Quebec's Muslim burial association.

"Most people want to be buried here, butthe lack of cemeteries is an obstacle, sadly,"Belkacemsaid.

Not only is there no Muslim cemetery to receive the bodies of those who died in Quebec City, there are no dedicated burial grounds for Muslims anywhere outside the greater Montreal region.

Mayor Rgis Labeaume vows to find burial space

Believers have been pushing for cemetery space in the Quebec City region since 2014. Now, in the wake of the terror attack, the city's mayor says it is time to finally make that happen.

"We are working with them to see what they need. We will help them," said Rgis Labeaume.

Several thousand people gathered at the Maurice Richard Arena on Thursday for a service for Khaled Belkacemi, Abdelkrim Hassane and Aboubaker Thabti.

They were honoured in Montrealbefore their bodies are repatriated to their countries of origin.

Another funeral service will take placein Quebec City on Friday to honourMamadou Tanou Barry, Ibrahima Barry and Azzedine Soufiane.

The bodies of five of the six men killed in the attack will be returned to their countriesof origin.

Mamadou Tanou Barry will be buried in Laval.

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Plots oriented toward Mecca

LiliaDerbal, the secretary general of the Muslim burial association, says practising Muslims could theoretically be interred in any burial ground, as long as the plots are oriented toward Mecca.

But she said the association has not been able to secure a section in a Quebec City cemetery that meets that criteria. When Labeaumediscussed the issue this week, hesaid legal and financial issues were factors.

Just 16months ago, after years of lobbying,members of the Muslim communityinaugurated a 3,000-plot cemetery in Laval.

It's located in the Laval Cemetery, which also has sections for Christians and Jewish people.

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Derbalsaid there are smaller sections reserved forMuslims in three other cemeteries one inBrossard, one inDollard-des-Ormeauxand one at a different cemetery in Laval.

But it's difficult for families who don't live in the greater Montreal region to travel a great distance to visit the site.

"We look for help from everyone from government to other cemeteries to create new plots for Muslims," Derbal said.

"In a few years there will be no place for our deceased."