Council investigates locations for Islamic cemetery
16 October 2023
Ipswich’s Islamic community may soon have a location for Islamic faith burials, as council investigates potential sites at existing cemeteries.
Growth, Infrastructure and Waste Committee Chair Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding said members of the Islamic community petitioned council in July for an appropriate location to be set aside within an existing Ipswich cemetery for Muslim residents.
“Traditional Islamic burials have different requirements to Christian burials, and to date there has been nowhere in Ipswich suitable for members of the faith to lay their loved ones to rest,” Mayor Harding said.
“Brisbane’s Mt Gravatt cemetery is the closest cemetery with appropriate burial options, so it’s important that we find a suitable location for Ipswich’s Muslim residents close to home.
“After members of the Islamic community approached council earlier this year, we have been working to find a potential location within one of our existing cemeteries.
“This work has identified Stone Quarry cemetery, in Jeebropilly, as the best potential option. We will continue working with the Islamic community to potentially establish a burial section at the cemetery in the near future.”
Stone Quarry is a denominational cemetery that has adequate space for growth, with a preliminary design identifying about 690 potential burial plots.
Traditional burials for a person of Islamic faith place the body generally in a North-South orientation, as it is important for the deceased to be perpendicular to the direction of Mecca.
Council’s existing cemeteries have burials plotted in an East-West orientation, which is generally for people of Christian faith.