Local FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014
The Sunni cemetery in Sulaibikhat
Buried in Kuwait By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: With the wide variety of nationalities living in Kuwait who also have different beliefs and religions, Kuwait has provided different cemeteries. Currently there are five working cemeteries in Kuwait, while there were 50 in the past, but all are now out of service including the one on Failaka Island. The Kuwait Municipality is responsible for the burial process and even for its expenses, not only for Kuwaiti citizens but for all expats as well. “Nobody has to pay any fees for the burial as the Municipality arranges everything. There is an optional payment of KD 30 if the family of the dead wants to pay, which goes to the municipality treasury. This applies only for Muslims non-Muslims can’t pay anything,” Faisal AlAwadhi, supervisor of the funeral affairs department of the Kuwait Municipality told Kuwait Times. There are three cemeteries in Sulaibikhat for Sunnis, Shiites and non-Muslims, one in Subhan (Sunni) and one in Jahra (Sunni). “Cremation is not allowed in Kuwait as we are an Islamic country and this is against our beliefs, and those who want this procedure for their dead relatives can transfer their corpses to their home countries. For transporting dead bodies, the Municipality prepares everything including the coffin for free. Of course the family of the dead person has the
option of getting their own coffin and this applies for the coffins for burial as well,” Awadhi added. The burial procedures differ according to religion. “For Muslims, we transfer the body of the dead after receiving a call from the hospital with our vehicle, after fulfilling all conditions including the signature of the hospital and the doctor. The corpse is then transported to the cemetery that the family chooses, not according to their residential address. The corpse is then washed and buried if they demand, or is placed in the mortuary till the time of burial. Before burying the body, prayers are held. The family then can take condolences at the hall of the cemetery, for which the Sulaibikhat is the biggest as it can accommodate 4,000 people,” stated Awadhi. There are ritual washers at each cemetery except the non-Muslim cemetery. “There are male and female bathers, gravediggers and drivers who work on shifts 24/7. In the non-Muslim cemetery, the dead are brought ready from the church where they are washed already, and are directly buried. Also for expats, we only bury them in the presence of at least one of their family members or an agent from the embassy of their country, otherwise we don’t bury them,” he explained. All the cemeteries are expanding, but there is no shortage of land. “Expats shouldn’t worry of the proposal made a few months ago regarding
The Shiite cemetery in Sulaibikhat stopping burying expats in local cemeteries, as all the cemeteries are being enlarged. So we have enough capacity for the next 50 years,” Awadhi reassured. The department is also planning for the future. “We are planning new, bigger halls at the cemeteries. We also have plans for dividing the plots in the cemeteries and increase the number of mosques, so more people can attend funeral prayers. This is already done in the Subhan and Jahra cemeteries, and will soon be applied in the Sulaibikhat cemetery,” stressed Awadhi.
Regarding allowing night burials, Awadhi noted that it was always allowed. “In fact it was never forbidden to do so, as the cemeteries are opened 24 hours a day. But the custom followed was to bury between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm. Due to the hot weather, especially in summer, people have the option to bury at nighttime. Choosing the time of burial is always left to the people,” he pointed out. The total number of burials including bodies sent abroad in 2013 was 7,184 - 4,143 Kuwaitis and 3,041 expats.
Cemeteries for Sunnis, Shiites and Christians serve all equally The old Jewish cemetery in Kuwait City. It is no longer open.
The Christian cemetery in Kuwait City