A shroud is not enough

Burials without a coffin are now also allowed in Bavaria.

But in practice nothing will change for the time being.

What is the reason for that?

Erding - When a Muslim dies in Erding, his corpse is usually transferred abroad.

Especially people of Turkish origin "can be buried in Turkey", says Emre Keles, religious representative of the Islamic Community Erding.

One reason: Muslim tradition provides for burial in a shroud - without a coffin.

That was not allowed in Bavaria until April.

A coffin-free burial is theoretically possible, but it still does not exist in Erding in practice.

Change in law was "overdue"

According to Karl Albert Denk, the abolition of the compulsory coffin as set out in the amendment to the law of April 1 was "long overdue".

The Erdinger undertaker knows from his daily practice the question of Muslim fellow citizens about the possibility of a funeral without a coffin only too well.

“The wish actually comes every time,” he says.

Denk had to refuse this request again and again.

And will have to do so in the future, despite the new law.

“Nothing changes in practice,” regrets Denk.

The problem: A burial must always be approved by the respective cemetery caretaker.

This in turn is bound by the local cemetery statutes.

And this categorically rules out burial in a sheet without a coffin in almost all Bavarian municipalities, even after the change in the law.

First the statutes have to be changed

As long as the cemetery statutes are not adapted in the respective municipality, the funeral ordinance newly issued by the Free State remains gray theory.

The city of Munich recently expanded its statutes to include the option of a coffin-free burial - making it one of the first municipalities in the larger area.

So far, no adjustment is tangible for Erding.

When asked by our newspaper, city spokesman Christian Wanninger has not yet heard of any plans to adjust the Erdinger rules accordingly.

The currently valid cemetery statutes in Erding were only amended in January 2019.

At that time, after an expansion, new possibilities were created at the park cemetery on Itzlinger Strasse, for example for anonymous or partially anonymous burials.

With the new options, new regulations in the cemetery statutes had become necessary.

Now, a good two years later, one has been hesitant to make further adjustments.

It's not that simple, says Wanninger.

A burial without a coffin would "presumably be for technical reasons".

Undertaker Denk agrees: "The coffin also has a function as a shell in the decomposition process," he says.

The airspace plays an important role in this.

In Munich one tries to counter this problem with a board underneath and several layers of shrouds.

Islam: the deceased must lie on the earth

From an Islamic point of view it is “important that the deceased lies directly on the earth, not in the coffin”, says the Erdinger Imam Keles and quotes Sura Taha verse 55, which deals with the earth: “We created you from it and in them we will bring you back. ”In a traditional Muslim burial, the body is ritually washed after death and then wrapped in white cloths.

In the grave, the deceased are laid on their right side, facing Mecca.

Muslim scholars recommend, Keles explains, that the deceased be buried where they die, if possible.

Most Muslims transfer the dead abroad

Although there are already Muslim graves in Erding, the majority of families are transferring their deceased abroad.

He would be all the more pleased if the conditions for a Muslim burial were created on site.

“Of course, I think it's great when we Muslims here in Bavaria are given the opportunity to hold our funerals in accordance with our religious rules and traditions,” says Keles.

In any case, Denk would welcome the option of Muslim burials.

Appropriate knowledge is part of the training.

"We have been trained," says Erdinger, who is a deputy member of the board of the Bavarian Undertaker Association.

But first the municipalities are asked.

"Now it is the turn of the congregations to bring theory and practice together."

ujk