A MONUMENT to recognise unmarked Muslim graves has been erected in Belfast City Cemetery.
From the 1920s to the 1940s at least 11 Muslims were laid to rest in Belfast City Cemetery.
The majority are sailors (lascars), but among them is also Achmed Musa, a Turkish circus performer, and Faiz Hamid Mohammed, a Queen’s University medical student.
The monument has been installed in the Glendalina extension area of the City Cemetery.
Speaking at the unveiling on Wednesday, academic and activist Dr Naomi Green said: "I am delighted that a new memorial stone marking the historic Muslim graves at Belfast City Cemetery has now been installed.
"The memorial names at least eleven Muslim individuals who we know were laid to rest in the cemetery between the 1920s and 1940s. These men died far from their homes and families. Most were buried in unmarked grave plots across the cemetery and, for many years, their presence was largely forgotten.
Dr Naomi Green at the monument
"Most were lascars, sailors recruited from across Asia, Africa and other parts of the world who worked in the merchant navy and were a vital part of the global shipping industry. Many worked in harsh conditions, often for low wages and with little security, travelling long distances and living far from their families. Their movements were part of the wider networks created by the British Empire, which connected Belfast’s port to communities across Asia, Africa and beyond.
"While the names on the memorial are those we have been able to identify through the cemetery records, it also stands in remembrance of the many Muslim and international sailors who passed through Belfast’s ports since at least the 1800s.
"I am incredibly grateful to Belfast City Council, and particularly to the staff at Belfast City Cemetery, for their support, and to Cllr Paul Doherty, Clonard Monastery’s Peace and Reconciliation Commission, Fr Magill and St John’s, the local mosques and the many individuals and organisations across the wider community who have supported the project through donations, encouragement and practical help. We are also very grateful to O’Neills Stonemasons for creating such a beautiful memorial stone.
"This memorial is about more than marking graves. It gives a permanent place of remembrance to people whose lives brought them to Belfast, while recognising that there are many more stories we may never be able to recover.
"Their presence is part of Belfast’s history, and we hope the memorial will ensure that these individuals, and the wider community of sailors they represent, are remembered for generations to come."
Councillor Paul Doherty added: "This memorial recognises people whose lives were part of Belfast, but whose stories were largely overlooked for generations. Those remembered here were sailors, workers, students and travellers whose journeys brought them to this city, and many were laid to rest here without any individual marker.
"They are not footnotes to Belfast’s history – they are Belfast’s history. At a time when racism and division still exist, that matters. People from different faiths and backgrounds have been connected to this city for generations.
"What also means a great deal is that, when people in West Belfast heard about this project, they stepped forward and contributed some funds towards helping to make this memorial possible. Belfast City Cemetery means a great deal to the community here, and that response showed real solidarity, respect and a shared determination to ensure those buried there are remembered with dignity.
"This memorial is a powerful reminder that Belfast’s story has always been broader, more diverse and more international than we sometimes realise, and that every part of that history deserves to be recognised."
