A MONUMENT to recognise unmarked Muslim graves is to be erected in Belfast City Cemetery.
From the 1920s to the 1940s at least eleven Muslims were laid to rest in Belfast City Cemetery. All but one lies in unmarked graves, with some buried within public plots.
The majority are sailors (lascars), but among them is also a Turkish circus performer and a Queen’s University student. Records from the City Cemetery have revealed at least nine lascars were buried there.
Last week, Belfast City Council approved a committee decision to permit a monument and interpretative panel that would recognise the unmarked Muslim graves in the City Cemetery. It will be installed in the Glendalina extension area of the City Cemetery.
Dr Naomi Green and Fr Martin Magill are the driving force behind recognition for Muslims buried in the cemetery.
Speaking to the Andersonstown News, Naomi explained: "A lot of port cities had sailors coming in from non-European countries from the 1700s and many of them were Muslims.
"When I was doing my PhD research, I started to look at Belfast being a big port city. I looked at grave records and found a total of ten in City Cemetery, including a medical student, a man that was murdered in Carrickfergus and the rest were sailors.
"The sailors in particular resonated with me because they came here to work and died away from their family. As a member of the Muslim community, I thought we needed to do something to commemorate them.
"A lot of people think Muslims are new to Ireland but stories like this prove that they have been around for generations.
"We talk a lot in Belfast about our historic shipping heritage but 25 per cent of sailors coming into our ports were lascars. These are a small percentage who never made it home. The shipping company never put up a headstone so they were always left unmarked."
She added: "The support from Belfast City Council has been fantastic and I am delighted to see the monument approved and look forward to it being erected in the coming months."
Fr Martin Magill from St John's parish added: "I want to thank Naomi for her work on this. For me, it is so important for us to remember the sailors who have basically been forgotten about.
"From a social justice point of view it's important we recognise this group of people – the forgotten poor Credit to Belfast City Council for approving it so quickly."
SDLP councillor and Deputy Lord Mayor Paul Doherty welcomed the Council decision.
"Their stories are part of Belfast’s shared history, yet for too long they have remained unmarked and unrecognised," he said. "This decision is about dignity, respect and inclusion – ensuring that these lives, and their contribution to the life of our city, will finally be remembered."
