Mosque plans 'mini-mortuary' to perform sacred burial rites

A DEDICATED Muslim "mortuary" to ensure sacred burial rituals can be carried out is set to be built at Edinburgh's main mosque.

Plans submitted by the Edinburgh Mosque and Islamic Centre on Potterrow would see the creation of a small outbuilding which would be used as a mortuary.

A new toilet block would also be created in an extension to the existing building, giving the mosque much better facilities.

The single-storey mortuary building would be used for the washing of the dead, an important ritual in Islamic religion, which must be done as soon after death as possible.

The mosque previously used a room inside the building for this ceremony, but it is understood the process recently had to be shifted to a temporary building outside the Potterrow centre.

Staff at the centre said the new facilities were badly needed, as existing arrangements were totally unsuitable, especially in light of the recent cold weather.

They insisted the building was not a "mortuary" in the traditional sense, as it would not be used to store dead bodies for any length of time. In the Islamic faith the body of a deceased person must be washed to physically cleanse the corpse, preferably within hours of the actual death.

A member of staff at the centre said: "This is not a mortuary as many people will think of it, but rather is a place to carry out what is a very important religious ceremony for Muslims.

"We had carried this out in the mosque itself, and then latterly in a portable building, but as you would expect that is not very suitable and so this would provide a far better facility for us."

The mosque was opened in July, 1998. It cost 3.5 million to develop, and provides prayer facilities for more than 1,200 people in the area.

Local councillor Ian Perry said the application had his support, as it would improve facilities for the local Muslim community.

"Although this has still to go before the planning committee the application has my support, because this will provide a great improvement to facilities at the Edinburgh Mosque and Islamic Centre," he said. "Anything we can do to help improve facilities for the Muslim community should be supported."