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Cemetery in Mumbai Won't Bury Terrorists

Gunmen 'cannot be called Muslim,' says graveyard trust

By the Associated Press

Posted Dec 1, 2008 7:31 AM CST

(AP) – A Muslim graveyard has refused to bury nine gunmen who terrorized Mumbai over three days last week, leaving at least 172 people dead and wreaking havoc at some of its most famous landmarks. The shooters, whose bodies are unclaimed thus far, are not true followers of the Islamic faith, according to an influential Muslim trust that runs a 7.5-acre graveyard in downtown Mumbai.

"People who committed this heinous crime cannot be called Muslim," said a trustee. "Islam does not permit this sort of barbaric crime." The gunmen’s bodies now lie in a morgue awaiting last rites, while the lone surviving militant is in police custody. Normally, unclaimed bodies thought to be Muslims are given to the nearest Muslim graveyard for burial after three days.

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Mourners gather for a memorial to pay tribute to Mumbai police officers who lost their lives in the recent attacks in Mumbai, India, Sunday Nov. 30, 2008. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

In this Nov. 26, 2008 file photo, a gunman identified by police as Ajmal Qasab walks at the Chatrapathi Sivaji Terminal railway station in Mumbai, India. (AP Photo/Sebastian D'Souza)

Residents of Mumbai, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2008, hold a candle light ceremony and a protest after attacks on the city killed at least 172 people. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

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As per the Shariah, the trust cannot say no. The Shariah says whether a Muslim is a drunkard, rapist, criminal, you must offer him a place for burial. - Islamic scholar Maulauna Zubair Ahmed

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Cemetery in Mumbai Won't Bury Terrorists