Concerns over proposed Muslim cemetery

Canterbury, Conn. (WTNH) - Some residents in the Eastern Connecticut town of Canterbury are concerned about a proposed Muslim cemetery.

It would be built on 69 acres of land on Lisbon and Gooseneck Hill roads. First Selectman Brian Sear says a town meeting on the issue was packed.

"We did have a capacity crowd. We had 180, and at times, with people coming in and out, plus that," he said.

Muslim tradition calls for the bodies to be enshrouded in cloth and buried directly into the ground. No embalming is necessary because the time from death to burial is short.

Some residents worry about the groundwater. State health regulations say a vault is needed if it is within 350 feet of a home.

"This property is so large that there's a lot of room that's outside of that buffer area so that I think is why they like this property," said Steve Sadlowski, Canterbury Town Planner.

Abdul Hamid says less than half of the 70 acre site would ever be used for burial and only five acres will be used in the next 30 years. And the cemetery would not be seen at all from the road. Hamid tells News Channel 8 that his group will not buy the land if it adversely affects neighbors.

The proposal must get approval from the Wetlands Commission and then Planning and Zoning.