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[Sad news] "My body was buried without my permission" "They won't pay me"... Muslim burial cemetery manager reveals the "reality" of grave shortage and the "serious worries" of those involved [Gendai Business]

According to Modern Business...

As many as 14 bodies were buried without authorization

The unexpected incident occurred in early 2019, when the cemetery was struggling with financial difficulties. "The body of a Muslim was buried on the grounds of the cemetery without my permission. There were traces of heavy machinery passing through an area where I usually don't go, and when I followed them, I found a line of stones and block walls. When I investigated, I found that the body was buried there. The Pakistani who buried the body without my permission claimed to be related to a mosque in Isesaki City, Gunma Prefecture. As I mentioned earlier, there was trouble over the land. He refused to give in to his claim that "I purchased this land." The unauthorized burial of the bodies continued after that, and a total of 14 bodies were buried. In Islam, the sooner the body is buried, the better, and they buried the bodies at night, so we were unable to catch them at the scene. When I consulted the police, they said, "We can only respond if they are caught red-handed." So I installed a surveillance camera, and one day, heavy machinery appeared in the middle of the night. I thought, "This person shouldn't be buried," and sure enough, it was. With the help of the police, we arrested the men at the scene, but there were about 20 Muslims there. Although the incident occurred in the cemetery I manage, they insisted that there was no problem because they had purchased the land. In the end, with the police present, we signed a memorandum of understanding in our office in October 2019. This time, the Pakistani man's attitude changed completely, and he repeatedly bowed his head and said, "I will never do it again."

The outcome of the "unauthorized burial" incident

The 14 bodies that were buried without permission still remain there. Hayakawa continues, "Even if they were buried without permission, you can't dig up something that's already been buried. The deceased are not guilty of anything. In the end, it was left as a cemetery, and the remains remain to this day. Originally, we wanted to charge the proper burial fees, but we settled the matter by having the man pay 200 million yen. The man signed and stamped a memorandum in front of a police officer, and we still have that document in our possession. However, not a single penny has been paid. A few months later, the Pakistani man who had signed the memorandum went missing, and has not been seen since." A representative from Honjo City Hall had this to say about the trouble.

"Burial decisions are made by the business owners and managers, and the government is not in a position to say yes or no. We are aware that there have been problems (at Honjo-Kodama Holy Land Cemetery) regarding burials, but as this is a private matter, we are not in a position to say anything." Hayakawa was perplexed by the unexpected turn of events, but he remembered that a few years ago, the head of the religious corporation "Japan Islamic Cultural Center," which has a mosque in Otsuka, Tokyo, approached him saying, "We would like to purchase a plot for Muslims." "When we contacted the mosque in Otsuka, they once again said, 'We would like you to accept Muslim graves.' As long as there are graves, we must maintain the cemetery at all costs. In a sense, it was a difficult decision, but we decided to accept them, and created a Muslim-only plot near the place where the bodies had been buried without permission."

(slightly)

Muslims who don't pay maintenance fees

Accepting Muslim burials has made it possible to maintain the cemetery, but the worries and troubles are endless. "The income from the graves is negligible. We're just barely managing to keep it going. Because values are completely different between Japanese and Muslims, new worries have arisen. Haggling is normal for Muslims. It's ridiculous that they start haggling after the burial. They come into the office in groups of 10 or more and say, 'It's too expensive. Make it cheaper.' They are so persistent that I've told them to just take it away. I'm alone and they're a group, so it's scary. Muslim women are also tough to deal with. They will constantly complain that they don't have the money. If they are too persistent, I tell them, 'You'll just have to take it away.' The women will then give in and take out cash, saying, 'I'll pay.' They insist even if they don't have the money. It's completely different from how Japanese people feel. It's also troubling when they don't keep their promises. We receive a call from someone who wants to bury them, and we prepare and wait, but they don't show up on the day. This has happened more than once. There are also many cases where the annual management fee of 1 yen is not paid. This makes it impossible to even mow the grass properly. In our case, the size of the plot is fixed, but there are people who keep expanding it without permission. Of course, there are many sensible Muslims as well. However, they basically value their own customs and common sense, and are not very conscious of Japanese customs and ways of thinking. Multicultural coexistence requires compromise on both sides. If you only insist on your own opinion, the other party will get annoyed. Plans for Muslim cemeteries have been stalled in many places due to opposition from local residents, and this may be at the root of the problem.

[See source for full text...]

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[Posted by All Janru]

引用元：https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/4f92e6b5d5d7ec784300c2d9d0f4e5e6b744c57d?page=1

Everyone's comments

It's not too late, so we have no choice but to dig it up and deal with it.
Of course they'll bury them wherever they want. Japanese law doesn't matter to them. So there should be no burial cemeteries. Once they start, no one can stop them.
This is a case of abandoning a body. Does this mean that Muslims living in Japan are not even getting a burial permit, let alone filing a death certificate with an autopsy report? I can't help but suspect this. The police should investigate. What do you think people who talk about multicultural coexistence think when they see this?
Hmm, it seems like they don't really take good care of the bodies?
what goes around comes around
There are few situations in which the phrase "you got what you deserve" is more appropriate than this (laughs).
Ah, ah, ah
That's why you can't trust Muslims. I was deceived and betrayed by Arabs many times when I was a student. It was at school, so it may be different from this incident, but they don't keep their promises or rules. And I don't think anything of it. Anyway, if you trust them, you'll end up suffering.
There's no choice but to burn it all together
They force their religion and values on people, and when we refuse, they scream that it is discrimination and hate, but they have no intention of protecting Japanese customs, culture, habits, or laws. If accepting their rules is what we call a symbiotic society, then we don't need such a society at all.
Right? If you give in a step, they'll step in two or three steps, right? That's what foreigners do. It's only when you're dealing with a Japanese person that you can give in and be on the same page. It's the fault of the idiot who didn't know that even though he's a manager.
You must not compromise or give in here. It is obvious that they will make countless requests for all the things shown in the diagram.
It will spread further
You might see half of them
I guess we just can't understand each other. When I heard that the ban on burials was lifted, I never even thought about abandoning a body. It wasn't until I saw this news that I realized, "Oh! That kind of thing can happen." I can't even imagine burying a body in a burial site.

Editor B’s opinion

The first thing I felt when I read this topic about the management of Muslim burial cemeteries was the difficulty of multicultural coexistence. For Muslims, who have a culture of burial, burial is an important religious ritual, and I admire the efforts of the cemetery to accept it. However, burying bodies without permission ignores Japanese law and culture, and is not acceptable, no matter how important freedom of religion is.

As the cemetery manager said, it is a great pity that the very idea of multicultural coexistence is denied by the conspicuous behavior of a few who do not follow the rules. It is true that while there are Muslims who are sensible and follow the rules, the lawless behavior of a few tarnishes that impression. It is a pity that such behavior spreads distrust among Japanese people and narrows the possibility of multicultural coexistence.

What particularly caught my eye was the act of using heavy machinery in the middle of the night to bury bodies without permission. It is not difficult to imagine how much stress this must have caused the cemetery as it was repeated over and over. Burying a body without permission is a flagrant disregard for Japanese law and custom, and I believe severe punishment is necessary. The fact that the management installed security cameras and, with the cooperation of the police, was finally able to catch the cemetery at work conveys just how difficult this is.

Furthermore, the issue of unpaid maintenance fees and episodes of price negotiations highlight the discrepancy in values due to cultural differences. In Japan, keeping contracts and promises is taken for granted, but if the other party does not share those values, it will be a heavy burden for the management. When we consider how much the cemetery is struggling with repeated actions that are unthinkable to Japanese people, we can see how difficult it is to achieve multicultural coexistence.

Of course, multicultural coexistence can only be achieved if both sides compromise. As the manager says, not all Muslims are causing problems, but it cannot be denied that the overall image is being tarnished by the fact that some nuisance behavior stands out. To avoid this situation, concrete measures are needed to ensure that people follow Japanese rules while understanding cultural differences.

What is particularly problematic is that the continued practice of unauthorized burials not only places a burden on the cemetery operators, but also creates anxiety and distrust among the local community as a whole. The issues faced by cemetery operators are extremely serious, including disputes over land ownership, unpaid management fees, and even unauthorized expansion of burial spaces. In order to address these issues, the government and police need to step in and set strict rules.

Furthermore, when people see behavior that does not respect Japanese culture and rules, it is not surprising that more and more people start to question the very idea of multicultural coexistence. In particular, the act of claiming ownership of land and burying bodies without permission can be said to go beyond religious freedom and violate the rights of others. If such behavior is permitted, it will be a nuisance to other foreigners and Muslims who are trying to coexist by following the rules, and the foundation of multicultural coexistence will collapse.

The final words of the cemetery operator, "Multicultural coexistence is only possible with compromise on both sides," carry a very strong meaning. Many foreigners living in Japan live in harmony with the local community, but we want to avoid a situation where a few violations stand out and make the whole community look bad. To that end, it is necessary to understand Japanese values and respect them.

Through this topic, I was reminded of not only the difficulty of multicultural coexistence, but also the importance of rules and manners. For different cultures and values to coexist, it is essential to compromise and respect each other. I think we need to think about how much trouble we cause to many people and how much trust we can break by forgetting this basic principle.

Written by: Editorial Department B