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Camden News - by RICHARD OSLEY and TOM FOOT
Published: 06 November 2008

Abdul Hai

Family are forced to delay Muslim burial

Son calls for changes to death certificate procedures

THE Town Hall has ordered an urgent review into the way it handles death certificates after a family was made to wait for permission to bury their loved one.
Shorof Uddin, 74, died from a heart attack at University College Hospital, Bloomsbury, on Saturday morning and under Muslim custom should have been given a same-day burial.
But because Camden’s registrar closes early on a Saturday, there was no way to get a death certificate issued after midday.
Mr Uddin’s son Aman said: “I was told I had no choice than to wait until the morning. I had the funeral directors on the phone every five minutes saying they would have to cancel the burial. It was a depressing and uncertain situation. I felt like it had become a burden to the council and there was no consideration.”
He added: “They should change the procedure because when your loved one dies you do not want to be burdened in any extra way.”
Camden Council was warned on Monday that it risks upsetting even more families because both Muslim and Jewish faiths have religious customs demanding swift burials.
Labour councillor Abdul Hai, who took up the case, said: “One in five of Camden’s population are from the Muslim and Jewish backgrounds. The current weekend and Bank Holiday services are inadequate to meet the needs of these communities.
“The availability of the registrar ought to be far more flexible to accommodate these communities due to their religious needs.
“Any loss of a loved one can be a traumatising and difficult time for any family and the last thing they need is a barrier to having a same-day funeral and burial service.”
He added: “The council should be assisting people at a difficult time like this rather than hindering.”
Both Tower Hamlets and Newham councils provide a flexible service to cater for such situations.
Liberal Democrat councillor Flick Rea said she was “appalled” to learn of the case and pledged to investigate the opening hours so that a round-the-clock service could be put into place.

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