Muslim community given burial area at Corby cemetery

After a long wait, Corby’s Muslim community has been allocated and given a burial area at the Shire Lodge Cemetery in Rockingham Road, Corby.

And the Muslim burial area of 200 will soon be ready to use.

On Monday (September 26), the area was visited by North Northamptonshire Council project manager, Dylan Smith, and members of Corby Muslim Association.

Eyusuf Chaudhury, chairman of Corby Muslim Association, said: “It’s a big achievement for the Muslim community. Now that we have something in Corby, we don’t need to struggle anymore.”

He also showed his appreciation to the local government and the legal advisor of CMA Solicitor Jabeer Miah JP (Hons) P.G DIP for his hard work towards this project.

Also present were Mohammed Suna Raja Chaudhury, founder of CMA 1992, trustees Haji Md Samir Miah and Ayna Chaudhury, treasurer Abdul Khalique, 1st vice chairman Abur Rohim Noor, Md Dilal Hussain and others.

Corby Muslim Association has been in correspondence with the council since 2019 in their strive to have a place to bury their own in Corby.

This began under the now defunct Corby Borough Council, but has since been taken over by North Northants Council.

Cllr Mark Pengelly, who was chairman of environment at Corby Borough Council at the time, said: “Corby is a town of many different cultures and Corby’s Muslim community is a growing population that didn’t have a place to bury their own here, meaning they’d have to go to Leicester, Northampton, or further.

“As a town that caters to all, we looked at what we could do to change that which was all part of a consultation exercise with all faiths and none, asking what was needed at the new extension to the cemetery.

“We also wanted to get a chapel built at Shire Lodge Cemetery so that we could have services there. Hopefully this will be possible in the future and we will press the council on it again.”

Corby’s Muslim community says it now has what it needs to thrive. Along with the burial area, they also have a mosque, Corby Central Masjid, 33 Stuart Road, which they got in 2012 and have recently just started running Arabic classes for children there.