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Cemetery and Burial Services
History: The Islamic Center of Greater Austin Muslim Cemetery first came into existence in the early 1980s with a non-profit WAQF donation of 20 acres of land just outside of Austin. The ICGA administration sees itself only as a custodian of the cemetery. Since its inception, this Muslim cemetery has served not only the Austin community, but the Central Texas region including areas as Killeen, San Antonio, College Station, and even Houston. Since the cemetery was founded through a non-profit land grant, it offers services to all Muslims on a strictly non-profit basis. Furthermore, because of its non-profit status, the ICGA is legally permitted by the State of Texas to bury Muslims in complete accordance with Islamic laws. This is contrary to other cemeteries with Muslim sections that are not run by Islamic centers where the funeral home must follow licensed funeral laws which come into conflict with Muslim funeral rites. Contact
Representatives
Services: The ICGA Funeral Committee is committed towards serving all Muslims
regardless of their race or socioeconomic background. The committee is also
committed towards keeping trained Muslims involved in all aspects of the
funeral and burial. All members on the committee are trained in Janazah and
Ghusul rites. From washing to prayer to burial, trained Muslims lead and run
the entire process. The ICGA also has trained sisters to provide services to
deceased Muslimah. The cost of services is well
below that offered by commercial cemeteries. An independent endowment fund
helps to subsidize and defray costs making the cemetery’s services
accessible to all Muslims. Private donations, normally by the family members
of the deceased often well exceed the required costs. These donations are
made with intention of supporting the WAQF foundation upon which the
cemetery was founded. Funeral Service
Cost:
Because of its WAQF status, the ICGA Cemetery land is free for all Muslims.
The only costs involved are associated with Ghusul, burial, and grave
digging. Even with these expenses, the overall cost to the family is well
below that of any other cemetery. If there is difficulty associated with
these costs, or for details on specific costs, please contact one of the
funeral contact representatives listed under cemetery contacts. Support:
The ICGA Central Texas Cemetery enjoys broad based support among the Austin
community. In addition to having active support of the Islamic Center of Greater Austin (ICGA), Masjid Ibrahim
(MI), and the North Austin Muslim Community Center (NAMCC), the
cemetery receives regular financial support from the Austin area and beyond.
In coordination with other communities outside the Austin area, the ICGA
Funeral Committee is expanding its independent endowment fund for further
land development and funeral service support.
ICGA Muslim Cemetery –
Process in brief ICGA
Funeral Services Policy:
ICGA will strictly enforce its policies and take all necessary measures
to ensure those policies are followed. Guardians or next of kin must agree in writing to abide
by ICGA Cemetery Policies prior to any action. Attendees of funeral sessions
will also be asked to obey all ICGA policies as well. Unless otherwise
decided, trained ICGA funeral team members will perform all the services
necessary for a proper Islamic burial. Unauthentic/Prohibited Beliefs and Actions: These practices are not supported nor have any basis in the Qur’an and Sunnah. They were not practiced by the Prophet or the Sahabah. - Putting the Qur’an under the head of a dying Muslim Future
development and cost:
The newly formed ICGA Funeral Committee has recently been given a broad
mandate to take immediate measures at improving the existing cemetery as
well as developing land for a new cemetery area. The committee is committed
towards bringing the ICGA cemetery to the standard at and above commercial
non-Muslim cemeteries. Professionalism will not be sacrificed for full
Islamic services or vice versa. Donations: Community support is essential towards the running,
maintenance, advertising, and continued improvement of the ICGA Cemetery.
The ICGA Cemetery is able to meet all required Islamic guidelines for burial
because of special exemption for non-profit religious burials. All
for-profit cemeteries – including those with Muslim sections must compromise
Islamic guidelines because of the requirements imposed upon all licensed,
for-profit funeral homes. This makes community donations essential to the
running of the ICGA non-profit cemetery. Recruiting: In addition to providing Islamic funeral services, the ICGA is committed
towards training community members in the greater Austin area on funeral
rites. The FC will
provide regular training for those willing to make a commitment to serve the
ICGA Muslim cemetery. All upcoming training events will be posted under the
‘Regular Updates’ section. Please be aware that because of limited
resources, priority will go to those willing to be on-call for ICGA as
funeral team members. For additional questions on recruiting, please contact
icga_bt@yahoogroups.com and title your email “Cemetery Volunteer.” Minutes and
Regular Updates:
Refer to the ICGA Funeral Committee Page
for up-to-date information.
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Copyright © 2003-2007 Islamic
Center of Greater Austin (ICGA)