Grave marker vandalism at Homs cemetery enrages residents

Social media activists released videos today capturing the vandalism of grave markers inside Tal Al-Nasr Cemetery in the city of Homs. The footage was uploaded amid calls on the authorities to intervene and safeguard the cemetery as well as respect the sanctity of the deceased.

In a video clip that went viral, a resident is shown visiting the graves of his relatives inside the cemetery, revealing that the grave markers of his father and others had been smashed and vandalized.

The one who uploaded the footage explained that he and other residents visited the cemetery, only to find that some grave markers had been damaged, asking what authority protected the cemetery and how such actions were allowed.

Residents urged authorities to clarify the circumstances of the incident and identify the culprits, as well as undertake necessary measures to prevent any more such incidents at the cemetery.

The incident comes amid a longstanding jurisprudential debate among Islamic schools of thought regarding the form of graves and the writing of inscriptions on them. Some Salafi currents, citing Prophetic hadiths, adopt a position opposing writing on graves and placing written plaques on them, considering such practices among the features that should be removed.

This is reflected in fatwas published by Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Baz, who permitted placing an uninscribed marker to identify a grave, but rejected plaques and writing on graves.

By contrast, other fatwa authorities and schools of Islamic jurisprudence permit the placement of grave markers for the purpose of identifying graves and allow the deceased’s name to be written when there is a need to identify the grave. Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta considers writing the deceased’s name to identify their grave permissible, while Jordan’s Iftaa Department states that placing an uninscribed marker to identify a grave is permissible and that writing the deceased’s name for identification purposes is permissible when necessary, subject to its stipulated guidelines.

As of yet, there is no reliable information identifying the people who smashed the grave markers at Tal Al-Nasr Cemetery or determining their motives.

Tal Al-Nasr Cemetery, located northwest of the Deir Baalba neighborhood, is one of the large cemeteries in the city of Homs and is connected to the city’s history. Other cemeteries in the Homs countryside have previously witnessed incidents of vandalism affecting graves and grave markers, including Al-Hazmiya Cemetery, where residents reported that graves had been smashed and bulldozed.

ANHA