The father of a Brock University student killed in a collision on Highway 406 says his grief worsened after learning his daughter could not be buried at a nearby cemetery, even after a burial plot had already been prepared.
Thorold resident and Brock University student Alina Masud died in a collision on Highway 406 on the evening of Dec. 3.
Her family says they were told just an hour before the burial that she would not be permitted to be laid at Lakeview Cemetery.
“Especially when we had made up our mind that she is going to be there and be closer to home,” Masud Malik, Alina’s father said.
According to the family’s imam, Asad Mahmood, city officials denied the burial because they did not want segregation within the cemetery.
The Masud family is Muslim and Islamic burial practices require the deceased to be facing Mecca.
Mahmood says an alternative section of the cemetery was offered at the last minute, but it did not meet religious requirements.
“It was very challenging for me as well as a leader of the community,” said Mahmood. “Especially in a situation like this when hundreds and hundreds of people gathered in the mosque to tell them we’re not going to this cemetery we are going to a different city.”
The family ultimately arranged for Alina’s burial in Niagara Falls.
Mahmood says the local Muslim community has followed Ontario funeral laws, and has repeatedly requested a designated section at Lakeview Cemetery, but those requests have been denied.
“I have been requesting them since 2023 and I have been fulfilling all the requirements,” he said. “But so far there is no result.”
In a statement, the City of Thorold maintained city council did not discuss the Masud family’s matter. However, they did say the situation arose from an operational error in the allocation of a cemetery plot by city staff. They also say a senior city staff member corrected the error in accordance with the existing cemetery bylaws.
The bylaw states the city cannot sell interment rights in an unopened section of the cemetery before all plots in an existing open section are sold.
The city says all faiths are welcome at Lakeview Cemetery.
Meanwhile Malik says he hopes the issue is resolved soon so other families don’t get caught up in the confusion during a time of mourning.
