Bid for Islamic Cemetery Near Atlanta Advances
Plans for an Islamic cemetery in the Atlanta suburbs are moving forward after Gwinnett County commissioners agreed to a disputed, preliminary design for a five-acre facility.
Planning commissioners unanimously endorsed the proposal for a 1,276-plot cemetery. A final vote will be held later this month.
Members of the Georgia Islamic Institute in Lawrenceville have been trying for more than 18 months to win approval for a cemetery. Local officials balked at first, because of Islamic practices that call for a swift burial after the body is wrapped in a shroud without embalming. Neighbors also worried about the impact on property values.
The facility would be the second Islamic cemetery in Georgia.
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