Online seminar: Muslim burials in cemeteries in Germany

In cooperation with the Academy for Islam in Science and Society (AIWG) at Goethe University Frankfurt am Main

Location:

Online seminar. The event will be held using Webex conference software. To participate, you will need an internet-enabled device with a camera and microphone. The access link will be sent at least one day before the seminar.

Who it's for:

Cemetery managers, cemetery employees and funeral directors

What it's about:

Seminar participants will learn about the background to Muslim burials through presentations on Muslim mourning culture, given by experts, some of whom have a Muslim background. They will receive practical recommendations for planning Muslim burial grounds and benefit from the experiences of other cemetery operators.

Detailed description:

Many Muslims who die in Germany are still transported to countries from which previous generations immigrated for burial. One reason for this is German burial law, which is difficult to reconcile with a large part of Muslim burial rites. This applies, for example, to the desire for a coffinless burial, burial within one day, the desire to dig the grave oneself and eternal rest for the grave. However, more and more Islamic burial grounds are now being created in cemeteries in Germany to give people of the Muslim faith the opportunity to be buried – at least to a large extent – according to the rules of their religion, and the first Islamic cemetery has been initiated.Cemetery administrations are called upon to ensure that different cultures can coexist in a way that is acceptable to all involved. The seminar will present Islamic burial grounds and related facilities in the participants' cemeteries and discuss them in terms of religious, social, economic, cultural, design and legal aspects. Since attention tends to wane more quickly in front of a screen than in face-to-face contact, the seminar is spread over four mornings. In addition to the opportunity to present Islamic burial grounds in their own cemeteries, the individual seminar units also offer participants sufficient space for questions and discussions.

Speakers:

Amir Mahmood Ahmed studied Islamic Studies at Goethe University Frankfurt am Main and works full-time advising Muslims on funeral matters; he is an alumnus of the AIWG, where he worked as a practice fellow on the project ‘Social Burials of Muslims – A Guide for Practice’.

Gerold Eppler M.A. is a stone sculptor and art educator, deputy managing director of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Friedhof und Denkmal e.V. (Cemetery and Monument Working Group) and deputy director of the Museum for Sepulchral Culture.

Matthias Sören Holland is a notary in Oranienburg/Berlin and author of the publication: Muslim Funeral Rites and German Cemetery and Funeral Law, KWI-Arbeitshefte 23, Universitätsverlag Potsdam. He regularly gives lectures on this topic.

Dr. Dagmar Kuhle is a landscape and open space planner and works in the consulting department of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Friedhof und Denkmal e.V.

Prof. Dr. Thomas Lemmen is the programme director of the part-time Master's degree programme ‘Interreligious Dialogue Competence’ at the Catholic University of Applied Sciences North Rhine-Westphalia. His work and research focus on Islam in Germany, in particular Muslim organisations and issues of religious practice, as well as the fundamentals and practice of Christian-Islamic dialogue. He was a research fellow at the AIWG on the topic: ‘Islamic burials in Germany: An inventory of the adaptation of funeral regulations in federal states and municipalities to the religious needs and expectations of Muslims in Germany’. He is the author of the expert report ‘Islamic burial grounds and burials in German cemeteries’ published by the AIWG in 2023, with accompanying texts by Dr. Özgür Uludağ.

Samir Schabel M.A. is an educational scientist, Islamic theologian, full-time software engineer in Hamburg and alumnus of the AIWG. As a practice fellow, he worked on the project ‘Religion- and culture-sensitive bereavement support: Setting up a bereavement café for Muslims’.

Vildane Uludağ Abdelatif founded the first institute for Islamic burials in Hamburg in 1994. She was involved in an advisory capacity in the design of the Muslim washing and prayer house in the Finkenriek cemetery in Hamburg.

Dr Özgür Uludağ founded the Uludağ-Cenaze Islamic Funeral and Repatriation Institute in 1994 together with his sister Vildane Uludağ Abdelatif and worked for many years as an undertaker, burying or repatriating deceased Muslims. At the same time, he studied Islamic studies, philosophy, political science, Turkology and migration sociology in Hamburg. He is an alumnus of the AIWG. In 2023, his book ‘Islamic Burials in Germany’ was published, accompanied by a multimedia information page of the same name.

Registration formalities:

Registration deadline: 7 April 2026

Minimum number of participants: 7 people

Maximum number of participants: 10 people

Cost: 325 euros; members of the working group: 275 euros

Registration at:
Arbeitsgemeinschaft Friedhof und Denkmal e. V.
Central Institute and Museum for Sepulchral Culture
Ines Niedermeyer, Secretariat
Weinbergstraße 25 – 27, 34117 Kassel
Email: info@sepulkralmuseum.de
Tel.: 0561 / 91893-40

Cancellation policy: If you are unable to attend after registering, please notify us by 7 April 2026. Otherwise, we will have to charge you the full fee. You may name a replacement participant at any time free of charge.

Data protection: Your registration data is required solely for the purpose of registration and is subject to data protection.

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