From Birth to Burial (in the Middle East)

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Here’s a story about the mainstreaming of Islamic beliefs in Metro Detroit: From birth to burial, region adapts to culture.

When the Islamic call to prayer was allowed to be broadcast through the streets of Hamtramck, it thrust religious tradition into the national spotlight and illustrated the growing influence of Muslims in the multi-ethnic enclave.

But the religious and cultural practices of Muslims in Metro Detroit are taking hold on a much quieter and broader scale with schools, businesses, hospitals, funeral homes and even cemeteries adjusting to meet their needs.

At Henry Ford and St. John hospitals, policies have been adopted that allow Muslim women to maintain their religious modesty during medical treatment. East-facing graves are being added at cemeteries like White Chapel in Troy to meet the growing demand for graves facing Mecca. And schools in Hamtramck and Dearborn are tailoring schedules and offering Halal food that meets the dietary needs of Muslims.

“Accommodation of beliefs is very important for the Muslim community and society as a whole,” said Sally Howell, a University of Michigan graduate student and member of a research team that studied Metro Detroit Arabs last year. “Mainstreaming their culture is a boost to them, but perhaps more important to the the rest of the community to increase our understanding of them.” …

Dr. Cheryl Gibson-Fountain, an obstetrician and gynecologist at St. John Riverview Hospital, said staff there is trained to knock first, wait and let expectant Muslim mothers put on head scarves. They also don’t question requests that seem unusual, like taking home the placenta, a practice of some Muslim women who may follow the custom of burying the placenta.

“It’s a matter of not questioning things that might not be familiar to us,” said Gibson-Fountain, who was born and raised a Methodist in Detroit. “Those simply are their beliefs, and when you think about it, it doesn’t affect the way I practice medicine.” …

Iraqis have different needs than Bengali, Bosnian or African Muslims. The latest trend, he said, appears to be the increasing frequency of shipping bodies for burial back to the Middle East. He said he handled about 30 last year and believes it is a sign of growing affluence in the local Muslim community. …

There are more than 60 mosques in Metro Detroit representing differing sects and ethnicities. Howell at U-M estimates 130,000 followers of Islam live in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. The U.S. Census bureau doesn’t provide such information, because it does not ask questions regarding religion in order to preserve the separation between church and state.

Many Muslims are concentrated in Dearborn and Hamtramck, and the school systems there are accommodating the cultural and religious practices.

School calendars for the upcoming year have days off marked in November and January that coincide with the holiest days of Islam. Not allowed under law to recognize religious holidays, the public schools have scheduled conferences and teacher in-service sessions to accommodate Muslim students.

“It’s not an irony that two of our in-service days fall this year on Muslim holidays. It’s just practical,” said Pat Victor, principal at Hamtramck High School, where up to 60 percent of students are Muslim.

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Last updated: 2023-04-04 11:11 am PDT
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