Selangor religious dept denies mosque caused Ukay Perdana burial delay — blames family confusion and

SHAH ALAM, June 27 — The Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) has denied allegations that a delay in the burial process at the Islamic Cemetery in Ukay Perdana, Hulu Klang, which went viral last Thursday, was caused by the Nurul Hidayah Mosque in Kampung Pandan Dalam.

Jais director Datuk Mohd Shahzihan Ahmad said the delay stemmed from confusion among the family of the deceased over burial arrangements, which also involved a non-governmental organisation (NGO), the Salatulrahim Welfare Organisation (BKS).

He also rejected claims that the mosque had requested a payment of RM1,400 for handling the burial.

“Investigations and reviews conducted by Jais found that the deceased was a member of the Nurul Hidayah Mosque kariah and had died at 6.22 am on June 25.

“At the initial stage, the family dealt with BKS, which has no affiliation with the mosque, and intended to proceed with the burial at the Ukay Perdana Islamic Cemetery under the supervision of the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ),” he said in a statement today.

Mohd Shahzihan explained that the deceased’s father later met the Assistant Manager of Nurul Hidayah Mosque at about 10.30 am to obtain the Islamic Burial Application Form required for burial at the cemetery and agreed for the mosque to take over funeral arrangements from BKS.

He said the mosque subsequently issued the application form at 11.15 am after receiving the original Death Register.

However, the mosque was later informed that the deceased’s grandfather preferred for BKS to continue managing the funeral.

“Considering the possibility of confusion and disorder at the funeral home, the mosque requested police assistance to accompany its representatives there.

“When mosque personnel arrived at the funeral home at Surau An-Nur, Taman Cempaka, they were informed that the body had already been taken to the Islamic cemetery by BKS, while the Islamic Burial Application Form and the deceased’s Death Register remained with the mosque,” he said.

According to Mohd Shahzihan, because the body was transported to the cemetery without the required original documents, the burial process could not be done immediately.

He said the mosque was later contacted by the Ukay Perdana Islamic Cemetery management, who informed them that the body had already been placed in the grave.

The mosque then delivered the necessary legal documents to the cemetery to allow the burial to proceed.

He further revealed that the Muslim Burial Application Form submitted by the family of the deceased to the cemetery management, which enabled the burial process to continue, was later found to be fraudulent.

“As a result, a police report regarding the alleged document forgery was lodged on June 26,” he said.

Mohd Shahzihan advised the Muslim community to deal directly with mosque authorities within their respective kariah areas for funeral arrangements to ensure smooth coordination and avoid unnecessary delays.

He stressed that the management of Muslim funerals should be expedited and not be disrupted by the personal interests of any party. — Bernama