A MAHOMEDAN FUNERAL AT LIVERPOOL.

Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3087, 9 January 1879, Page 1

A MAHOMEDAN FUNERAL AT LIVERPOOL.

Jiij. Litferpool newspaper gives, the, follofwjing account of a Mahomedan funeral wfcsch took place in Anfield Cemetery on Monday t—" The funeWtrwas .that of, a joujng man whose age fraa marked on the cbffla as 85. The corpse was conveyed to theiground in a hearse of the'ulual kind, and was accompanied by: eight or nine mcii who from their dress,- appeared to be tTjsikish sailors. After alighting from the coaches they, .proceeded to the unconsecraied division or the cemetery, and com* fttei iced taking off their clothes. It was :sdDn apparent that they had under their \'4rd nary clothes garments of linen, con.filing of a loose blouse and trousers. Wben divested of their outer garments, each man proceeded to wash his face, hanjds, and feetin ■ a bucket of water thas had been provided" fpr the ocea» §i6n. ,v One of; ;tWem:;lh^n prodtfeed' a V couple bf small pieces of'stick, or tubing, JandL pQttingoneend:of'e»ah in thegroukd,' 1 proceeded to light the^Other, when each pft^e burned like'tiilder or touch-paper. Kb then warmed something in a bag— appjsrently camphor—over Ihe ends of tho tmd tubes, and rolled it up, holding: it in hw handf ? :;Twp ofithe?jnemth]Bn irentlto T thla, hearse an^d brought out [the; coffin, lading it on the groutidljFifch the right side facing the pun v 4FQP9X man came forward and motioDed to the few people wh» were gathered round to clear away froib between ihecbffitf and the sun. lie I theii stepped to the opposite side 1 of the cofi n, and all the other men ranged ;?the nsrelve*' ib -a*roVr -behfnd' riKift'?OiTkiSyoung man, who se'etoed^o.be'ifpriest.pr soniething of that'^qift; was dressed in' a loose holland suit,, "*SSd t . performed JseVferal Btrange;- Jceire'fißniel^foVer the cbrpse. Standing abbut ? ra^ja^|^froßi ft, #ith his face to the »un>. he raised his harids to his ears, mumblinit some strange words; all tt^e others imitated j^ia. This ; h^ j di^sonie^.Jbw^*eA,tiiafiW«il»P»Jie f bpwed~low, still ffititteTing.~T'He'Trest imitated this moveffleplt^l^p^After these ceremonies had been 'repeated several times, the young uj.jmj ; proceeded to the , coffin, the, U,d of wiiich had been^ removed as ioon, asjit^was put on the ground,}!and taking some of the,, camphor before r rhehtioned, and insorting his hand between the! linenjftld* that 1 covered*;the' corpse, dej oaited the oamphor apparently^ oa the fac !of the oofcprse.'' He has'also peitome 'on the breast and-the feet, and spßnkled ■ the rfest all ro&nft the inside of the coffin. Th< s lid was then put on, but not screwed do^n.-^Alliire men proceeded tondie the cbf in, carrying it sometimes feet foremost a'nc sometimes head foremost to the gra,ve side. Here they again depositedjt QD.^he ground, and, in imitaito£rof~tneir tookuiTa^handful of earth, mumbling rapidly the while, and this earjth being deposited by the men into the hands of their priest, he proceeded to do i with it as he had done witb the cantphor. ! The "lid was again placed on the coffin, but qot'screwed down; and they, without 1 allowing either gravediggers !or any one else to assist, lowered the coffin into the grave and proceeded themselves to fill in the earth. As it was a public grave, one of j the diggers, when the coffin wai ' oovjered, attempted to stop further filling in |>f earth, but they took no notice of himuntil the priest uttered a word, which, we^uppose, meant; stbji^ The two small tubes before mentioned were relighted, and ' thrown by One of them bh fithe soil covering tfce ; coffin, 'When i&ej proceeded to • put fpnithew piifter garments and retire from the scene., 'After they had, however, gone about 200 yards, all the men in: imitation of their " priest," stood still, and' .turning their f«cos to the. cbrpse, began again to mumble some incoherent, wo> ds, with their hands raised ?to their chins. .Ibis proceeding they closed by covering \ thfiir eyes with their hands, after which they retired from the ground." •>•*■