Muslim Graves in Sweden and the United Kingdom

Abstract

It is estimated that the UK is home to more than one million Muslims from diverse geographical backgrounds, but of which the cultures of the Indian subcontinent are predominant. Sweden, on the other hand, is home to an estimated 250,000 Muslims, the largest groups of which are Bosnian, Turkish and Iranian. These observations take on greater importance when seen within the framework of the fundamental Islamic concept of the umma, the united worldwide Muslim community, which perhaps supersedes any notion of nationality or ethnic identity. It is clear, however, that despite the apparently overwhelming common attachment to the concept of umma, Islam remains fragmented along both theological and cultural lines, affecting many aspects of life - and even some aspects of death.