First funeral at Austria's first Muslim cemetery
AFP
VIENNA (AFP) - A first funeral was held Friday afternoon at Austria's first Muslim cemetery in Vienna, the local Muslim community said.
A Moroccan man of French nationality, who had worked for the United Nations in Vienna, was buried there after Friday prayers.
It was open to anybody of Muslim faith and was big enough for 4,000 graves, Omar Al-Rawi, a local councilman and representative of the Muslim community said ahead of the funeral.
Plans for the 3.4-hectare site were postponed repeatedly for financial reasons and due to archeological digs.
Funds were later provided by Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the OPEC Fund.
Two other incidents also delayed the cemetery's opening, including a fire at the construction site and crosses that vandals painted on the walls of the cemetery.
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