UK Edition
Normandy attack: Muslim leaders refuse to bury priest killer Adel Kermiche
Adel Kermiche one of the terrorists who murdered an 85- year-old priest during morning mass in Normandy last Tuesday has been denied a Muslim burial by local religious leaders.
Kermiche, 19, and his accomplice Abdelmalik Petitjean, were shot dead by police after slitting the throat of Father Jacques Hamel and wounding one of the hostages when they stormed the church at Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray.
One religious leader said granting Kermiche a Muslim burial would “taint Islam”.
Mohammed Karabila, Imam and president of the local Muslim cultural association,told Le Parisien that the local community would not aid Kermiche’s burial, irrespective of the wishes of the killer’s family.
"We won't participate in preparing the body or the burial", he said.
Under Muslim tradition burials should take place as soon as possible after somebody has died.
Kermiche has been disowned by local Muslims such as Khalid El Amrami, who described the murder of the priest as sinful.
According to Le Parisien religious leaders across France have rallied together in the wake of the attack amid fears of that the wave of attacks could lead to an anti-Muslim backlash.
In April Manuel Valls, the French Prime Minister, said that a majority of the country's population saw Islam as being incompatible with the values of the Republic.
Senior Muslims have urged the faithful to attend local masses to demonstrate their solidarity while bishops have urged congregations to welcome them.
In Bordeaux, 400 people attended a multi-faith service of reflection and prayer , while in Lyon a similar number participated in a silent march to demonstrate that all France was united against terrorism.