What are the funeral preferences of Muslims in Belgium?
“In a society of migrants,” writes Engseng Ho,“what matters is not where you are born, but where you die.” (Balkan, 2015)
The place where someone is laid to rest, and the way it happens, touches on deeply personal choices. For many Muslims, this decision is not straightforward. Should one be buried in Belgium, or repatriated abroad? And which factors influence that choice?
Research shows that the choice of a burial place goes far beyond practical considerations. Financial aspects, the role of family, attachment to a particular soil, and one’s position in society can all play a role.
What is missing – both at the European and national level – are large-scale data that provide insight into these decisions: How many people prefer to organize their funeral in Belgium? And under what conditions? Without these insights, certain wishes risk being overlooked in cemetery and funeral care policies.
Our goal
With this study, we aim to better understand the funeral wishes of Muslims in Belgium and examine whether current policies and facilities adequately meet those needs. The results can contribute to more inclusive and respectful funeral care.
TAKE PART AND SHARE YOUR VOICE!
Who can participate?
Anyone aged 16 years or older who lives in Belgium and identifies as Muslim.
What does participation involve?
Completing the questionnaire takes about 10 minutes. Participation is entirely voluntary and anonymous. You may end the questionnaire at any time.
Privacy
All answers are processed anonymously. This means that no personal data will be collected that could directly identify participants. All data will be treated with strict confidentiality.
Contact
This research is part of the Death Care project at the University of Antwerp. For questions, please contact the researcher on Deathcare@uantwerpen.be .
Would you like to participate in the survey?