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Hans India
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
No final resting place for deceased Muslims in city
Hyderabad: While getting space for living is beyond the common man's reach in Hyderabad, it has become costlier for the dead. With open spaces shrinking due to new construction projects, land grabbers are laying their hands on graveyards, which is adversely impacting burials. The last few years saw the rise of this trend as the real estate value has hit the roof in the city. According to some Wakf activists owing to illegal encroachments on graveyards, several Gazette Notified Muslim graveyards are declared chock-a-block and there is no space for more burials. 'Many Muslim graveyards are under the control of land grabbers where dead bodies are not allowed to be buried. People are facing a lot of difficulties in finding burial space,' said Nayeemullah Shareef of Waqf Properties Protection Cell. As a result, burials have become costly affairs. Kin of the deceased have to shell down anything from Rs 10,000 to Rs one lakh depending on the spiritual value attached to the graveyard. Things will become easier if a family member lies buried in a grave and the family agrees to bury the new victim in the same grave. 'Taking advantage of the situation, caretakers of the graveyards are selling old grave space for up to Rs 30, 000. The rates are higher in graveyards inside big dargah premises. I request the state government to conduct a survey of Muslim graveyards in the city and remove all illegal encroachments. Graveyard caretakers must be asked to fix nominal charges for burial spaces, while those charging exorbitant amounts must face criminal charges,' demanded another activist, Mohd Habeebuddin. Habeeb pointed out that graveyards were vanishing in upmarket areas like Puppalguda due to rapid urbanisation. As per the Gazette published in 1984, the area is more than nine acres. 'This graveyard has now shrunk to 100 sq yards. This is the scale of encroachment with active political backing,' alleged Habeeb. In the past Wakf Board was accused of collusion with land grabbers. The graveyard committee of Dargah Syed Ali Kulle Shah Darvesh at Petbasheerabad under Quthbullapur alleged that whatever remained of the graveyard fell into the hands of the land sharks, with the active connivance of a Wakf inspector and its CEO in 2020. The committee had alleged that the Wakf Board had not only failed to protect its interests, but its officials were in nexus with the builder, who approached the High Court claiming the land parcel meant for graveyard at Survey No.39 of Petbasheerabad.
Daily Tribune
04-04-2025
- General
- Daily Tribune
University degrees and ambition delay marriage for Bahraini women
Bahraini women with university degrees are waiting longer to marry or avoiding it altogether, as education, ambition and tradition pull in different directions. Those spending years in medical school or pursuing higher studies often find themselves left in the waiting room. Not for a job, but for a husband. Family adviser Saeed Habeeb says many of them are stuck. 'They miss the train,' he said. 'Some are still holding out for Prince Charming, but the world moves on.' Habeeb, who works on social and educational cases, said many women turn down proposals that don't match their expectations. The problem is not only academic. It is practical too. 'A woman with a doctorate wants someone at the same level. If she doesn't find him, her job fills the gap and marriage is put aside.' It is not just happening behind closed doors. Society itself is shifting. Expectations have changed. Old rules no longer fit the modern shape of things. The cost of living is climbing, housing is hard to secure, and jobs don't always pay enough to stand on. Cost of family Many young men are paid less than BD400 a month. The idea of taking on the cost of a family is too much for some. 'If a man cannot afford to rent a flat, how can he marry?' Habeeb asked. In the meantime, some women are losing interest. Among academic women in particular, marriage is no longer seen as the obvious next step. Instead, their careers take the front seat. Social media has played a part in this turn. Marriage, once viewed as the gateway to stability, is now painted by some as a cage. 'Some girls have started to believe that marriage takes away their freedom,' said Habeeb. 'That way of thinking came in from television and the internet. It wasn't part of our culture before.' These ideas, he said, don't arrive all at once. They sink in slowly. People absorb them without noticing. Divorce has become more common, but not always easier. A divorced woman without children may find it easier to remarry than a divorced man. Harsh experience But if she has children or has been through a harsh experience, the matter becomes harder. 'Women are more emotional than men,' he said. 'If she has lived through a rough marriage, she needs time to recover. Sometimes, years. And without help from her family or a counsellor, that healing can take even longer.'
