New Castle County is sorting through a recent controversy over a the status of a Muslim cemetery in the Port Penn area.
Representatives of the Islamic Cemetery of Delaware met with New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer Wednesday.
The cemetery was given a cease and desist order last week after questions were raised about whether it was properly zoned and permitted. It is properly zoned, but had failed a code inspection.
Meyer made it clear, the county regulates land, while the state issues burial permits, but adds the county will allow a burial there later this week.
"The primary issue with the site plan right now relates to traffic and access of traffic," said Meyer. "We have agreed to lift the cease-and-desist order that we placed last week only for the limited purpose of this burial just for humanitarian reasons so long as the community makes accommodations to address those traffic concerns."
The Islamic Cemetery of Delaware plans to work with the county and state to ease traffic there and find permanent solutions to traffic issues, which include installing a parking lot.
“DelDOT has regulations for safety and welfare. The county has regulations for the specs to qualify to meet environmental regulations and so forth, and we're moving towards that," said Imam Muhammad Salaam with the Muslim Center of Wilmington. "We're having progressive meetings during the rest of the month after this to make sure that we're strengthening and complying with the regulations that the county had put forth."
Malik Gordon, who will bury his one-year-old daughter there this week, says there should be no issues from now on.
"I pretty much think it was resolved as long as we follow DelDOT's guidelines and guidelines set forth for us to move forward and everything is going to be alright," said Gordon.
The lifting of the cease and desist order will allow Gordon to bury his daughter Friday in accordance with Muslim traditions.
The Islamic Cemetery of Delaware is the state's only Muslim cemetery.
