Haji Taslim employees prepare to move a coffin.
In a recent article in the independent journal, Roads & Kingdoms, Liana Aghajanian takes a close look at the world of London’s Muslim undertakers.
Muslim undertakers work under challenging conditions. The job is rigorous under typical circumstances, but when you add in tradition of fast burial, within 24 to 48 hours, it becomes all the more difficult.
The Muslim population has exploded over the past 15 years. It has grown particularly large in east London where Haji Taslim Funerals plies its trade. Haji Taslim was started by the first of London’s Muslim undertakers, Syed Haji Taslim Ali. Today the funeral home is run by Ali’s son, Gulam Taslim. According to Gulam, his father began the business out of necessity since no one else was serving their community.
Habiba Taslim covers a Harley Davidson hearse with a white cloth. The hearse is part of Haji Taslim’s fleet thanks to Mr. Taslim’s endearing love of motorcycles.
Photo by: Keegam Shamlian
The Haji Taslim Funerals arranges more than 1,000 funerals each year. In addition to facilitating burials, these Muslim undertakers also make arrangements for returning bodies to homelands such as Cyprus, Iran, or Afganistan.
Murders, suicides, still births, and your regular, run-of-the-mill expiry from old age—Haji Taslim’s has seen it all, a unique window through which to observe Britain’s diverse Muslim community. “We have seen paupers, we have seen Kings ” says Gulam Taslim. There was Said bin Taimur, the sultan of Oman, who was exiled to the United Kingdom by his son and later died in London. There were the casualties of the 1980 Iranian Embassy siege; those killed during the 2005 London bombings; drug overdoses; even AIDS victims.
Read the full story: The Muslim Undertakers of East London
Haji Taslim is truly a family affair.
The Muslim undertaker is semi-retired, but comes in weekly to oversee the business, which runs at all hours thanks to the work of his daughter Habiba, her cousin Abu, and a motley crew of staff who are more family than co-workers. They crack jokes and tease one another between frenzied bouts of work. Among the crew is Jim Page, a born-and-bred Eastender and hearse driver, the only non-Muslim of the group. Page appreciates the fast pace of the job. “No lingering,” he says, rushing between driving appointments.
Despite working within a culture that is steeped in traditionalism, Haji Taslim is a modern business with the ups and downs of any funeral business. These Muslim undertakers must deal with the normal day-to-day challenges along with shortage of cemetery space and the changing demands of a diverse customer base. But like many in the business, he is grateful for every day. “Every day is a bonus,” he said with conviction. “Every day is a bonus.”
