Fate wanted my husband to die and be buried at Merl Cemetery. For him, … he was not interested in being repatriated to Algeria. [In Algeria] we suffered a lot from terrorism, so he wanted to be buried here [in Luxembourg]. At first, we didn't know there was an Islamic cemetery. … I didn't know the whole procedure in Luxembourg. It all went through the funeral director. It's very different than how it goes [in Algeria] where we pick up the deceased and bury them where we want. And here the funeral director arranged it and they arranged his burial at the Islamic section. They didn't even ask us; it was a no-brainer to do it like that. That's good, but it would've been nice if we knew how it goes and everything. But until we had that experience, it is difficult [to know the procedure]. … You know I am, and especially him, and our daughters too, we are very open, we agree with acculturation in this case. At the time [of his death] I didn't realise what was happening. I didn't really think about it. The main thing was that it went well, that he had his prayers, that was important. But in hindsight, why not be buried next to others [i.e., non-Muslims]? … I'm a believer and a Muslim, everyone knows that. But you have to adapt to the new environment, I think you have to adapt. (Interview with Nouria, Luxembourg, 11 December 2020) 1 Nouria, an Algerian Muslim woman in her 50s, moved to Luxembourg over 20 years ago fleeing the Algerian Civil War and has lived there ever since. Four years ago, her husband suddenly passed away. As she explains, he was buried in the Islamic section of Merl cemetery, the largest cemetery in Luxembourg-city. In retrospect, she was grateful that her husband was buried according to Islamic principles, but she questioned whether burying him in a segregated section of the cemetery was in line with their values. She remains uncertain whether this choice, on the advice of the funeral company she hired, was the right way to bury, mourn, and remember her husband. And his burial has raised questions for her around her sense of belonging; to have, as a migrant long settled in Luxembourg, her husband's grave segregated along cultural and religious identities.
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