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Islamic Burial in Schleswig-Holstein
Are Muslim burial sections and burials without a coffin possible in Schleswig-Holstein?
Schleswig-Holstein has the clearest rule of any German state on burial without a coffin. Under § 26 (4) sentence 1 of the state burial act (Bestattungsgesetz Schleswig-Holstein), the operator of a municipal or shared-denomination cemetery has to permit burial without a coffin where this was the wish of the deceased. It is not left to the administration’s discretion. Since the revision that took effect on 1 January 2025 the wish of the deceased is sufficient; a religious reason no longer has to be shown.
The rule applies to municipal and shared-denomination cemeteries. Church-owned cemeteries are not covered, and several Muslim burial sections in the state lie on church ground. How a burial proceeds there is set out in that cemetery’s own regulations.
Muslim burial sections in Schleswig-Holstein
| Town | Cemetery | Burial in a shroud |
|---|---|---|
| Lübeck | Waldhusen (municipal) | Provided for in the cemetery statute (§ 6 (2)). A wooden frame supplied by the cemetery is required |
| Elmshorn | Municipal cemetery (municipal) | Provided for in the cemetery statute (§ 13 (6)). The section faces Mecca |
| Norderstedt | Friedrichsgabe (municipal) | Provided for in the cemetery statute (§ 8 (3)). A written application is required |
| Neumünster | Gadeland (church-owned) | Possible as an exception under § 8 (1), granted case by case |
| Rendsburg | Klint, Muslim section (municipal) | The cemetery regulations refer in § 58 to Islamic rules. They do not mention the shroud |
| Kiel | Ostfriedhof (municipal) | Not publicly regulated. We are asking the administration |
| Ahrensburg | Bornkampsweg cemetery, section 16a (church-owned) | Not regulated. The schedule of fees lists coffin burials only |
| Flensburg | Friedenshügel (municipal) | According to the cemetery administration, coffin graves only. A washing room is available in the adjoining crematorium |
| Itzehoe | Waldfriedhof (church-owned) | Announced in 2019, current status not documented. We are asking |
| Pinneberg | no burial section found | We are asking both cemetery operators |
Survey as of 9 September 2026. Based on cemetery statutes, cemetery regulations and official announcements of the towns named.
What this table does not say
Whether a cemetery permits burial in a shroud is not always written into its statute. Some operators never amended their statute and permit it all the same. A silent statute is therefore not a no.
The reverse holds as well. Flensburg has a designated Muslim burial section and a washing room in the adjoining crematorium. According to the cemetery administration, however, burials there take place in coffin graves only. Anyone relying on the burial section alone is in for a surprise on the day.
We speak to the cemetery administrations and record every answer with its date on the relevant town page. What we do not know is shown as open.
What we take care of
We are a funeral company run by a master craftsman, based in Lübeck and working across the state. We carry out the ritual washing (ghusl) and the wrapping in the kafan, or accompany the family in doing so. We clarify with the cemetery administration what is possible at the given place, register the death with the authorities and arrange the transfer, including repatriation abroad.
We are available around the clock. After a death the first hours count, because Islamic practice calls for burial as soon as possible.