This archive report was first published on 18 July 2020.
‘Our Role is to Reduce Their Grief’ ¶
Located in the desert west of Najaf, the New Valley of Peace, also known as the Corona cemetery, has become a place of solace for families who have lost loved ones to COVID-19.
Ground was broken on the cemetery four months ago, and already, over 3,200 graves have been dug. The cemetery is a result of the unpreparedness of religious and health authorities for the stigma and fear associated with COVID-19.
According to Sheikh Tahir Al-Khaqani, the head of the Imam Ali Combat Division, the idea for the cemetery came to him after seeing scenes of bodies being left outside a hospital morgue on TV. He conferred with the governor of Najaf, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, and the leader of the Shia Endowment to allocate a 1,500-acre patch of land for the burials.
The cemetery is run by Shiites, but it welcomes everyone regardless of faith or sect, and burial is free. The Imam Ali combat division has volunteered to run the cemetery, with their medical teams receiving the dead, disinfecting body bags, and washing the deceased.
Family visits are permitted 10 days after burial, and the cemetery has become a place of comfort for families who have been unable to perform traditional funeral rituals due to the pandemic.
For Ari Sahak Dirthal, an Armenian Christian, his father's burial on July 1 was a painful experience. He was initially directed to the Armenian Orthodox church in Baghdad, but they refused to bury his father. He was then welcomed by the sheikhs in charge of the cemetery, who told him his father could be buried anywhere.
The cemetery has become a place of solace for families who have lost loved ones to COVID-19, and it has reduced the stigma associated with the disease. As one family member said, “These are the noblest people I have ever met. How can they not be the noblest when they are with death at the same table for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and yet they do not complain.”
