For the past several decades, many Afghans have come to the United States of America and settled in different states and cities; There are also Afghans who had come to the US in the 1980s or earlier and some after the invasion of Afghanistan by Soviet Union in 1990s, when millions of Afghans immigrated to different countries, some to the US.
But the wave of Afghans migrating to the US with their families accelerated when the US forces invaded Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks.
In addition to the military mission, the US also took a huge part in the reconstruction of Afghanistan, and the country was doing reconstruction work through USAID.
In 2007, the US started the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program for Afghans who worked directly with them in the military and civilian sectors. Through this program, thousands of families immigrated to the US. Currently they have normal life in different states and cities of this country.
However, after the fall of the republican government in Afghanistan in 2021, the US transferred about 120,000 Afghans in the evacuation program and settled them in different cities of 30 states of the country. According to information, there are currently about 500,000 Afghans living in America, and many of them have obtained American citizenship or green card and live here together with other Muslim communities.
Due to religious freedom in the US, Muslims also have different special communities, mosques and special places for other religious and cultural programs; in addition to other religious practices, Muslims also have special areas and cemeteries for burial and funeral ceremonies of their dead relatives.
In this article, Afghans are focused on how they bury their dead in the US; America is a very large country, there is a four-hour time difference between the east and the west, for example, it is 10:00am in the morning in New York, the eastern city of US and 6:00pm in the west of California, as well. In terms of economy, the prices of land and other goods in each province are also different. We will mention some of the states where most of Afghans live.
Washington, Virginia and Maryland (DMV):
Many Afghans live in the states of Virginia and Maryland, which are close to Washington, the capital of US, and their number reaches tens of thousands; Here, Afghans have their own special mosques and, in some areas, they celebrate joint religious and cultural programs with Muslims from other countries.
Javed Kotwal, head of the Afghan community in Washington, says that there are different communities of Muslims and Afghans in the DMV and each of them has special ceremonies for burial and funeral.
He told Wesal TV that when an Afghan dies in Virginia, if he is a member of any community or mosque and has paid membership fees for years, then most of the expense for the grave, burial and funeral are paid by these communities or mosques, and the cost get very low for the family, but if someone is not a member of any community for mosque and has not given the right to be a member, then they should pay $10,000 to $15,000; these expenses included the cost of the land for the grave, digging the grave, filling it back, bathing, shrouding and other expenses.
Kotwal says that Afghans who have newly arrived or whose economy is weak, they can stay in a distance area called Stafford, which is an hour’s drive from DC. It costs $5,000 there, but many people do not like this remote area because they cannot go to the graves of their family members every time for prayers and other ceremonies.
He added that various Muslim companies are operating in these areas in fields of funeral ceremonies, bathing, shrouding and keeping dead bodies in refrigerators and other ceremonies.
According to Kotwal, the burial and funeral ceremony of the deceased is performed when the hospital gives the “death certificate” to the family of the deceased; Some families have relatives in our regions or other countries, then the dead body is kept in the refrigerator for a few days, which is then paid separately.
He says that when the certificate is given to the family of the deceased by the hospital, then they are allowed to take the dead body from the hospital to the special area for bathing and burial and then to the cemetery where the funeral ceremony is held.
Javed Kotwal, leader of the Afghan community in Washington, says that some families send their dead to Afghanistan. Previously, this work was a little easier and more frequent, but after the fall of the republic system, it has become a little difficult. Because the Afghan embassy in Washington is closed and most of the work is done from Canada.
He says that transporting dead bodies to Afghanistan costs 10 to 15 thousand dollars, but it also depends on different states, it is a little cheaper in the northern and eastern states and higher in the western states.
Zainullah Stanikzai, a former journalist with Pajhwok Afghan News based in Maryland, says that here the Afghan community takes membership fees from its members and then when a member of a family dies, the expenses of the funeral ceremonies are paid from this budget.
He adds the funeral and burial of children cost about 5,000 dollars and for adults about 10,000 dollars. Stanikzai says that it costs about 12,000 dollars for those who send their dead bodies to Afghanistan.
California:
California is situated in western American and it has some parts. Region situated on the costal side is called Bay Area where the cost of houses and land is high while in Sacramento, the state capital, and some other areas the rates are low.
Abdul Basir Yasini, head of the Afghans Cultural Society in California, said Mosques in the Bay Area have its own lands for cemetery; people register themselves with these mosques and pay up to $50 membership fee. When someone from their family dies and they have the membership of mosque then the mosque makes arrangements for the burial and funeral.
Individual without membership has to pay all the cost which is around $10,000 on their own.
Sacramento is the capital of California, Afghans live in this city from over the past several years, here Afghans have their own societies and some have their own mosques, some Afghans shared mosques with Muslims from other countries.
Qari Abdul Baes, head of the Behsudyano Society in Sacramento, said here are two mosques of Afghans and its prayer leaders are Afghans and each mosque have their own societies.
He said there is big cemetery, when any Afghan dies then concerned persons from the mosque’s societies perform the necessary rituals.
And elder dead person’s burial and funeral cost $3,500 while unmetered dead persons are charged $1,000.
He added if an individual got fresh membership of a mosque and did not paid enough membership fee he or she is charge half of the expenditure.
Qari Abdul Baes said: (Our Behsud Society has special programs, when someone dies than one person pay all the expenditures and then the expenditure is divided on all members of the society, the society also arrange Fateha and other rituals for the dead person.
Los Angeles:
Los Angeles is another big city to the south of California, and Afghans have been living there for years.
Sediq Amrakhil, a former professor at Kabul University of Education, who lives in this city, said that there are also different Muslim mosques here, people registered with these mosques and gives the membership fee, then the expenses of the funeral and funeral ceremonies of the dead are paid from this money. According to his information, about $10,000 are spent on these ceremonies in this city.
Georgia:
Georgia is located in the southeast of America, It is the twenty-fourth largest state of the fifty states, the center is the city of Atlanta, which is also called the city of mosques, and there is a mosque every few kilometers.
There are some Afghans living in this city who arrived 30 or 40 years ago, and there are some who came during the last republic regime, but most of them came in the evacuation program after the fall of the republic regime
Haji Mohammad Saleem Azizyar deputy director of Afghan United community in Atlanta, Georgia, said Afghans did not have special cemeteries in this state and preformed their religious and cultural rituals with other Muslims together.
He told Wesal TV there is a big mosque associated with the Georgia Islamic Institute and its Imam and Khatib is Mawlana Abdul Ghafar hailing from lower Pakhtonkhwa. This mosque had its cemeteries one of which is almost filled and another cemetery is very large and could not be filled by the next 100 years.
Haji Saleem whose father was recently died, regarding the burial and funeral of diseased individuals said.
When someone is died at home, the family first call to 911, they come, take the body to the hospital, and after an examination there, they issue a certificate to allow the body to be transported.
There are special places for bathing and shrouding the dead, which are called ‘funeral houses’ some people perform the bathing and shrouding of their family members themselves but the required materials could be obtained from there.
When the bath and shrouding ceremony is over, the dead body was placed in the coffin, then it was taken from the “funeral house” to the cemetery or mosque in a special car, so that there would be no traffic problems on the way. The family brought two motorcycle-riding policemen who escorted the deceased’s car to the cemetery.
He said people inform the cemetery and mosque officials in advance; they organize the burial and funeral program and then share it with the family of the deceased.
He said that a grave in the cemetery is bought for about $2000, then a squatter is needed to dig the grave, in addition to this, stones are placed on the grave, which costs up to $1200. The cost for bathing and shrouding the dead about $1,600 and each policeman who comes with a motorcycle takes $200.
He said the burial and funeral of a deceased cost in this state up to $6,000.
Taxes:
Taxes is one of the largest states of America in its southern part. Thousands of Afghan family lived in the Huston, Astan, Dallas and San Antonio cities of this state.
Esmatullah, head of the Afghan Society in San Antonio, said here Afghans pay membership fee to its society and the society pay for the expenses of funeral and burial of deceased member.
He said individuals who pay the amount for two years is considered eligible for this facility and those who did not pay for two years are not considered in the category.
He said the funeral and burial ceremony of a deceased person cost from $4,000 to $8,000 in this state.
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