Muslims groups trying to build new U.S. cemeteries face Islamophobic backlash

Muslim groups across the U.S. are finding a lot of resistance to building new cemeteries, The Associated Press reports. Cemeteries proposed in Texas, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota have been met with hostility, and, in some cases, have even been denied.

"People don't trust Muslims," one Farmersville, Texas, opponent said in a public meeting. "Their goal is to populate the United States and take it over."

As AP notes, residents' complaints aren't always explicitly bigoted. Rather, people cite concerns ranging from Muslims not traditionally embalming dead bodies — a process not required for legal or safety purposes — to increased traffic and noise nearby.

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Islamophobic rhetoric is playing a big part in the 2016 presidential election, with Republican frontrunner Donald Trump calling for a ban on Muslims entering the U.S. and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) proposing surveillance in "Muslim neighborhoods."