Church (illustrative)
Church (illustrative)Thinkstock

French Muslim leaders of Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray have refused to bury Normandy church-killer Adel Kermiche.

The 19-year-old Algerian, together with Abdel Malik Petitjean, attacked a local church in Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray last Tuesday. The two young terrorists took six people hostage at the church before killing Father Jacques Hamel, 86, during a morning mass.

In a video published by ISIS mouthpiece Amaq, the two terrorists pledged to ISIS before raiding the church.

Mohammed Karabila, president of the local Muslim cultural association and imam at a local mosque, told French newspaper Le Parisien: “We’re not going to taint Islam with this person."

Fellow Muslims in the town, near Rouen in Normandy, supported the decision, Sky News reports.

Khalid El Amrani, a 25-year-old technician, explained to The Independent: “What this young man did is sinful; he is no longer part of our community.”

The mayor’s office will ultimately decide whether or not Kermiche will be buried in the town.