Oxford is to provide one of the few out-of-hours civic burial services in the country, to offset any allegations of religious discrimination.

The city council will change its Monday-Friday service to allow burials to take place at weekends and on public holidays, including Christmas and Easter.

Although the service would apply to everyone, regardless of their race or religion, the change is particularly relevant to the Muslim community, members of which are traditionally buried within 24 hours.

The shake-up has been prompted by Muslim city and county councillor Mohammed Altaf-Khan.

He claimed that the authority could be acting contrary to the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003, which prohibits discrimination in employment on grounds of religion or belief.

He said: "I think not providing this service could be indirectly discriminatory.

"As Muslims, when someone dies, we have to bury them as soon as possible.

"If someone died late on Friday or early Saturday morning - and it's a Bank Holiday - that's three days people have to sit around waiting for the burial service. In Pakistan, it's a lot easier, but the council is under a duty to promote equality of opportunity.

"People are shocked we keep bodies for three or four days - there is no concept of this in the Muslim world.

"It should have happened a long time ago."

The council has yet to publish details of its out-of-hours service.

Last night, it said there would be "practical and financial considerations to be taken into account", but the authority should be "as flexible as possible in the provision of its services".

City councillor Alan Armitage, executive member for a healthier environment, said: "It is the intention of the administration to provide a burials' service which meets the needs and preferences of all sectors of the population of Oxford.

"We are not quite clear yet how much it will cost to make the arrangements.

"At the very least, we are going to have to have people on full-time standby."

A leading Muslim scholar will deliver a sermon to a Christian church in Oxford.

Dr Taj Hargey, chairman of the Muslim Education Centre Oxford (Meco), will speak at the Anglican St Michael's Church in Summertown tomorrow at 10am.

He will deliver Muslim prayers from the Qur'an but, in his address, he is set to denounce terrorism and violence.

"Race discrimination can only exist if there is discrimination on 'racial grounds' - defined as race, colour, nationality, citizenship, and ethnic or national origin, but not religion.

"However, if a service is based on the requirements of those of a particular ethnic group and by so doing it fails to meet the requirements of another ethnic group it is arguable a finding of indirect discrimination could result."