Overlooked Danger Of Mandatory Cremation Of Covid-19 Dead

Some quarters of Sri Lankans are indulging in a needlessly-caused and equally stubbornly promoted debate over the funeral managements of the Muslim COVID-19 victims.

- Ranga Jayasuriya

Last week, a 64-year-old Muslim man from Kochchikade, the second locally reported coronavirus related death, was cremated under the standard operating procedure (SOP) adopted by the Ministry of Health on the disposal of dead bodies related to the virus. The local guidelines restricted the viewing of the body, banned public funerals and washing of the body and mandated compulsory cremation. Burial was not given as an option in the original circular.

The move provoked vocal protests by the Muslim community leaders and civil society groups who have demanded that the Muslims be allowed to bury their loved ones in accordance with Islamic burial rites.

SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem who first raised concerns argued that it was “unfortunate, regrettable and of course reprehensible that the Janaza of the Negombo Victim of the COVID 19 virus had been cremated without permitting the burial as is ordained in our faith.”

In the same week, a second Muslim man from Maradana died due to complications from the coronavirus infection and was also cremated.

As of noon yesterday (6), there were five coronavirus-related deaths and 176 confirmed cases in the country.

After the last week’s controversy over the mandatory cremation, the Ministry of Health issued a fresh update on its Provisional Clinical Practice Guidelines on COVID-19 Suspected and Confirmed patients, requiring that the disposal of bodies of patients who succumbed to the coronavirus should exclusively be through cremation.

Whereas, Muslims community leaders and civil rights groups have argued that the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, which the local health officials claim to be following, also allow for both cremation and burial of the dead.