PM says burial of Covid-dead Muslims will be allowed

Glocal
By Editor_1
Municipal workers carry the coffin of an unclaimed body of a COVID-19 coronavirus victim to a crematorium in Colombo on December 10, following the government order that bodies of unclaimed Muslim coronavirus victims be cremated, overriding the families’ objections against the compulsory policy - Lakruwan WANNIARACHCHI / AFP
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COLOMBO – Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa told Parliament on Wednesday (10), the government would allow the burial of those who had died of COVID, thus ending a 10-month long controversy over the disposal of the Covid-dead.

Responding to a question posed by opposition Samagi Jana Balwegaya (SJB) MP, S. M. Marikkar, the Prime Minister said “burials would be permitted” but gave no idea as to when the ban will be formally lifted.

Marikkar had pointed to an earlier statement made by Minister Sudharshini Fernandopulle that COVID-19 could not be transmitted via ground water and asked why, in light of that statement, burials were not being allowed.

Muslims, for whom cremation is ‘haram’ (forbidden or sinful), were distressed over the ban and were agitating to get the order reversed. The government’s contention was that burial of COVID-19 dead would contaminate ground water. The Muslims’ refutation of this with scientific arguments fell on deaf ears.

The sudden change in government’s policy now has led to speculation that the March session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and the visit of the Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on February 22 and 23, have brought it about.

With a hostile resolution against Sri Lanka at the UNHRC looking increasingly likely, despite on-going talks on a ‘consensual’ resolution, the Sri Lankan government could have thought it prudent to give in on the Muslims’ demand at least.

Secondly, it would have been considered appropriate to concede this demand ahead of the visit by the Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan due on February 22 and 23. Sri Lanka needs Pakistan’s help to get enough votes in the 47-member UNHRC to defeat the West-led Core Group’s hostile resolution against the country. Sri Lanka could count on Pakistan’s support at the UNHRC if it made this concession to the Muslims.

In January, UN human rights experts had urged the Sri Lankan government to end its policy of forced cremation of COVID-19 victims, saying it ran contrary to the beliefs of Muslims and other minorities in the country and could foment existing prejudices, intolerance and violence.

Special Rapporteurs on Freedom of Religion or Belief, Ahmed Shaheed; on Minority Issues, Fernand de Varennes; on the Rights of Peaceful Assembly and Association, Clément Nyaletsossi Voule; and on the Right of Everyone to the Enjoyment of the Highest Attainable Standard of Physical and Mental Health, Tlaleng Mofokeng, in a widely publicized statement warned the imposition of cremation as the only option for handling the bodies confirmed or suspected of COVID-19 amounts to a human rights violation, noting there has been no established medical or scientific evidence in Sri Lanka or other countries that burial of dead bodies leads to increased risk of spreading communicable diseases such as COVID-19.

They said the implementation of public health decisions based on discrimination, aggressive nationalism and ethnocentrism amount to persecution of Muslims and other minorities in the country.

Reports said the President and the Prime Minister had instructed the health authorities to explore options for burials in Sri Lanka.

According to media reports, more than 150 bodies of Muslim victims of COVID-19 had been cremated. This list includes Shaykh, a new born just 20 days old.

-ENCL

Editor_1
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