Sri Lankan Muslims Criticize Mandatory Cremation Rules For COVID-19 Victims

Illustrations (Unsplash / Einar Storsul)

JAKARTA - Sri Lankan Muslims have criticized government regulations regarding cremation of people who die from COVID-19. They said that the government policy of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was a discriminatory rule. They also insist that burials must take place in the Buddhist-majority country.

Quoting France24, Thursday 17 December, the anger increased after at least 15 people who died from COVID-19 were cremated. Meanwhile the fifteen people are Muslims and are forced to perform the ritual.

Health authorities in mainly Buddhist Sri Lanka insist that all victims must be cremated. The order, issued in April, comes amid fears by leading Buddhist monks that buried bodies could contaminate groundwater and spread the virus.

Over the weekend, the public tied thousands of white ribbons to the gates of the cemetery which houses the crematorium, but the white ribbons were removed by the authorities. This adds to the disappointment of many communities.

"The ghosts in the Kanatte (burial area) overnight have removed the white handkerchief tied in memory of the baby who was forcibly cremated against the wishes of the parents," former Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera said on Twitter.

One social media activist who posted the photo of the tape called it a "flagrant act of state oppression." Sri Lanka has seen a spike in cases since October, with the number of COVID-19 cases increasing nearly 10 times, bringing the total to now more than 32,790 and 152 of them have died.

Amnesty International also condemned the cremation rules earlier this month, saying Sri Lankan Muslims face the fear of not being able to bury their loved ones and losing their dignity at the last minute. The NGO also noted that "to add insult to injury, the family was forced to bear the costs of the cremation." However, Rambukwella, a spokesman for the Sri Lankan government, denied the discrimination allegations.

The majority of the patients are Muslim

According to the Sri Lanka Muslim Council, the majority of coronavirus victims in the country are Muslim even though they are only 10 percent of the population of 21 million. Muslim Council spokesman Hilmy Ahamed said Muslims stricken with COVID-19 are afraid to seek medical help because they don't want to be cremated if they die.

The Organization for Islamic Cooperation last month urged the Sri Lankan government to allow Muslims to bury their family members "in accordance with their religious beliefs and obligations." The World Health Organization (WHO) also says burials should be permitted if done with precautions.

Since the end of a decades-long bloody war between Tamil separatists and the military in 2009, Muslim groups in Drilanka have faced growing hostility from Sinhala Buddhist nationalists.

Hardliners accuse Muslims of having a high birth rate and forcing people to convert to Islam to reduce the majority of Sinhalese Buddhists in Sri Lanka, who make up 70 percent of the country's population. In recent years, attacks that are claimed to be instigated by Buddhist monks have targeted Muslim homes and businesses, as well as Muslim places of worship. Tensions have escalated after the deadly suicide attacks on churches and hotels in April 2019 claimed by the Islamic State group.