Authorities in Sri Lanka have forcibly cremated two Muslim COVID-19 victims.

A 73-year- old man from the capital, Colombo, Bishrul Hafi Mohammed Joonus, was the second Muslim to have been cremated in the Indian Ocean island nation. His son, Fayaz Joonus, said his father tested positive for the virus about two weeks ago. He died on April 1 and was cremated the next day.

Fayaz said they were unable to perform Janaazah prayers for his father due to fear of infection.

He said, “My father was taken in a vehicle under the supervision of the police force and was cremated. We did some prayers outside the morgue, but it was not a Janaazah that us Muslim typically do.”

Fayaaz added, “If there is an option of burial, our government should accommodate (us). Cremation is not the only option; we want to bury our loved ones as per the Islamic way.”

Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Health on Tuesday issued COVID-19 guidelines which reversed an earlier guideline that allowed traditional Muslim burial. According to the new guidelines, the standard procedure for disposing of bodies should be cremation. The deceased should also not be washed and placed in a sealed bag and a coffin. This contravenes the Islamic practice of washing the body of the deceased.

As has been pointed out by Muslim leaders, the World Health Organization (WHO) allows both the options of burial and cremation for people who have lost their lives to the coronavirus pandemic.

Amnesty International, meanwhile, has called on authorities to respect the rights of religious minorities in carrying out final rites.” South Asia Director at Amnesty International, Biraj Patnaik, said in a statement, “At this difficult time, the authorities should be bringing communities together and not deepening divisions between them.”

Umm Muhammed Umar