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Adversity, it is said, makes the strangest bedfellows. But, alas, for Lanka even that little redeeming grace seems denied.

In the cauldron of mankind’s despair and tragedy, is brewed the devil’s bewildering corona concoction, its noxious vapors engulfing the world with fear and dread, its lethal droplets bringing death everywhere it falls, its global unseen presence only discerned by the body count.

And, with its effortless country hopping, successfully defying the barricades hastily set up to curb its devilish sprint, it has blurred the borders of nations and erased the divides that kept humanity historically at war with each other for eons.

The coronavirus is no respecter of any person or a follower of any faith. As the SUNDAY PUNCH commented last week, ‘all are equal in COVID’s gaze which knows no differences in religions, races, nationalities, genders, castes, creeds or colours; all born of the same breath and made of the same dust unto which, when the last breath has fled the mortal frame, all will return and lie equaled. ‘

If there is even one silver streak to behold in hope in this dark dreaded COVID cloud, hanging threateningly over us all, waiting to sneeze its deadly load upon a totally defenceless world and pulverise it, then it has been the spectacular shedding of individual interests and beliefs and uniting as one to vanquish the common mysterious enemy who has stormed through the gates and is alarmingly amidst us all.

Even as great nations, humbled in the dust before its unstoppable advance, have flaked their pride and patriotism and put on hold the dictates of national interests to partake in the common interest, in the common endeavor of mankind, so have communities and individuals shelved their petty, parochial differences and sheathed their silly squabbles to meet the challenge of the hour as one.

In Lanka, too, it is heartening to note the leaders of all political parties have risen to the occasion and have expressed solidarity with the government in the national effort to contain and eradicate the coronavirus. Unity, which raises morale and grants hope, is the most potent weapon we have left in our armory which is otherwise bare. And any chink in that armour may prove fatal.

And this week, the first faint crack appeared in the nation’s united stance when a virus of a different kind, a virus born of bat blind ignorance which makes one deeply prejudiced and crassly intolerant to all thoughts and beliefs contrary to one’s own, a virus called bigotry was planted in Lanka’s collective conscience.

To the cauldron brewing devil’s corona concoction was added a sprinkling of the ‘opium of the people’ to make the brew even more lethal.

Following the death this Monday of the second COVID victim in Lanka, a 65-year-old heart patient residing in Kochchikade, a few miles away from Negombo, the medical authorities followed the same procedure they had adopted in disposing the body of the first COVID dead. This was done according to then existing guidelines issued by the Health Ministry. The corpse was placed in a body bag and sealed. Thereafter it was placed in a coffin and transported to a crematorium where it was cremated.

The Health Ministry issued guidelines also spelt that an inquest will not be required in the death of a person who had been tested positive for COVID and that there should be minimum handling.

On Tuesday, the 31st, a new set of guidelines came into effect. The fourth update on the Provisional Clinical Practice Guidelines on COVID-19 stated that in the event of death of a suspected or confirmed patient, cremation was the only mode of disposing the body to avoid further spread of the disease.

Judicial Medical Officers across Sri Lanka were issued the Standard Operation Procedure to be followed in the event of a death of a coronavirus infected person. The guideline stated that remains of all those who succumb to the disease should be cremated within 24 hours. The purpose of requiring the SOP to be followed in each and every case was to prevent the dead from spreading the virus that had claimed them from claiming others from beyond the grave.

But on Tuesday, hours after it was announced that a 65-year-old Muslim heart patient from Kochchikade had become the second Lankan to die of the COVID infection, a row broke out over the manner in which his body had been disposed of on Monday night: cremation as the then existing health regulations advised and not burial as Muslim tradition and custom demanded.

Leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, Rauf Hakeem, shed his liberal hide to crusade the right of the dead to be buried.

On Tuesday, Hakeem declared: “SLMC notes with shock and dismay that the body of the 2nd victim of the COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka, who died Monday night at the Negombo Hospital had been cremated immediately thereafter.”

He said: “It is an accepted practice world over those families’ and religious’ rights and sentiments be observed in times of sorrow, despair and grief. In this backdrop the callous disregard with which the body of a Muslim person has been dealt with by authorities in Negombo makes one ponder whether that was done to undermine the good work of the health sector and to cause distrust in the system by suspected patients. Or to keep away the Muslims from seeking medical treatment for the fear of possible cremation which again would, in turn, increase the burden on public health.”

Needless to say, it is an extremely painful and sensitive issue.  The nation’s thoughts and prayers go to the family of the deceased as they mourn their loss and grieve they were unable to perform the last rites to the beloved departed as Muslim custom demanded. For them it is a double blow. And the nation shares their anguish at this hour.

And when SLMC leader Hakeem observes that “it is an accepted practice world over those families’ and religious’ rights and sentiments be observed in times of sorrow, despair and grief,” none would disagree with him more but accept his assertion wholeheartedly.

But these are not ordinary times we live in. These are extraordinary times, none has ever encountered before or experienced in living memory. The world has turned topsy-turvy. These are not normal times where sorrow, despair and grief can be given top billing and hallowed burial customs given full accommodation but a bizarre time when humanity faces the threat of being wiped out by one virulent virus to which the entire earth has become its playing field or amusement park. If its swift spread is not sternly checked, the lights will go out on the homo sapiens’ descendants.

Mr. Hakeem goes on to say, “In this backdrop the callous disregard with which the body of a Muslim person has been dealt with by authorities in Negombo makes one ponder whether that was done to undermine the good work done by the heath sector”.

First, doesn’t Mr. Hakeem have any idea of the present backdrop before which all mundane actions are taking place? That the COVID virus had laid siege on the Lankan landscape and is making its deadly presence felt hour by hour? That already five people have died as a result of it? That 159 have been infected with it, another 193 on suspicion’s row and hundreds more are in quarantine camps? That presently the entire country is under curfew and a severe food crisis exists to make the bad situation worse? That if more and more people become infected the entire medical system will collapse under its strain? That the rapid spread of the virus must be stopped at all costs if we are to prevent a calamity?

Furthermore, isn’t the SLMC leader casting aspersions on the intelligence of his people when he says, “Or to keep away the Muslims from seeking medical treatment for the fear of possible cremation which again would, in turn, increase the burden on public health”? Surely he is not suggesting that if a Muslim gets infected he will not seek medical treatment because he fears not death but fears his dead body being burnt?

Former UNP MP Mujibur Rahuman chipped in on the same day to add his own fuel to the religious and racial controversy. He said, “the victim has been cremated violating government guidelines and those who are responsible for the issue had violated the government’s own circular where it says those who fall victim to COVID-19 should be either buried or cremated.’’

Joining him on this point was former Western Province Governor and leader of the National Unity Alliance, Azath Salley, who requested President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to inquire into how the recommendation that “any victim who adheres to such a Muslim belief will be provided with the right of burial, instead of cremation with certain guidelines,” had been violated.

According to the present guidelines existing as of March 31, the bodies of those dead due to COVID must be cremated without exemption. But the second death due to the coronavirus happened on March 30 when the previous set of guidelines was in force. What do they say?

It says, in the case of death following confirmed COVID infection (among others)

a. The body shall be viewed by close relatives of the deceased within a pre-designated area of the hospital.

b.             The body cannot be taken home.

c. The body must be placed in a body bag and sealed.

d.             The body should not be viewed after sealing.

e. The sealed body bag will be placed in a coffin for transportation.

f. The body must never be washed under any circumstances.

g. Cremation or burial is allowed. However burial is allowed provided that all steps to prevent contact with the body are ensured.

h.             The body has to be placed in an airtight sealed bag and sealed coffin.

i. The grave should have a depth of six feet (deep burial). It should not contaminate with ground water.

j. The grave should be identifiable and traceable.

k.             The disposal of bodies must be monitored by the police, MOH, PHI.

l. The body must be disposed of within 24 hours, preferably 12 hours.

Though Hakeem, Rahuman and Salley claim that there is an absolute right to demand burial, what can be seen is that what actually exists is a right to burial provided certain conditions can be satisfied within a period of 24 hours, preferably 12 hours. The right to burial is subject to certain conditions and is ultimately left to the authorities’ discretion.

For instance, if the authorities are of the opinion that the grave is less than six feet deep or there exists a risk that the body may come into contact with ground water and contaminate it, or that the conditions cannot be met within the stipulated time frame, the authorities will be free to deny the request for burial and insist, instead, on cremation.

These three Muslim leaders should have advised their community that at a time of a crisis of this magnitude, at a pandemic moment when the world crouches in dread, when the lives of hundreds of millions the world over are threatened, when millions of Lankan lives will be endangered if drastic steps are not taken now, that cremation is the best disposal policy for the COVID dead. That religious burial rites however hallowed, however followed must be suspended till the battle to save lives are fought and won.

Pity, they did not appeal to their community to practise patience, restraint and understanding. Instead they raked the dead man’s ashes to find the virus to raise communal feelings and hail themselves as the guardians of Lanka’s Muslims. They were bent on the rights of the dead, ignoring the right of the living to continued life on earth.

SLPP National List nominee Mohammed Muzammil said the Sri Lankan Muslim community should adhere to specific instructions issued by the government as regards the cremation of Covid-19 victims and that no one should play politics with the issue at the expense of the country. He told a daily newspaper this Wednesday: ‘’Let me explain how burial of bodies could cause a catastrophe. Unlike Catholics, we do not cover a hole dug in the ground to receive the body with sand. Instead, we place some planks and then cover them with sand. This can pose quite a health hazard. Therefore burials shouldn’t be permitted under any circumstances.”

The controversy even occupied Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s time, already taken up with the COVID crisis. His answer to representatives of Muslim political parties, who wished to explore the possibility of burying the bodies of those who succumb to COVID-19 instead of cremating the bodies, was a direct no. He said: ‘There are various ways of the spread of the virus and health officials try their best to prevent it from spreading. The entirety of Sri Lanka should be considered when cremating the dead bodies. This is a sensitive issue but our focus should be the wellbeing of the entire community.”

The row has also made Amnesty International join the fray in support of dead Muslim’s right to burial, whatever the circumstances.

Amnesty and the families say cremation flouts Islamic traditions and the dispute threatens to inflame religious tensions. The human rights group warned of possible violence between Muslims and Sri Lanka’s Buddhist majority if authorities continue to forcibly cremate Muslims killed by the pandemic.

“Grieving relatives of people who have died because of COVID-19 should be able to bid farewell to their loved ones in the way that they wish, especially where this is permissible under international guidelines,” Biraj Patnaik, Amnesty International’s South Asia director, said in a statement.

But what Amnesty and others so bent refuse to see and fail to understand, is that in a multicultural, multireligious and multiracial society compromises are called for, especially when disease and death stalk the land and threaten all. It will not do for one small community to insist on practicing a rite which they may believe will lead them to an imagined heaven but the fallout from the rite will lead all the majority rest to certain death.

And doesn’t Islamic law have provision for cremation, if medically vital for the good of all, including infidels, or in the public interest maslahah, however abhorrent cremation maybe to the believer?

Malaysia bites the dust for ‘don’t nag husbands’ advice The Malaysian Government was under lockdown this week by angry women who raised a ruckus over the Government’s ‘down to earth’ advice to women: ‘’Don’t nag your husband during lockdown’. The Government was forced to apologise on Tuesday following a sexist outcry. In a series of Facebook posts, the Malaysian women’s ministry offered tips for how wives should behave during the lockdown, which began on March 18, with a series of online posters with the hashtag translating as #WomenPreventCOVID19. One of the campaign posters depicted a man sitting on a sofa and asked women to refrain from being “sarcastic” if they needed help with household chores. Another poster suggested using humour or imitating the infantile voice of Doraemon – a blue robotic cat from Japan that is popular across Asia – in lieu of nagging. Others advised women working at home to wear makeup and dress neatly, rather than in casual clothes. “We apologise if some of the tips we shared were inappropriate and touched on the sensitivities of some parties,” the ministry’s women’s development department said in a statement. The apology came after the online posters sparked a public outcry. The posters have since been removed. For the locked up and shut down Lankan man, alas, no such advice to wives had been delivered courtesy of the government. So as a local wag nicely put it in a nutshell the plight of Lanka’s husbands: Gedera hitiyoth nona, eliyata geeyoth corona’.

Stay masked, stay blessed ON WITH THE MASKS: Though officially the face masks are discouraged, the people took no chances and donned face masks as the first line of defence against the COVID, opting to be safe now than sorry later On the 26th of last month, Lanka’s COVID Czar Dr. Anil Jasinghe took the people by surprise when he wrote to the acting IGP informing him that the wearing of face masks were not essential and to inform the police cadre not to inconvenience healthy people for not wearing them. This U turn in public health policy came after weeks of informing the general public – day in and night out on TV, radio and newspapers – of the lifesaving properties of a face mask, of its  dual role of preventing the spread of COVID by an infected though asymptomatic person or getting it from another. It was the first line of defense against the long haul battle against the deadly virus. Furthermore the health Ministry’s ‘No need for face masks’ was slapped with a ‘Wearing face masks may be hazardous to your health’ warning. After promoting face masks as lifesavers, the March 26 message to the IGP said it might even be a source of danger and warned that the Health Ministry does not recommend the use of masks by everyone right now because: 1. There is an increased risk for the virus to spread due to improper wear or handling 2. Chances for virus to spread due to improper disposal 3. It is better to save the mask you have for if and when there is a major outbreak. Firstly, if there were increased risks in contracting COVID, why on earth didn’t the ministry inform the public when it first advocated its use? Secondly, why didn’t the ministry educate the public on how to use a mask properly? You don’t give a gun to a person who has never used a gun before and say it’s for his protection without informing him of the dangers involved. That if you point the gun at yourself and press the trigger, you’ll end up dead. And thirdly, why save a mask now and use it if and when there is a major outbreak if it’s of no use now and, worse, if it’s dangerous to use it? Last week the SUNDAY PUNCH commenting on the above asked the question: “But isn’t the purpose of wearing masks to minimise the chances of a major outbreak? However basic a face mask or a face covering is, isn’t it the first line of defence preventing contact with COVID? This week has seen a worldwide call to wear a face mask, even the most basic one – even a cloth covering one’s face will do, in the circumstances. The World Health Organization, which exploited the present opportunity to promote their favourite anti-smoking hobby horse calling for a worldwide smoking ban to prevent COVID deaths without first establishing a scientifically proven medical link, was forced by fast changing circumstances to grudgingly change their earlier position and call for the wearing of face masks. USA’s COVID Czar, the special presidential appointee, Dr. Fauci this week urged the wearing of face masks. Yesterday, as the day’s death toll in the USA hit a record 1300 deaths due to COVID, President Trump joined the call and asked the people of America to don face masks for their own protection though he candidly confesses in typical Trump’s idiosyncratic style that he won’t be wearing one. Sri Lanka’s COVID Czar, Director General of the Health Services Dr. Jasinghe is still to revoke his prior decision and call the people to wear masks again. Or better still that he remains silent on the matter. Especially considering the local phenomenon that when he asked the people to wear masks no one took notice and no one wore. But the moment he warned against its use ten days ago, many took notice and many have started wearing masks as it is evident on the streets. Perhaps to the Lankan mentality, reverse psychology works best. On with the mask. Now, for a spot of cheer AVIGAN: Will it be the new hope for the world? Don’t uncork the bubbly yet, but a whiff of good news is that some Japanese scientists are busy working on a drug that could be the quickest answer to the COVID threat. It was reported on Wednesday that Japan’s Fujifilm has begun clinical trials to test the effectiveness of its anti-flu drug Avigan in treating patients with the new coronavirus, after reports of promising results in China. Trials in China, the reports said, have suggested Avigan could play a role in shortening the recovery time for patients, infected with coronavirus. The phase three trial comes after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said last Saturday that the government “will begin the necessary process to formally approve Avigan as a treatment against the new coronavirus.” Avigan is currently approved for manufacture and sale in Japan as an antiviral drug for flu. “It is expected that Avigan may potentially have an antiviral effect on the new coronavirus,” given the way it works on the flu virus, Fujifilm said in a statement announcing the trial. Meanwhile, the White House has picked another drug as a possible coronavirus treatment and it’s pressuring the FDA to allow use of the yet-unapproved therapy during the pandemic. The Trump administration is asking its drug regulators to authorize Fujifilm’s flu antiviral Avigan for emergency use against the novel coronavirus, it is reported. So let’s keep the fingers crossed and hope for the best that Avigan will turn to be the Penicillin of the 21st century.