Sunday Times 2
Burial of COVID-19 victims and the resort to fake news
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In the midst of the complex challenges facing the country today, prudence demands that the Government handles the challenges with a great deal of sensitivity to ensure that all its citizens are on board in these critical times. It has been emphasised over and over again the success of the national attempt to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus is largely dependent on public cooperation and support, in addition to the measures taken by the Governmental authorities.
It is compulsory the Government does not engage in any action which will have the effect of demoralising any section of the community. Experts have over and over again emphasised the need to keep peoples’ spirits alive, to give them the fortitude to face the difficulties of continuously staying at home, curfews, quarantine and a restricted lifestyle as demanded by the situation. The recognition and importance given to keep the morale of the citizenry high is evidenced by the collective singing on balconies by the people subject to lockdown in Wuhan and Italy, as well as the musical performances by the Police and Armed Forces at different housing complexes in Sri Lanka.
Those who are faced with the situation of their near and dear falling victim to COVID-19 are subject to even more distress. It is in this context that many voices have been raised with regard to the procedures followed in respect of the disposal of those who have succumbed to COVID-19. This has been of particular concern to the Muslim community who have been compelled to cremate those deceased due to COVID-19, when the religious practice has been to bury.
No official announcement or explanation has been made by anyone in authority as to why the burial of COVID-19 deceased is not allowed when WHO guidelines permit such burials and when over 180 countries including those badly effected such as Italy, France and the United Kingdom permit such a practice.
In fact it has not been possible to ascertain at which point in the decision making hierarchy this decision has been arrived at and the reasoning behind such a decision. At the least those affected by this decision have the right to know the reasoning.
Representations have been made by Muslim politicians and civil society as well as several others to permit the disposal of COVID-19 fatalities by burial on the basis, there is no scientific evidence to indicate that the virus can spread after burial but to no avail.
The GMOA, too, has written to the Health Services Director General Dr. Anil Jasinghe urging him to appoint a panel of scientific experts to look into the issue, and it was pointed out both the Quarantine Act and the WHO guidelines permit disposal by cremation as well as burial. There is no information such a panel has been appointed so far.
All communities in the country have made adjustments in the manifestations of their religious practices to meet the demands of the situation. The Buddhists have curtailed their gatherings at temples on Poya day and on other occasions and have confined their New Year celebrations to their homes. The Christians have remained at home on Sundays and listened to their Sunday sermons from their homes. Likewise the Hindus. The Muslims have resorted to praying at home instead of congregating in the mosques for their daily five time prayers and Friday Jumma prayers.
With regard to funerals of the COVID-19 deceased too, the necessary abbreviations to their respective religious rites have been made by all communities including the Muslims. There are four main practices that form the funeral rites of Muslims, namely, the washing of the dead body, the shrouding of the body with white cloth, conducting the Janaza (funeral) prayers alongside the body and the burial.
Religious clearance has been obtained and is being followed by dispensing with the first two rites namely, the washing of the dead body and the shrouding (which require some degree of contact with the body and could most likely spread the virus), while the Janaza prayers are prayed individually in absence of the body.
The only rite the Muslim community wishes to continue to perform is the burial (as opposed to the cremation) which is universally being practised in accordance with WHO guidelines as mentioned above. If it can be scientifically established that burial can contribute to spreading the virus, in the larger interest of society even foregoing or modifying this practice will undoubtedly be considered and justified.
However it is the Government’s responsibility in a multi-religious society to be sensitive to and responsive to the feelings of any one community. Unfortunately there is no indication of such sensitivity on the part of the Government as evidenced even in the past. For example, the case of the singing of the National Anthem in Tamil on Independence Day was not permitted even though it did not infringe on the sovereignty of the country nor caused harm to any community. Such lack of sensitivity is a reflection of the mind-set that encompasses the thinking of the Government and is not helpful in the task of building National Unity and social cohesion in the difficult post COVID-19 days.
Some of the Government big wigs too seem to be only making it more difficult for the country with their reckless statements which antagonise even friendly countries. Minister Wimal Weerawansa in a TV interview cited a social media post in support of the ‘burial should not be allowed’ argument. This post claimed the Ruler of Sharjah had prohibited the burial of COVID-19 victims.
In a strongly worded rebuttal the UAE Embassy in Colombo issued an official statement saying the UAE had not banned the burial of those who died of the coronavirus nor had it ordered such bodies to be cremated. The UAE Embassy statement went on to say it was shocked to note the social media post was being circulated widely in the local media in a manner which could incite racism and hatred against Sri Lankan Muslims.
“The Embassy strongly condemns this deliberate attempt and urges the relevant authorities in Sri Lanka to take necessary steps to remove said news items from all websites immediately, and to rectify the misinformation by issuing an appropriate clarification,” the statement concluded.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought home the truth the world is more inter-dependent than ever before. No country rich or poor, big or small, can stand alone. As much as individuals need each other at societal level, in the days to come every country will need as many friends as possible in the international community. Antagonising friendly countries is hardly an option.
(javidyusuf@gmail.com)