JEDDAH : The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) which has a membership of 57 Muslims countries has expressed its concern over reports of Sri Lankan authorities insisting on cremation of COVID-19 Muslim victims.
“ Against this practice, forbidden under Islamic, the OIC calls for respect to funeral rites in the Islamic faith,” the statement added.
The cremation order issued in April came amid alarm raised by a section of the non-Muslim community that burying bodies could contaminate groundwater and spread the virus.
Families of some Muslims refused to claim the bodies of relatives from a Colombo morgue, last week, saying that they cannot afford to pay for cremation which was costing around Rs 50,000
