The Muslim World League (MWL), appreciated the response of the Sri Lankan government to the League’s request not to cremate the bodies of dead Muslims infected with COVID-19 in accordance with Islamic teachings.
During a phone conversation with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, the Secretary-General of MWL Sheikh Muhammad Al-Issa emphasized that the move will strengthen the close relationship between the Sri Lankan government and the MWL, which represents a global reference for Islamic communities.
Meanwhile, the General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) also welcomed the Sri Lankan government’s decision.
The OIC said that it had on several occasions during the pandemic called on Sri Lankan authorities to refrain from cremating Muslims and to give them an Islamic burial.
Last week, Colombo reversed a controversial mandatory order to cremate the bodies of all those who die of COVID-19. The government had argued that burials could contaminate groundwater.
-Agencies
