Is
it absolutely safe to bury those who have died of Covid-19? No one can
say with absolute certainty. The World Health Organization (WHO) says
it’s safe. However, the WHO’s endorsement is not the last word. It is a
decent recommendation, nothing more. Note, also, that the WHO has got a
lot of things wrong over the years. With regard to Covid-19, the WHO
initially said face masks are unnecessary. Later the WHO said, ‘wear
face masks.’ That’s symptomatic of all understanding of and responses
to the pandemic. We know just one thing and that is that we don’t know
much.
That said, some 190 countries have
approved burials. THAT said there is massive outcry in Denmark for the
exhumation and incineration of nearly 17 million mink culled and buried
after the discovery of a mutated form of the virus. The burial sites are
close to a bathing lake and to a drinking water source. The burial was
deemed illegal. However, ‘as of now’ (note: this is a key phrase in the
Covid-19 discourse), there’s no evidence of contamination or risk of
infection. The important thing here is perception. PUBLIC perception.
Muslims
want the Civid-dead buried. Islam is not the only Abrahamic religion
that recommends burial, but others in this faith-family have not
complained. Flag that. THAT said, the opinions, fears and beliefs of
those who belong to other faith communities are irrelevant for the
individual. He/she operates on the basis of his/her understanding of the
particular faith.
Atalugama is a case in
point. A total of 162 Covid-19 cases were reported from this village on
Tuesday alone. This is a ‘Muslim village.’ The people are fighting shy
of tests because they don’t want to be tested positive. If tested
positive they are reluctant to be taken to hospital. If taken to
hospital they are scared they will die. Why? Because, as per the current
policy, the remains will be cremated and if cremated, so they fervently
believe, the possibility of rising to heaven will be denied. Work that
backwards and we have the ‘Atalugama Phenomenon.’
For
those whose lives are governed by faith, human logic is inferior,
irreverent and irrelevant. If you tell those who believe that corporeal
integrity is a must for entry to heaven that disintegration begins at
the point of death, they won’t bother to even respond. That’s the way of
faith.
Muslim citizens have a right to
follow their religion. This is ensured in the Constitution (see Articles
10 and 14). On the other hand, all citizens need to abide by the laws
and regulations of the land. Governments have to be sensitive to the
anxieties of all communities and where there are conflicts, should go
with the law. Governments cannot wait on divine arbitration, but must
draw from the opinions of the relevant experts.
The
other day, some well-meaning people (no doubt) tied white ribbons to
the fence around the Borella Cemetery as a mark of both empathy and
indignation; supporting their Muslim brethren over their burial demand
and protesting the cremation of a 20-day old baby from a Muslim family
who died of Covid-19. A baby’s death moves more than the death of an old
person, obviously, but the fact of the matter here is whether the
deceased is 20 days old, 200 days old or 200 years old is irrelevant.
The issue is that the protocols in place forbid burial.
There
was much mischief in social media over this particular case. Here’s
what happened. The baby was brought to the Lady Ridgeway Hospital (LRH)
in critical condition. In other words, ‘late.’ That’s not the hospital’s
responsibility; perhaps the parents were immobilized by the anxieties
mentioned above. The antigen test was carried out at the preliminary
care unit itself and the test became positive within minutes (as opposed
to the usual 20-30 minutes) due to the very high viral load.
The
doctors and the rest of the staff battled at great risk to themselves.
They couldn’t save the baby. The parents were reluctant to receive the
body. The anti-burial lobby, motivated less by empathy with the Muslims
but by a rabid determination to badmouth the Government (probably on
account of ideal political outcomes not materializing), went to town on
social media. That’s the story, in a nutshell, of the white ribbons.
The
Government, by way of a solution to the burial-cremation issue, has
negotiated with the Maldivian Government to bury Muslims who fall victim
to Covid-19 in that country. The intact-requirement would thus be
satisfied and so too the anxieties of those who are worried about water
contamination.
Well, Lord Almighty, all of
a sudden those who pooh-pooh the laws of humankind because they believe
in those of a higher authority have become fanatical patriots! They
insist, ’We want to be buried in our motherland!’ So, it’s the Kingdom
of God and things spiritual at one point and at another the land of
birth. They want human-laws to be overruled by ‘god’s laws’ in the name
of religious freedom. Fine, someone listens, is sensitive and offers a
solution. Not good enough, but not for god but the particular human. All
of a sudden he/she talks of land, country and nation, and goes further,
‘MOTHERLAND!’ So it’s not about god, the one entity that needs to be
pleased as per faith, they want to quarrel over non-religious issues as
well. In other words, they WANT to quarrel. They are spoiling for a
fight.
What’s next? Well, something that
happened in the country which has the largest number of Muslims,
Indonesia, will no doubt happen here. The demand for halal vaccines.
Those
who claim to represent Muslims and their rights need to do a hard
re-think about their politics. They could also re-read their doctrinal
texts. They could reflect on those sections where the prophet speaks of
lands, citizenships and responsibilities thereto. They might discover
that a true Muslim is required to fully abide by the laws of the land of
which he/she is a subject. A Muslim is required to obey Allah, his
messenger and those who are in authority over him/her.
Now
someone might say ‘that’s selective quoting.’ Could be. On the other
hand, selectivity is an integral part of human affairs. You can’t have
it both ways. You can’t say ‘God’ when it suits you and insist ‘human’
when that’s what is convenient. You can’t say ‘Scientists say burial is
safe’ and refuse to subject faith to scientific investigation.
To
bury or not bury IS a question. It is not THE question. If it is an
important question (and I believe it is) then as important are the
question about religion and science and the question of selectivity
(related to God’s Kingdom and the Nation, divine directives and those
that are human-made.)
They say you can’t have the cake and eat it. Well, certain Muslim ‘leaders’/‘representatives’ are proving that it is possible!
malindasenevi@gmail.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment