Sri Lanka’s cremation apology fails to enthuse minorities
Christians and Muslims have disapproved of the Sri Lankan government's apology for its controversial cremation policy during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Jul 24, 2024

COLOMBO: Christians and Muslims have disapproved of the Sri Lankan government's apology for its controversial cremation policy during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Sri Lankan cabinet has approved the “proposal to apologize to the Muslim community for the coercive policy enforced during the Covid-19 period,” said Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakse told parliament on July 23.
Rajapakse pushed for an apology among cabinet members, although the policy was imposed during the previous government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
“Although we were not responsible for the decision of forced cremation policy and did not hold positions in the former government at that time, we express our regret to the Islamic community for what occurred during that period,” said Rajapakse.
Under Islamic norms, the greatest honor that can be given to a deceased person's body is to clean it and bury it within 24 hours without alteration, said H.A. Azeez, a Muslim rights activist.
The Rajapaksa government in the Buddhist-majority nation enforced a compulsory cremation policy during the pandemic, arguing that burying or washing the bodies may cause the virus to spread.
The policy “deprived us of our tradition” without justification, Azeez added.
“When we cremated the bodies of our relatives, it felt as though we were being cremated,” Azeez told UCA news.
On numerous occasions, governments have exploited the Muslim population “for political gains" and "to appease the Buddhist community,” he said.
There were Christians among those subjected to the compulsory cremation, said a Holy Family nun from the Colombo archdiocese, who sought anonymity.
The government decision was an outrageous and offensive infringement on religious rights and basic human dignity, the nun said.
The compulsory cremation policy had caused uproar among the Muslim community, who make up nearly 10 percent of the country’s 22 million population.
The apology was meant for cremating 276 Muslims under the policy.
The corpse should be cremated at a temperature of 800 to 1,200 degrees Celsius for a minimum of 45 minutes, the government said in a notification during the pandemic.
"According to our religion, my father could not receive his final respects,” said Mohammad Kiyas from Kochchikade in western Negombo, recalling his 64-year-old father’s cremation.
“Now, is there any point in apologizing?” he said.
According to official records, Sri Lanka, with a population of some 22 million, reported 16,897 Covid deaths.--ucanews.com
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