Zakir Naik – Stop Forced Cremations in Sri Lanka for Covid 19 Victims

			We'll take the first question
		

			from WhatsApp.
		

			I am made from Sri Lanka. I'm a student. The government of Sri Lanka has not given the permission
for the burial of Muslims who die due to COVID-19. What should we Muslims do for this unjustified
case to allow more than 100 Muslims were cremated that is burned? a similar question is asked
Assalamualaikum. My name is Hussein Mahmoud. I am a student studying in a local university. After
much the Sri Lankan government decided to cremate the COVID-19 victim's body regardless of the
consent from the family. Our politicians are trying to amend the decision but we cannot. We want to
raise this issue internationally. We want Shaykh to speak about this issue.
		

			The question posed by both the questioner was regarding the decision taken by the Sri Lankan
government several months earlier, in the month of March, April 2020, that all those who die because
of COVID-19 or they die after testing positive COVID-19 all of them should be cremated should be
burned irrespective of their religion, irrespective of the consent of the family. And this decision
was made to declare the government according to me, was mainly to act against the Muslims. And as
you will be aware that the population of the Muslims in Sri Lanka is approximately 2.2 to 2.5
million.
		

			According to the 2020 census 9.7% of the population of Sri Lanka Muslims, now they'll somewhere
close to 11% in the population in Sri Lanka, about 11% would be Muslims and Christians were 7.4%. In
the 2020 census, there'll be close to 7.5%. Now, both put together would be 18.5%
		

			of the population of Srilanka. They normally bury after they die, because of their religious
teachings, whether it be the Muslims or whether it be the Christians, the majority of the Sri
Lankans, they are Buddhist 70.2% of the population of Sri Lanka, Buddhist and 12.6% are Hindus and
both of these communities they cremate after they die. I personally feel that the decision taken by
the Sri Lankan government was mainly to Harris, the minorities, that is the Muslims and the
Christians. And though the Muslim politicians, they did try their level best and they approached the
government, and they tried to convince them but the government said that it is not our decision. We
		

			are not interfering. It has been taken by the health authorities. They have told that the best to do
after the person dies after being tested positive for covid 19. The safest is to cremate them, to
burn them. So we aren't interfering with the decision. It is not our decision. It is the decision of
the health authorities and we cannot do anything about it.
		

			later on. There were many Muslim lawyers and got together and they've been filed a petition in the
Supreme Court in the highest authority of law in Sri Lanka, but unfortunately, it was rejected. Now
when we analyze Sri Lanka is the only country in the world amongst more than 200 countries, which
has got this unique rule that anyone who dies because of COVID-19 should be cremated nowhere else in
the world. And when we check the wh o requirements they say once a person dies, because of COVID-19
it doesn't make a difference whether you bury them or whether cremate them both are safe throw from
where do the health authorities of Srilanka get this idea that cremating a burning the dead body
		

			after they've been tested positive COVID-19 be safer and better. I feel it is just harassment of the
minority. There is no medical or scientific proof at all, that a dead body after being positive of
COVID-19 and the dying because of COVID-19. They should be committed. It is not at all a scientific
fact. There is no medical proof at all for it. In fact, scientifically we compare
		

			the difference between cremation and burial. And let me tell you, that majority of the people in the
world after dying they have been buried
		

			The Christians, approximately 2.5 billion in the world, the Muslims are more than 2 billion, the
Christian is approximately 31% in the world, and the Muslims are more than 25% both put together
only the Christians and Muslims, they are more than 56% of the world population and many others are
also married. So approximately two thirds of the world population they are buried. If you compare
the pros and cons between the burial of a dead body and a cremation of a dead body,
		

			point number one, when we cremate a burn the body after the person has died, there is a lot of
pollution. So, cremation and burning the dead body causes multiple times more pollution, it pollutes
the area, there is pollution, as compared to burial, there is no pollution.
		

			Number two, when a dead body is committed, for burning the body, a lot of wood has to be burned,
because of which millions of trees have to be chopped. In India alone, there are millions of trees
every year, they are killed, and they are chopped only because they require wood for burning their
dead bodies. So, the forest is destroyed, because of commission because the burning that in bodies,
whereas in burial, the forest is retained, the mcglinn is retained as compared to cremation.
		

			Point number three, when a dead bodies buried the bones that disintegrate the body Gill
disintegrated. And scientifically today, science tells us that whatever is present in the human
body, the components to a lesser or greater extent. So same components also present in the earth. So
as it said Islam from Earth become and the earth will return. So, the thing is that it is more
scientific to bury a body as compared to cremation. Point number four. When we bury a body, the body
disintegrates, the bones disintegrate, and it makes that land the way the dead bodies buried more
fertile.
		

			which is not the case. When a body is burned, it turns into ashes. When we bury the body, it gives
more money or the earth gets more fertile, there's more greenery, there's more forest, it's much
better for the environment.
		

			Point number five, the land
		

			where you bury the same land can be recycled. Once you burn the wood, in burying a dead body, that
wood cannot be used, it turns into ashes. So in burial it can be recycled. And point number six, it
is very cheap. There is no cost required. Once you buy the land and most of the graveyard they're
big, their presence hundreds of years, the same land can be used after few years. Whereas in
cremation in burning, it's very expensive. You have to buy wood. It's more expensive to burn a body
as compared to burying a body. So scientifically, I've just mentioned six benefits of bearing as
compared to cremation. Coming back to the question that what the Sri Lankan government has done,
		

			just to harass the minorities, especially the Muslims, and the Christians, what action should be
taken, number one, what the Muslims of Sri Lanka have done, they've approached the political party
is one of the good thing they should do. But unfortunately, because the Muslim land minority, they
are not as a very good force, in terms of convincing the government of being as a World Bank. Point
number two, we should go to the legal authorities of the country. And that's what the Muslims in Sri
Lanka have done. And according to me, though, the Sri Lankan Muslims are minority compared to other
countries, they are quite united hamdulillah. So they got together, and they filed a case in the
		

			Supreme Court. But what happens is that when the government is in majority, and if it's against the
Muslims or minority, many a time, the law supports the government in most of the countries. And here
as I mentioned, that the Buddhists, they are 17.2%, along with the Hindus, the 12.6%, both put
together they are about 83%. So because of this, the Supreme Court declined the petition. Third
thing that should be done is there should be more awareness that should be made throughout not only
in Sri Lanka, but throughout the world. Because if the world comes to know surely they can be
pressure from outside thing, the situation now what I believe the best
		

			That can be done is there should be pressure from the Muslim countries, and Alhamdulillah there are
some Muslim countries which have got active and I've been in touch with some of the religious people
in Sri Lanka, I've been in touch with some of the politicians also in Sri Lanka and Alhamdulillah
also in some of the NGOs in UK, and there are Muslims who are trying to see to it that the Muslims
unite. And this issue also inshallah will be bought very soon to the Oh, I see. That is the
Organization of Islamic Cooperation. But the negative factor is that the Muslim unfortunately,
throughout the world, we aren't united. The Muslims today, about 57 countries in the world. The
		

			population is majority, the Muslims, more than 50% of the population of 57 countries in the world,
about 27% of the countries in the world. They have our Muslim majority, and the Muslim population in
the world is more than 2 billion. More than 25% of the world population today are Muslims. But
unfortunately, today, the Muslims are united. Many of the Muslim countries they're fighting amongst
themselves, a neighboring Muslim country fighting with the other neighboring Muslim country for
their personal benefits. Because of it, the Ummah is not united. If the Muslim Ummah was united like
it was there in the past, we had one leadership, then the situation would have been different. Now
		

			because the Muslim Ummah is not united and some of the Muslim countries don't want to interfere.
They said okay, it's not transcending ourselves. It's regarding some others, it is totally against
the Islamic principles. As a beloved prophet masala Sallam said that the Muslims are like one body,
and one body feels pain that everyone rushes to see to it, that they take care. So we Muslims should
be like one body, parts of different body, and we should help each other. And as the Quran says, In
Jeremiah, chapter number five was number two, that helps one another better and taqwa in
righteousness, and in good deeds in virtue. We Muslims should stand up together. And
		

			internationally. If all the Muslims get together and object to the injustice that's been done in Sri
Lanka, against the minorities, against the Muslims and against the Christians, then inshallah there
are high chances that the Sri Lankan government will change the law because there is no scientific
evidence at all what they are saying that because the health authorities are saying that they didn't
they want to burn the bodies of all the COVID 19 people have been tested positive and but natural in
Islam and Christianity, a body after death should be buried. And we hope that even the Christian
countries all over the world, the united together and they take action or they put pressure on
		

			Srilanka to change this unjustified law. Another thing that can be done is that we Muslims should
use the social media to make this thing known throughout the world. And inshallah, very shortly
tomorrow day after tomorrow, I myself would be leaving Facebook posts, because my daughter, she had
exams, my youngest daughter is that she's very good with the pen. Most of the time I tell her to
draft posts on such issues. So she just finished her examination of the second last year, where she
is studying Islamic Studies in bachelors so inshallah, in the next couple of days you will find a
series of posts talking about this issue so that there is more awareness in the Muslim ummah. And I
		

			request the Muslim all over the world, that to see to it that they make it aware to the people all
across the world, the injustice that has been done by the Sri Lankan government, if the Muslims get
together, and they make it aware. So inshallah we pray to Allah subhanaw taala that may, the Sri
Lankan government change the unjustified stance and allow the people who have died because of
COVID-19 to choose whether they want to be buried over the web cremated