{"id":216271,"date":"2021-02-03T02:00:43","date_gmt":"2021-02-02T20:30:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=216271"},"modified":"2021-02-03T02:01:10","modified_gmt":"2021-02-02T20:31:10","slug":"forced-cremations-a-tremendous-jolt-to-the-muslim-community-sumanthiran-interview-on-abc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/forced-cremations-a-tremendous-jolt-to-the-muslim-community-sumanthiran-interview-on-abc\/","title":{"rendered":"Forced Cremations A \u201cTremendous Jolt\u201d To The Muslim Community: Sumanthiran Interview On ABC"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Gotabaya Rajapaksa Government\u2019s mandatory cremation policy was a \u201ctremendous jolt<\/a><\/span>\u201d to the Muslim community in Sri Lanka, Tamil National Alliance Parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran<\/a><\/span> who challenged the policy in Supreme Court told an Australian broadcaster this week.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Sumanthiran<\/p><\/div>\n

It was \u201ca tremendous jolt to them when they know this is being done not on account of any bona fide belief that this is necessary for health but purely as a racist measure,\u201d the TNA MP told the foreign TV station.<\/p>\n

Sumanthiran told ABC that the policy was \u201cterrible for the families because of their fundamental belief that a person who dies must be committed to the earth, and on account of their belief with regard to resurrection and also on account of the belief that fire denotes hell.<\/p>\n

Sumanthiran, a president\u2019s counsel, was one of the lawyers who took the controversial cremation policy to the Supreme Court, but the court declined to hear the petitions after several hearings without giving any reasons for their rejection.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo evidence that the water under the earth can carry the virus. The Muslim community was even willing to have concrete chambers as burial chambers yet the state has steadfastly refused because they have taken a particular position and they don\u2019t seem to want to back off from that,\u201d the Parliamentarian said.<\/p>\n

He added that as far as they knew, Sri Lanka was the only country that is refusing burial. \u201cBut we have checked and we have found that about 188 countries permit burial for those who die of COVID and WHO has given guidelines for both burial and cremation<\/a><\/span> of Covid-19 victims\u201d Sumanthiran said.<\/p>\n

Video of the interview:
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