24 Jul. 24: The Sri Lankan government formally apologized on Tuesday to the island’s Muslim minority for enforcing cremations of COVID-19 victims, which disregarded World Health Organization (WHO) assurances that burials in line with Islamic rites were safe, reported NDTV World.
In a statement, the cabinet expressed regret for the “compulsory cremation policy during the COVID-19 pandemic” and announced that a new law would guarantee the right to burial or cremation, ensuring that funeral customs of Muslims or any other community are respected in the future.
Muslim representatives in Sri Lanka, while welcoming the apology, emphasized that the community remains deeply affected. Hilmy Ahamed, spokesman for the Muslim Council of Sri Lanka, announced plans to sue academics Meththika Vithanage and Channa Jayasumana, who were influential in the government’s forced cremation policy. He also mentioned seeking compensation, highlighting the trauma faced by a young Muslim couple whose 40-day-old infant was cremated against their wishes.
Former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa had enforced the burial ban despite international condemnation. He defended his decision in a recently published book, citing “expert advice” from Vithanage, a professor without a medical background. The forced cremation policy was halted in February 2021 following an appeal from then Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan. However, subsequent burials were conducted under strict military supervision, without family participation.
Rajapaksa left office two years ago amid widespread protests over an economic crisis leading to severe shortages of food, fuel, and medicines.
