Muslims reject burial of Sydney gunman

Rasa - As the body of Sydney gunman remains in the morgue awaiting autopsy, leaders of the Australian Muslim community have abstained from claiming the dead body to offer it a funeral, with the city’s officials said that a “destitute funeral” will be the only solution left.

News ID: 1851

Date: 20 December 2014 - 19:27

RNA - “We don’t care about him, we don’t know him,” Amin Sayed, funeral director with the Lebanese Muslim Association, told Australia’s Daily Telegraph on Friday, December 19.

“Nobody’s going to do his funeral, No Muslim funeral home will accept him.

“They can throw him in the bloody sea.”

Last Monday, Man Haron Monis, an Iranian refugee, took a number of captives at the Lindt chocolate cafe in Sydney's Martin Place.

After 17-hour siege, the operation to release hostages ended dramatically with the death of two captives and the gunman.

Sayed said he had had a number of conversations with cemetery managers around the city who said Monis would be buried “secretly” and in an unmarked grave.

“Anyone who does harm to Australians, we don’t want him,” Sayed, who has overseen Muslim funerals in Sydney for 24 years, said.

“This is not a human. He killed innocent people … even if you paid us $3 million we would not do his funeral.”

A similar opinion was shared by the imam of the Lakemba mosque.

According to Muslim leader Keysar Trad, the imam “doesn’t want a bar of him”.

Yet, he added that according to Islamic law, no Muslim can be denied a holy funeral unless they renounced their religion prior to death.

Destitute Funeral

Awaiting the autopsy, the body of Monis is expected to be released before Christmas.

“Local health districts are responsible for the processing and payment of destitute burials and cremations in their district,” a NSW Health spokeswoman said.

“Where the death of a person has occurred outside of a public health facility, and the police have determined that the state is ultimately responsible for their burial, the local health district will fund a funeral,” she said.

Islam calls for respecting human beings whether alive or dead.

A Muslim’s dead body should be immediately taken to a mortuary for washing and preparation.

Two or three adult Muslims should wash the body and then put on the shroud (kafan). Before the burial, the funeral prayer should be done.

The burial should be done as soon as possible. It is makruh (reprehensible) to delay the burial of the dead.

Source: OnIslam

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