President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is reported to have sought the assistance of the Maldivian Government to bury the bodies of Muslim Covid victims in Sri Lanka.
Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid said on a special request from President Rajapaksa, his Maldivian counterpart Ibrahim Mohamed Solih is consulting stakeholder authorities of the Government of Maldives to provide assistance in this regard.
He said the Government of Maldives will look into the possibility of facilitating Islamic funeral rites in the Maldives for Sri Lankan Muslims succumbing to the COVID19 pandemic.
Stating that the Maldivian President’s decision is based on the close longstanding bilateral ties between Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Foreign Minister Shahid said it is also to ensure help to face the challenges of the pandemic.
The Maldivian Foreign Minister added that the assistance will also offer solace to Sri Lankan Muslims grieving over the burial of loved ones.
The Muslim community in Sri Lanka has raised continuous concerns over the cremation of Muslim Covid victims, which it claims is against its religious beliefs. (NewsWire)
President Solih's decision is based on the close longstading bilateral ties between #SriLanka & Maldives, & to ensure help to face the challenges of the pandemic.This assistance will also offer solace to our Sri Lankan Muslim brothers & sisters grieving over burial of loved ones.
— Abdulla Shahid (@abdulla_shahid) December 14, 2020