Sri Lanka Apologizes to Muslims for Covid Cremation Policy

Sri Lanka’s government has officially apologized to its Muslim minority for enforcing mandatory cremations of Covid-19 victims, ignoring WHO guidance that allowed for safe burials, Arab News reported yesterday.

The country’s authorities have announced a new law to protect the burial rights of Muslims and other communities, the source mentioned.

Muslim leaders welcomed the apology but expressed ongoing trauma, particularly highlighting the case of a couple whose infant was cremated against their wishes.

The Muslim Council of Sri Lanka plans to sue two academics linked to the policy and seek compensation.

Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had banned burials, citing advice from an academic without medical expertise, facing international condemnation.

The policy was reversed in February 2021 after intervention from then-Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, allowing burials under strict military oversight. Rajapaksa resigned amid widespread protests over a severe economic crisis two years ago.