Muslims of Italy and the tragedies of Corona ... washing and burial exacerbate adversity

Muhammad Hamdan Al-Qalqil - Rome

Since the outbreak of the Coruna virus, Muslims in Italy face many problems like other communities, but the real problem that has been revealed in the past days is the difficulty of finding places to bury their dead, due to the lack of Islamic graves in Italy, with the exception of its major cities.

Italy is anxiously awaiting the upcoming April 3 approach, whose solutions will coincide with the end of the strict precautionary measures taken by the government of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.

Since the tenth of this month, the government has put more than sixty million Italians under quarantine to limit the spread of the Corona virus emerging (Kofi-19), but the tragic outcome of the number of victims and daily infections will pay for the extension of at least two more weeks.

In light of this "catastrophe" that shook - and still is - the pillars of the state, he shares the ordeal with the Italians, sons of Arab and Muslim communities, among them more than one million people who hold Italian citizenship, as Italy annually grants more than one hundred thousand nationalities to immigrants residing on its lands.

100 deaths
In the context, the head of the Muslim Communities Union in Italy, Dr. Yassine Lafram, said, "The information we have received so far indicates that the number of deaths is not less than one hundred deaths, almost all of them in the affected provinces in the north of the country."

He explained to Faram in an exclusive and in-depth dialogue with the Al-Jazeera Net website that "the intractable problem that we faced these days is finding places to bury our dead in cemeteries, especially since the number of Islamic graves located in all parts of the country does not exceed sixty cemeteries, most of which are subject to the provisions of the existing municipalities On its soil. "

And since the municipalities exceed the number of eight thousand municipalities, you can imagine the extent of the difficulties that were overcome before the spread of the virus by transporting most of the dead bodies to their countries of origin, which became impossible after the authorities closed their borders and suspended all flights and sea.

The head of Muslim communities pointed to the close contacts he had with the authorities to find solutions to the issue, especially since there are daily deaths among Muslims, stressing that "the Islamic Authority has so far been able to bury its dead in accordance with the provisions of Sharia, although the problem still exists."

He pointed out to Firem the positive reactions and the initial acceptance shown by the Italian authorities at the national and local levels, especially the municipalities that have shown their willingness to solve the problems.

In response to a question about the story that raised his feelings in particular since the beginning of the crisis, he narrated to chop the story of a Macedonian woman who died due to an incurable disease in a small municipality in the north of the country, and her body remained in her family's house for a whole week in front of her husband and children, because it was not possible to transfer it to Macedonia or bury it in a municipality The area, where the family resides, is because there is no Islamic cemetery there.

"I was shocked by the horror of the story that shook my being and moved my feelings, and I could not believe it until after I had phoned the late daughter, whose name is Hira (23 years), and she told me the details of the story."

Yassin pointed out that this tragedy prompted him to communicate immediately with the national and local authorities at the highest levels, which led to the woman being buried close to the area where her family resides. Stressing that the story aroused the feelings of Muslims and Italians alike.

Fatwa burial
During these weeks, many questions were raised regarding the funerals and its rulings, in light of this critical situation, especially with the death of the first group of Muslims in Italy.

In this regard, the Italian Islamic Association of Imams and Guides issued a fatwa on funeral and burial rulings in light of the developments of the Corona epidemic.

The Assembly said that the fatwa, as is known, changes with the change of time, place and circumstances, and that Islamic jurisprudence takes into account in such circumstances a set of rules and their branches that were built on the extrapolation of the texts of revelation and the spirit of the law, and that is what God Almighty says: (God does not cost a soul except its capacity), And his saying: (He made no embarrassment for you in religion). And the Messenger Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: "Be happy and not be hard."

In light of the fear and danger of transmitting the infection from the dead to the neighborhood, according to what doctors confirm, and the laws prohibiting gatherings currently in force in the country to perform funeral prayers, it was stated in the fatwa that the deceased with a corona was washed by pouring water on him from a distance, taking the necessary precautions for washing. This could not be done, otherwise he was buried without washing and did not pay the infection.

The deceased is shrouded in the legal shroud if he is available, otherwise a garment will be wrapped on him for his clothes in which he died, if he is available, otherwise his shroud will be his garments in which he died, and finally the funeral prayer for the deceased imposed a sufficiency - as is well known - if some of them perform it, his duty is to be discarded from the rest of the assignees.

Palestinian and Arab doctors
On the other hand, Dr. Khader Al-Tamimi, coordinator of Palestinian communities in Italy - who is also a doctor who has been in Milan for more than four decades - said, "We are in constant contact with all Palestinian communities and with the Palestinian embassy in Italy to exchange information and continuous coordination.

He added that there are many Palestinian students who came in recent years from the camps of Lebanon, and there are other refugees from Gaza, whose conditions have not yet been legalized in Italy, and they now unfortunately live in very difficult circumstances after the transfer of bank transfers from Lebanon, and the loss of those who worked from Refugees are his only livelihood since the virus spread to the country.

Al-Tamimi pointed out, in his speech to Al-Jazeera Net, that it is difficult to communicate with these people to extend a helping hand to them, given the strict procedures imposed on the movement of people from one place to another, stressing the launch of a donation to help everyone who can be reached or check his news.

He said, "What annoys us is that among the people of this community more than three hundred Italian doctors of Palestinian origin have answered the call of duty and are currently struggling on the front lines, some of whom are also responsible for the intensive care departments of Bergamo and Brescia hospitals where the most serious and most serious injuries are present."

Al-Tamimi concluded by saying, "We have one death for a Palestinian doctor who was one of the most qualified doctors. And two other doctors who were struggling in the first lines, and are currently in intensive care, we call them for a speedy recovery."