The Organization of Islamic Cooperation has called on the government of Sri Lanka to address the escalating racist rhetoric against Muslims, taking advantage of the atmosphere of panic from the Corona epidemic, while the government continues to ignore the feelings of Muslims and insist on burning the bodies of their dead.
In a statement on Wednesday, the organization expressed its "deep concern regarding what was reported by several reports regarding the escalation of hate speech and hostility towards Muslims in Sri Lanka."
The statement warned against publishing false and rejected allegations that members of the Muslim minority in Sri Lanka bear responsibility for the spread of the Corona pandemic in this country, and that the authorities burn the bodies of Muslim victims of this epidemic and arrest members of the minority who reject these practices.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation stressed that burial in accordance with the provisions of Islamic law does not authorize the burning of the bodies of the deceased.
The organization called on the Sri Lankan authorities to guarantee the safety, security and rights of Muslims, a commitment to respect their religious practices and rituals and the preservation of their dignity, and to "resolutely confront" the parties behind the spread of feelings of hatred and Islamophobia.
And the Islamic Association of Ceylan Scholars announced last month its refusal of the decision of the Sri Lankan authorities to cremate the bodies of all the dead without distinction between their religions, describing it as not correct.
Amnesty International also expressed dissatisfaction at the time, calling on the Sri Lankan government to allow members of religious minorities to carry out their last duty towards their deaths, according to their beliefs.
Statistics show that the total number of injuries in Sri Lanka is 797, including 9 deaths and 215 cures.
The Sri Lankan "Daily Financial Times" reported last month that a meeting of political party leaders was held at the invitation of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajpaksa, where Muslim leaders expressed their dissatisfaction with the lack of respect for the freedom of belief included in the constitution, and not to consider the principles of the World Health Organization in this regard, while Buddhists objected Pro-government "hardliners" at the request of Muslims.
Rights activist Shah Khan told Al-Jazeera Net that he did not rule out that the goal of burning the dead bodies of Muslims was to cover up the government's failures to prevent the spread of the disease, in addition to that "burning the body without the consent of the family of the deceased prevents his autopsy to verify the causes of death, which is considered a crime Other. "