Bruce Feiler - Where God Was Born, Abraham, Walking The Bible

Now You Can Bury a Muslim in Maryland
Monday, March 26, 2007

An update on a fascinating, under-discussed story we've followed here for some time. The Maryland legislature has now passed a bill allowing Muslim burials that had previously been forbidden because the bodies were not embalmed. The bill was a partnership between a Muslim and Jewish legislator who partnered on the ground of religious freedom.

Muslims bury their dead with neither flourish nor casket, but a ritual cleansing before the body is quickly returned to the earth, cocooned in a white shroud. But this tradition handed down over centuries has eluded Muslims around Washington, who, like Jews, do not practice embalming -- and are served by just one licensed mortician.
That's changing, though. Virginia licensed its first Muslim-owned funeral home last month, in Woodbridge. And Friday, a committee of Maryland lawmakers approved a bill that would open the industry to Muslims by exempting them from embalmings as they learn the trade.

If the General Assembly approves the bill, Muslims say they would be spared long trips to find mortuaries that will perform a last ablution.

The Maryland legislation is the work of two state delegates, Saqib Ali (D-Montgomery) and Samuel I. Rosenberg (D-Baltimore), who have formed a politically deft partnership: a freshman and the legislature's first Muslim, and a Jew who says he is drawn to issues of religious freedom.

"These are two religions that grew out of the same desert," said Rosenberg, a lawyer in his sixth term. "When people feel their religious rights have been violated, they should stand up and say, 'Give me redress.' "

Labels: Islam

Posted by B Feiler at 8:06 AM
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2 Comments:

Saqib Ali said...: Thanks Bruce.

This is a good bill that will no longer force Orthodox Jews and Muslims to perform 20 embalmings to get a mortician's license. These are morticians who won't be performing embalmings anyway since their communities don't want to be embalmed after death.

You can read the actual text of the bill by clicking here.

- MD State Rep. Saqib Ali; March 26, 2007 6:47:00 PM EDT
Saqib Ali said...: Bruce,

Thank you so much for the mention. I hope this bill will serve as a model for other states facing similar issues concerning the freedom of end-of-life religious traditions.

Thanks again.

-MD Delegate Saqib Ali; March 29, 2007 2:24:00 PM EDT