As the car parade made its way throughout Sydney, protesters expressed the need for proactive global intervention.
“It’s absolutely devastating,” one protester, Mohamed Fazli, said, “we believe burning is a punishment that only God has the right to do.”
For many Muslims in Sri Lanka and around the world, burial of the deceased is one of many sacred rights that must be upheld by those who are alive.
But under the stringent policy, the extensive burial rites dedicated to the deceased are unable to be carried out, leaving the surviving families distraught from the loss and from the inability to hon- our them properly.
“It is our responsibility to bury the dead,” said Mr Fazli. “We have failed them.” Burial rites are not just present in Islam but are also upheld by many Christians, Jews and through- out other cultures as well, prompting many communities to rally together against the human rights violation.
In early December 2020, protests held in the UK saw Muslims, Christians and Catholics unite in solidarity against the policy.
“We at South Asia Solidarity Group, stand in solidarity with the Muslims, Christian and Catholic communities of Sri Lanka who are at present facing the thoroughly inhumane and arbitrary policy laid down by the Sri Lankan government,” said protest organizer Baazir Rahman.
“Mourning and grieving for their loved ones has become a fraught political issue, provoking great pain and anger amongst the Muslims and Christians.”