The Federation of Muslim Councils (FMC) has endorsed the National Democratic Congress (NDC)’s plans to build mortuaries to cater for the Muslim dead in accordance with Islamic tradition.
According to FMC, it had taken cognizance of NDC’s manifesto pledge which is to facilitate the establishment of mortuaries in accordance with Islamic customs and practices and collaborate with the Ministry of Health to set up teams responsible for procedures that are in compliance with Islamic customs and practices at all mortuaries.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Secretary-General of FMC, Al-Hajj Mohammed Amir Kpakpo Addo and copied to the Ghanaian Times last Friday in Accra.
The statement said Islamic tradition demands that Muslims were buried at the earliest possible time after being pronounced dead.
It also added that the tradition demands that men handle corpses of men and vice versa without unnecessarily exposing the private parts of a Muslim corpse, except to the extent that is inevitably necessary.
It indicated that often times Muslims blame hospital and mortuary staff for treating their loved dead ones in a manner that did not commiserate with Islamic practices.
“Sadly, too, male and female Muslim dead bodies are combined in the mortuaries in their nakedness, without observing the Islamic moral practice in handling corpse.
“It is therefore disingenuous for any Muslim or group of Muslims to stand in the way of Islam by impugning on the promise to provide decent and dignifying last respect to the Muslim dead regardless who is making the promise,” it said.
The presidential candidate of the NDC, Mr John Dramani Mahama, a fortnight ago during a live interview with TV XYZ and Woezor TV, in the Volta Region took the opportunity to highlight his party’s proposed interventions in the People’s Manifesto for Zongos and deprived urban settlements.
The former President said Muslims have entirely a different culture when it comes to handling of the dead and processes of burials and touched on the party’s plans in lessening the burden of bereaved Muslims by treating their deceased loved ones in line with accepted practices of the Islamic faith.
“So a lot of the Muslim communities have not been happy. And so we say we will facilitate the establishment of mortuaries in accordance with Islamic custom and practices and collaborate with the Ministry of Health to set up focal teams responsible for procedures that are compliant with Islamic custom and practice at all public mortuaries,” he said.
