Harun Nasrullah
A special Muslim Bereavement Conference at Lancashire Constabulary headquarters earlier this month brought together Muslim groups, police officers, and senior officials from the coroner’s office.
As Islamic custom requires bodies to be buried as quickly as possible, the conference, which was co-hosted by Lancashire Partnership Against Crime, aimed to explain autopsies, CT scans, and the coroner’s office role.
The meeting also provided an opportunity for Muslim burial committee members and Muslim volunteers from across the county to express their ideas and concerns. When a person dies unnaturally, with no known cause of death, or while in the custody of the police or prison, the coroner investigates the death. In many cases, the investigation process prevents the body from being buried immediately, causing concern and confusion among some.
Maulana Arif Patel explained Islamic perspectives on death and the burial process. He aimed to clarify the reasoning and Islamic beliefs regarding burials as well as organ donation and autopsies.
“It is important we engage with our diverse communities in Lancashire, and we hope this event organised by Lancashire Partnership Against Crime in association with Lancashire Constabulary provided the delegates with a better understanding of the roles of the professional bodies and the current protocols in place in dealing with Muslim bereavements,” said LANPAC Manager Al Yusuf.
Lancashire’s Chief Constable, Chris Rowley, said he recognises “the necessity for speed of burial, but sometimes the actions that are required from officers may slow that down,” and this was the reality.
About 50 per cent of deaths are handled by doctors, and the remaining are dealt with by a coroner. In recent years, with the growth of Muslim burial societies in towns, the process has become quicker, with coroner’s offices speaking to one designated contact.
Senior Coroner Dr James Adeley and Alice Swarbrick, the coroner’s officer’s manager, provided a detailed overview of a coroner’s work and clarified the rules and regulations in place for all faith groups. “We recognise you need the burial to take place as soon as possible. We also recognise that ghusl (washing of the body) takes time and organisation. We are also aware you are operating against time at the burial grounds. So, we will work around this,” said Dr Adeley.
He added that while working in collaboration with other institutions, workers had a basic understanding that families would want the immediate release of the body for religious reasons.
In his presentation, Lead Consultant Radiologist at Royal Preston Hospital, Dr Simon Beardmore, explained how CT scans were conducted and the reasoning behind them.
According to the latest census, Lancashire has a Muslim population of 6.9% but this was 35% in Blackburn with Darwen where 8 of the 17 wards had a ‘Muslim’ majority and in three wards in Pendle, where the district proportion of ‘Muslims’ was 26%, there was a ‘Muslim’ majority.
