Muslims are calling for a 24-hour coroner’s service in Luton so they can respect the rules of their religion. And the plea has the backing of MP Margaret Moran who says the fact the department does not operate at the weekend is ’indirectly racist’.
| Another instance of racism that's so indistinct it can only be seen by trained observers... |
But the idea has been criticised by a group which believes Sundays should be a day of rest. Islamic law says that Muslims must be buried as soon as possible after they die. This becomes particularly problematic if a family wants to fly the body abroad and the person has died on a Saturday or Sunday. Under British law a dead body cannot be removed from England or Wales without a coroner’s permission. Mobeen Qureshi, general secretary of Asian community group Khidmat, said: "It’s a big problem. People do not choose when they die and if it happens at the weekend when the coroner’s off, we have to wait until Monday morning for something to be done. Islamic law states that dead bodies should be returned to the earth as soon as possible. Families get more upset than they already are because, unless the body is released and prayers are said over it, it is not clean under Islamic law. We have been trying for years to get something done."
| "Therefore the failure to change bureaucratic procedures and treat us differently from everyone else must be racism!" |
Ms Moran says several families have called her in distress over the matter and points out that other areas provide a 24-hour coroner’s service, so why not Luton. She said: "Not only is this wrong, it is indirectly racist."
| "I've been trained to detect this sort of thing!" |
"It is extremely distressing for bereaved families to find the last most sacred act of saying goodbye to their loved ones cannot be carried out in accordance with their religious beliefs." The coroner’s service is a department of the police run from the police station. In September this newspaper reported that the force was looking into providing a weekend service at Luton Register Office. Bedfordshire Police spokeswoman Jula Cox confirmed this week that the idea is still being investigated. But John Alexander from national campaign Keep Sunday Special said: "How extraordinary. If we went to a Muslim country and suggested their professionals worked on their holy days there would be an outcry. Children need to have time with their families at weekends and that includes the coroner and his staff." |