Islamic Burial Rituals Blamed for Spread of Ebola Virus in Africa

Investors Business Daily ^ | 10-17-14 | Paul Sperry

[afraidfortherepublic]

Islam isn't just at the heart of the terror threat posed by the Islamic State. The religion is also contributing to the other major crisis plaguing the globe: the spread of Ebola.

Washington and its media stenographers won't tell you this, lest they look intolerant, but Islamic burial rituals are a key reason why health officials can't contain the spread of the deadly disease in West Africa.

Many of the victims of Ebola in the three hot-spot nations there — Sierra Leone and Guinea, as well as neighboring Liberia — are Muslim. Roughly 73% of Sierra Leone's and about 85% of Guinea's people are Muslim. Islam, moreover, is practiced by more than 13% of Liberians.

When Muslims die, family members don't turn to a funeral home or crematorium to take care of the body. In Islam, death is handled much differently.

Relatives personally wash the corpses of loved ones from head to toe. Often, several family members participate in this posthumous bathing ritual, known as Ghusl.

Before scrubbing the skin with soap and water, family members press down on the abdomen to excrete fluids still in the body. A mixture of camphor and water is used for a final washing. Then, family members dry off the body and shroud it in white linens.

Again, washing the bodies of the dead in this way is considered a collective duty for Muslims, especially in Muslim nations. Failure to do so is believed to leave the deceased "impure" and jeopardizes the faithful's ascension into Paradise (unless he died in jihad; then no Ghusl is required).

Before the body is buried, Muslims attending the funeral typically pass a common bowl for use in ablution or washing of the face, feet and hands, compounding the risk of infection.

[lilyramone]

My stomach turns at the thought that Obama will be having our soldiers help in this ritual. Remember Bin Ladin’s body disposal?

[Lorianne]

It is Taharah in Jewish tradition and similar.
Many other cultures practice ritual washing of the dead.
Heck, before funeral homes it was common for family members to prepare their deceases for burial.

[Madam Theophilus]

I guess I put “any religion” because I don’t regard Biblical Christianity as “religion” but the truth! :-)

[PIF]

The average number of west Africans arriving daily in the US: 150 ... how many just participated in such a ritual?

[LadyDoc]

Liberia is mostly Christian, so why blame Islam?

and many of the early deaths were those of medical personnel exposed in their work

[Arthur McGowan]

I’ve seen many, many comments in which people have denounced “religion,” claiming that “religion” is antithetical to faith in Jesus Christ.

Of course, Judaism was and is a religion. Jesus lived according to and in that religion.

By the “Christian Religion” or the “Catholic Religion” is meant merely that living in accordance with the truth about Jesus Christ and according to his teaching (which includes certain essentials of the Jewish religion) imposes certain obligations. The preaching of Jesus himself is chock full of calls to fulfill certain obligations. To love God. To love one’s neighbor, even one’s enemies. To pray in secret. To be chaste in thought, word, and deed. To take up one’s cross. Etc.

Consequently, I cannot buy the notion that believing in Jesus Christ means that one does not have or follow a “religion.”

[stevio]

That’s pretty concise.

[Madam Theophilus]

I think you are missing the point. A word can be used with different connotations and this is the case with how I used the word. Obviously, I realize that Christianity is a “religion,” as in a system of belief. However, in Christian apologetics one often uses the term to denote the difference between a man-made or humanly devised system of belief (ie. religion) versus the faith that is divinely revealed in the Bible.

“No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.”
John 1:18

“And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.”
Matthew 16:17