This petition was influenced by the following Facebook post from Dr. Yasir Qadhi. He writes,

"Sri Lanka is one of the most beautiful regions of the world (it has been called 'paradise on earth' by many who visited it). The Muslims have a rich history on the island, going back to the 7th century when Arab traders first arrived there. The world traveller Ibn Baṭṭụṭa famously visited the island as well, and described his experiences there. For most of modern history, the Muslims have enjoyed a relatively good relationship with their fellow countrymen, despite being only around 10 % of the entire population. As well, the religious harmony and freedoms available to all were something that the locals prized themselves on. Sadly, all of that changed when some radicals perpetrated their version of 'jihad' and committed a terrorist attack last Easter. As a result, Islamophobia spiked to unprecedented levels; but this was an isolated incident and we are hopeful that Sri Lanka shall return to its state of normalcy in terms of religious freedom.

The government of Sri Lanka, in an attempt to minimize COVID related deaths, had ordered all those who pass away as a result of the virus to have their bodies cremated and not buried. These are extreme measures, and scientifically don't appear to be warranted. (To be clear, it must be noted that this rule was not meant against any one faith; and all peoples of all backgrounds are being treated the same).

Obviously, the Muslims strenuously objected, and have continued to exhaust every legal measure. Last week, the case was presented to the Supreme Court, and over a dozen different petitions were submitted asking the Court to hear this case. Sadly, they declined to do so, thus allowing the law to stand for the foreseeable future.

This is a very sad and tragic news. While we understand that the government feels this move is necessary, we appeal to both the scientific side of matters (as cremation is not deemed necessary in any other land) and the religious (as many faiths, not only Islam, would view cremation as an offense to the corpse of a loved one). It is sad enough that a loved one dies because of this pandemic; to not be able to bury a body and have it cremated is unimaginably more painful.
We ask our Sri Lankan brothers and sisters to be patient during this time, and offer our help to them in any way possible."

Please sign this petition and spread the word. JazakumAllahu khayran!