I'm cross-posting this from my website at www.fourfreedomsblog.com
Please come visit us and read the whole thing; it's just a snippet below the Arabic-looking swirly.
What say you all? Is this a misunderstanding of death rituals, religious intolerance, revenge, or what?
Ugly Truths about the Dead
Why is this so difficult to find a place to bury Tsarnaev? We were able to dispose of Osama Bin Laden's body in accordance with his religion:
According to another message from the Vinson's public affairs officer, only a small group of the ship's leadership was informed of the burial.
"Traditional procedures for Islamic burial was followed," the May 2 email from Rear Adm. Charles Gaouette reads. "The deceased's body was washed (ablution) then placed in a white sheet. The body was placed in a weighted bag. A military officer read prepared religious remarks, which were translated into Arabic by a native speaker. After the words were complete, the body was placed on a prepared flat board, tipped up, whereupon the deceased's body slid into the sea."
You see, after his death, his religion and the disposal of his body was respected. I believe that the right thing to do. There is no grave to worship; that was by design.
A local radio station is asking: What do you think -- should Tamerlan Tsarnaev be allowed to be buried on U.S. soil? Or, is this really about religious intolerance? Is it that Tsarnaev was a follower of Islam where the other people I mentioned weren't? Perhaps he should be buried on US Soil -- a country he appeared to hate so much. That would be more karmic than vengeance or religious intolerance. He could be buried at sea. That would leave no memorial or grave to vandalize.
One thing I believe is that the Tsarni's should not have to sacrifice their religious tradition because of the actions of the Tsarnaev's. They aren't responsible for the Marathon bombing, I don't see why they should be forced to further sacrifice thier religion.
If we could figure out what to do with the World most wanted terrorist surely we can figure out what to do with a dead bombing suspect. Surely we can find a way to respect the innocent victims of his family and their religion, particularly his Uncle, in carrying out this awful and daunting task.
One can hope.