Body release time criticised (From Asian Image)

Body release time criticised

11:40am Thursday 2nd September 2010 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
• Comments(0)

Muslim families are frustrated at the time it takes for the bodies of loved one’s to be released for burial.

Mosque leaders met with Cllr Afzal Akram and Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy this morning (August 31) to discuss concerns over a policy which sees bodies destined for burial abroad held for four working days.

In Muslim culture a funeral must be held as soon as possible after death, but mosque leaders say coroners discretionary power to waive the four-day rule has not been applied in the last eighteen months in Waltham Forest.

Tulat Raja, 36, of High Street, Walthamstow, organised his uncle's and cousin's funeral within 40 days of each other, but encountered different policies in different boroughs.

He said: "My uncle died in Hampstead. They were as sympathetic as could be and accommodated us. We were able to do a burial the next day.

"But my cousin was the second death in the family within 40 days. We were told to come back in four days. I begged them to release her. But they said four-working days had not passed.

“It was a very traumatic time for my family." Cllr Akram said he has received an average of one call a week on the issue.

He added: “It seems (Waltham Forest coroner Dr Elizabeth Stearns) has changed her stance on how she deals with burials out of the country.

"Culturally a lot of the Pakistani community prefer to be buried abroad, but it is also the Nigerian, Indonesian and filipino community too.

"We understand if there are suspicious circumstances a post mortem has to be carried out and, In some cases, you can't get hold of the GP.

“The concern we have is if the death certificate is issued from the doctor and it is not ambiguous then why can't the coroner do what she used to do? "Other coroners up and down the country are being flexible.”

MP Stella Creasy said: "If we don't resolve this there are concerns that sections of our communities are not being respected by public services.

The concerns have been raised with the Ministry of Justice and a demonstration may be held if the issue is not resolved.

Hugh Kelly, Walthamstow's Coroner's Court manager, said: "The application says four-working days from the date of application, so everyone knows where they stand.

"We wanted to be able to offer a standard uniformity across the spectrum, regardless of race or religion. "It is the same for everybody. Nobody gets a better service than anyone else.

"If one body was released within 24 hours and another took longer, that created resentment."

By Safira Ali