DESCRIPTION: Since the coronavirus took hold of New York in March, burial rituals in the city have become more complicated. Funeral homes everywhere are backed up and overwhelmed. Many, like Al-Rayaan, have had to rely on refrigerated trucks to store the dead since social distancing restrictions, along with a significant spike in the number of deaths in the city, slowed down the pace of burials. It’s particularly disruptive for Muslims, who rarely practice embalming and whose religion dictates that the dead must be buried quickly. 

TOPICS:  Infection Control Guidance:  Individual, Community; Community Support:  Pastoral Care  Other:  Impact on religious communities; Reimagining burial rituals

SOURCE:  New York Times

RELIGIOUS TRADITION(S):  Islam

DATE AUTHORED:  5/4/2020