Sri Lanka forcibly cremates Muslim baby sparking anger
National
December 27, 2020
COLOMBO: The forced cremation of a 20-day-old Muslim baby in Sri Lanka has highlighted the government’s controversial order to burn the bodies of all those who died of Covid. Critics say the decision is not based in science and only intended to target the minority community.
Mohamed Fahim and his wife Fathima Shafna were thrilled when their baby boy Shaykh was born on 18 November after a six-year wait. But their joy was short-lived.
On the night of 7 December, they noticed the baby was struggling to breathe.
They rushed him to the capital Colombo’s best children’s hospital, the Lady Ridgeway.