French Muslim Council Suspends Ritual Ablutions for COVID-19 Victims

Grieving families and Muslim funeral homes are invited not to practice mortuary ablutions according to Islamic rites at this time when COVID-19 is wreaking havoc in France. This decision comes following the new recommendations issued by the High Council of Public Health (HCSP) regarding the management of patients who have died from the coronavirus. The arrangements for the deceased have been relaxed and ritual ablutions are possible with precautions.

A new opinion was issued on Friday, March 27 and specifies the precautions required by the HCSP for the rituals which, moreover, prove difficult to implement.

The organization chaired by Mohammed Moussaoui explains that in a situation of lack of protective equipment for health personnel, and the complexity of the protocol for putting on and removing protective clothing, no risk should be taken with funeral personnel and the deceased’s relatives during ritual ablutions. The HCSP states that despite the low transmission rate, the patient’s infectious risk remains total through the respiratory tract.

Due to the lack of protective equipment, including masks, gloves, and splash-proof gowns that the health personnel have been demanding since the beginning of the health crisis in France, hospitals will continue to observe the same precautions as before. The CFCM urges Muslims in France to remain faithful to the prescriptions of the Muslim religion. In particular, the preservation of life. It turns out that the health personnel are very busy caring for the sick for ritual ablutions. This is contrary to the principle of preserving life.

For the CFCM, the greatest tribute to the deceased is to allow the health personnel to devote themselves to saving lives instead of ritual ablutions. The suspension of mortuary ablution is an exception in the Muslim tradition, the institution reminds, and asks Muslims to accept in peace the decisions taken by the hospitals that measure the potential risks involved.