Americans have a history of being fair and oft times perhaps too fair, too sensitive to foreign concerns.
Like everyone else, we also have a history of making mistakes.
General George Washington warned against making the mistake of forming detrimental international bonds and the dangers of foreign alliances. The same could be argued for going too far in respecting another’s beliefs or culture.
In the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing and subsequent death of murderer Tamerlan Tsarnaev, somehow, perhaps because of religious sensitivity, perhaps because of in-the-box thinking, or perhaps because of other unknown or unspoken issues, authorities determined he must be buried, and buried in the United States. This decision was flawed and doomed from the beginning.
It surely must have been obvious to all involved that a “domestic burial” would be disastrous. We do not know the inside details, but what is surprising to us is that we have heard no mention in the broader news media of cremation and / or burial at sea.
So we continue in various ways to be bound by others, even dare we say – foreigners. The controversy and frustrations for “us” and the authorities were inevitable.
Understanding that Islam forbids it – it is against the law and custom of Islam to cremate a body – most essentially, because it desecrates and disrespects the physical body, there are three issues to consider:
First, it should be a universally understood fact that in carrying out the heinous act he and his brother did, he (they) effectively violated their religion and discarded the tenets that some argue prove Islam to be a religion of tolerance and peace.
In the betrayal of his own religion and adopted home and the people and communities he supposedly became a part of, he desecrated and disrespected everything. He desecrated and disrespected his neighbors, his community, his body, his life, his family, his religion, his culture, his rights, and so – his burial and so-called resting place – his eternal peace, if such a thing can be done, if such a thing is real.
The second is radical: to cremate Tsarnaev’s body anyway. It would most-decidedly resolve the issue for any community in the United States, which is – or at least, should be – the first concern. He is certainly due no respect or safety from desecration from anyone. But while this could be seen as a practical necessity it could also backfire tremendously and with lasting affect.
(At this point, no rational, sober person should attempt a reference to the alleged handling of Islamic Moro warriors by General ‘Black Jack’ Pershing – it is simply not true and not worthy of any further treatment here. Anyone with such curiosity can find plenty of trash on the Internet to read all day.)
Third, and most realistic and more practical is burial at sea. It should have been done in the first place. US Special Forces buried Osama Bin Laden at sea. (And recall it was done with all due deference to and respect for Islam.) If it was done in that case, it can certainly be done in this one. This is clearly the best option. If any of his family really wanted the body, they could find a way to get it done, but they have not.
Literally, no one wants it. This alone makes it our option.
Tsarnaev’s body should be surreptitiously disinterred and buried at sea by law enforcement authorities, either state or federal. It should have been the obvious answer from the beginning. They should do it immediately.
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