The bodies of San Bernardino, California, shooting suspects Syed Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, are still in the possession of the San Bernardino County Coroner’s Office, while arrangements for their final resting place and any religious services remain unknown.
The coroner’s office confirmed Monday that it is holding the two bodies but could not say when they would be released.
It is unclear if relatives will claim the remains…
Islamic tradition holds that a body should be buried as soon as possible, with families often putting loved ones to rest within 24 hours. Due to this time constraint, it is preferable for bodies not to be transported to another location for burial.
Recent instances suggest that U.S. officials will follow Muslim burial practices with the San Bernardino suspects, who investigators believe were radicalized. After Osama bin Laden was killed in a 2011 raid, the White House insisted that the al Qaeda leader’s burial was held in accordance with Islamic rituals. White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan claimed the burial was “in strict conformance with Islamic precepts and practices.” The Obama administration said the terrorist’s body was washed and wrapped in a shroud; Islamic prayers were recited and he was then buried at sea.
“There is a requirement in Islamic law that an individual be buried within 24 hours,” Brennan said. “There were certain steps that had to be taken because of the nature of the operation. We wanted to make sure we were able to do that in the time period allotted for it.”
It’s not yet known if family members have identified Farook’s and Malik’s bodies, if the corpses have been washed, shrouded or prayed over and when and where they might be taken to their final rest.
Join the conversation!
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, vulgarity, profanity, all caps, or discourteous behavior. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain a courteous and useful public environment where we can engage in reasonable discourse.