Kurdistan: 'Islamic' ambulance driver refuses to take the body of a Christian woman to church

[markomalley]

From Asia News:
Erbil (AsiaNews/Agencies) - A Kurdish ambulance driver refused to transport the body of an Assyrian woman from the hospital to the church, saying it was forbidden in Islam. The incident occurred in Iraqi Kurdistan, a symptom of the country’s growing ethnic-religious polarisation.

The body of the Assyrian woman, who died last Sunday at Zarkari hospital in Erbil, had to be brought to the town of Ankawa, but the Muslim ambulance driver refused to drive to the church because it is “haram” (forbidden) in Islam.

Marivan Naqshbandi, media director at the Ministry of Religious Affairs of the Kurdish Regional Government in north of Iraq, asked the Health Ministry to open an investigation into the case.

That’s a new one that I hadn’t heard before: transporting a body to church is “haram” – learn something new every day…

 

[KrazyKat]

The driver stood strong in his belief. That is commendable even if his belief is not mine.

 

[Mount_Carmel]

The driver stood strong in his belief. That is commendable even if his belief is not mine.

Well, perhaps ‘commendable’ is putting it too strongly, but I understand why he acted the way he did.

To him the body of the Christian is ‘haram’/spiritually and ritually unclean - as indeed [to a lesser degree perhaps] are the Church and any forthcoming Christian service.

 

[Tucker_R]

So much for compassion. smh

The driver stood strong in his belief. That is commendable even if his belief is not mine.

 

[MJJean]

I’d like a more detailed article. For all we know, the driver arranged to have a Christian meet him near the church and transport the body the rest of the way. Just because he refused to take the body to the church for religious reasons does not mean he wasn’t compassionate.

 

[ludovik]

Perhaps it’s “commenable” for the ambulance driver not to show compassion to others in their grief. However, if, as Muslims claim, we Christians, Jews, and Muslims are all children of Abraham, what kind of a family does that make us? The Connors or Bundies of sitcom fame?
The phlebotomist at a local Kaiser Permanente laughed when I told her that (after seeing a picture of Hagia Sophia in her work area) we want that back. Next time I saw her she complained about the Jews taking back their city (Jerusalem) and making it their capitol (imagine that!).
Is there a possible double standard involved? Must we always cater to *their *sensitivities, rather they to ours?

 

[Darryl1958]

The driver stood strong in his belief. That is commendable even if his belief is not mine.

Much as the Jews in the parable were standing by their beliefs when they left the Samaritan by the side of the road to die.

 

[bsroufek]

We must love our neighbor. Should a Christian driver refuse to transport a Muslim body?
It’s not like the driver was asked to attend a Christian Church, just to transport a body there.

This was wrong of the driver, even though Islam shuns and rejects Christians and he was following his religion, his religion is wrong.

 

[KrazyKat]

I am Catholic the driver is not. I live by my beliefs, he lives by his. We must also be on guard against misplaced compassion.

 

[jediliz]

The driver stood strong in his belief. That is commendable even if his belief is not mine.

what if this had been a jewish woman who had died and he refused to drive her to the synagogue? Would that have been commendable, too?!?!?!?!?

 

[KrazyKat]

what if this had been a jewish woman who had died and he refused to drive her to the synagogue? Would that have been commendable, too?!?!?!?!?

If his belief forbids it, yes.

 

[Holly3278]

Wow. That is so incredibly sad. Why is there so much hatred in many Islamic societies? It really doesn’t speak well of Islam if you ask me. And yes, I know that there are many peaceful and loving Muslims out there. However, these extremists really do hurt the image of Islam.

 

[Darryl1958]

We must love our neighbor. Should a Christian driver refuse to transport a Muslim body?
It’s not like the driver was asked to attend a Christian Church, just to transport a body there.

This was wrong of the driver, even though Islam shuns and rejects Christians and he was following his religion, his religion is wrong.

Yes it is wrong.

Moral behavior is not defined relative to belief.

The measure of a religious truth is whether or not the belief fosters treating your brother morally, or not.

To the extent that any religion fosters immoral behavior, that religion is based in a lie, false teaching, heresy.

 

[VeritasLuxMea]

Wow. That is so incredibly sad. Why is there so much hatred in many Islamic societies? It really doesn’t speak well of Islam if you ask me. And yes, I know that there are many peaceful and loving Muslims out there. However, these extremists really do hurt the image of Islam.

I’d imagine that some of them are quite afraid of what they would consider Western/Christian/Jewish “extremists.”

It’s not always in the forefront of the Western mind, but in truth, most of the Middle East has been conquered/occupied/bombed rather steadily by Western/Christian/Jewish powers for 50+ years. For those that have lost a child due to Western aggression, Islamic extremism can appear to be a comforting escape.
Daryl1958:

Yes it is wrong.

Moral behavior is not defined relative to belief.

The measure of a religious truth is whether or not the belief fosters treating your brother morally, or not.

To the extent that any religion fosters immoral behavior, that religion is based in a lie, false teaching, heresy.

Sounds about right but you know it’s quite complicated.

A lot of times practicing homosexuals will come back at us with the same line, and we respond that we are loving them by calling them to repentance and/or refusing to endorse their sinful behavior. Or when Catholics refuse to attend certain types of wedding ceremonies or religious rituals, etc. so as to not endorse certain faiths, endorse sin, etc.

 

[Aramis]

Wow. That is so incredibly sad. Why is there so much hatred in many Islamic societies? It really doesn’t speak well of Islam if you ask me. And yes, I know that there are many peaceful and loving Muslims out there. However, these extremists really do hurt the image of Islam.

Very few live up to that claimed image, at least where I’m at, save the Sufi and the Malaysian immigrants. And the Sunni and Shia apparently don’t consider Sufi true Muslims. Many so-called “Peace loving” Muslims applaud the martyrdom of violent-jihadi, even tho’ they’d never consider becoming one themselves.

The biggest problem with Islam is the same as with protestant Christianity - with no central focus of unity and no central authority, anything goes, provied one can proof-text it. The second biggest is that it’s far easier than the Christian or Jewish texts to proof-text for pro-sectarian violence, and you don’t even have to break context to do so.

I’ve seen 10-12 year old muslim children, raised in the US, praising the jihadi and talking of the promised day that “all Christians are put to the sword.” I’ve seen playground fights over Shia versus Sunni. I’ve seen a muslim parent of a 12-yo girl physically attack a 12-yo boy over an invitation to a movie of the girl by the boy.