NEW YORK, USA, October 4, 2008: A decision of parents to cremate their deceased son has sparked religious turmoil.
Shafayet Reja, the son of a a Muslim father and a mother who was raised Hindu, died September 10 in a car accident; and his parents decided to follow the Hindu tradition of cremation rather than burying the body in a shroud as Islam prescribes.
The couple, Mina and Farhad Reja, say that some Muslims are now trying to intimidate them because of their choice–that they were accosted at their son’s funeral and have received a bomb threat as well as threats to boycott their business.
The men named in the Rejas’ police complaint say that they made no threats and deny that they have called for a boycott. They say they and others simply expressed their concern about what they see as a deep violation of their religion and of the wishes of the son, who, according to some of his college friends, had recently chosen Islam as his sole religion.
The Police Departments hate crimes unit is investigating whether the threats took place, whether they would constitute aggravated harassment, and whether they qualify as bias crimes, which carry tougher penalties. No charges have been filed.
The cremation dispute goes to the heart of a debate among Muslims in America about what makes someone a Muslim to some of the critics, the fact that Shafayet Reja prayed, attended mosques and listed Islam as his religion on Facebook is enough and how to reconcile this country’s freedom of religion with what some Muslims see as a communal obligation to uphold religious observance. But to the family, the dispute is a frightening imposition that they say violates their civil rights. We have freedom of religion, and we have the Constitution, said the Rejas son Mishal, 19. And Mrs. Reja said, This is America. This is a family decision.
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