Why dump bin ladens body

Muslim leaders and scholars had varying opinions on the appropriateness of burying him at sea. Some argued that sea burials should only happen when a person dies at sea; otherwise, the body should be buried in the ground with the head pointed toward Mecca, the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad.

Although the funeral service for bin Laden took place aboard a large Navy aircraft carrier with thousands of crew members, only a small group of people were present. Fewer than a dozen of the leaders on the Carl Vinson knew that the burial was even happening, according to military emails the Department of Defense released in in response to a Freedom of Information lawsuit.

President Barack Obama edits his remarks in the Oval Office prior to making a televised statement detailing the mission against Osama bin Laden, May 1, in Washington, D.

When the U. After U. They also embalmed the bodies, which goes against Islamic custom; left them unburied for over a week ; and allowed news outlets to photograph them. This was offensive to many Iraqis because it appeared that the U. Whether any such person was present is impossible to know, he says, based on the limited information provided. But he also questions whether sea burial was appropriate in this case. It is correct to carry out a burial at sea when someone dies on a sea journey, he says, but in this case there was no sound reason for it.

The US authorities could surely have found someone - a member of the extensive Bin Laden family, or even one of the many supporters of his "evil" ideology - who would have been prepared to give the body a proper burial, he argues.

His words were echoed by Mohammed Qudah, a professor of Islamic law at the University of Jordan, who told the Associated Press news agency that burying Bin Laden at sea was not forbidden if there was nobody to receive the body and provide a Muslim burial. But he went on: "It's neither true nor correct to claim that there was nobody in the Muslim world ready to receive Bin Laden's body. The agency also quoted Dubai's grand mufti Mohammed al-Qubaisi, saying that sea burials were permissible only in extraordinary circumstances, adding: "This is not one of them.

US officials have given two reasons why a sea burial was chosen. Senior US officials initially told news agencies that his body would be disposed of in accordance with Islamic tradition, which involves ritual washing, shrouding and burial within 24 hours.

Although the swift burial complies with Islamic custom and should therefore avoid causing any offence in Muslim countries, the apparent haste could lead to claims that the person killed was not really Bin Laden — though the US authorities have taken DNA samples and appear to have no doubts. The hour rule has not always been applied by the US in the past. For example, the bodies of Uday and Qusay Hussein — sons of the Iraqi dictator — were held for 11 days before being released for burial.

Burial at sea is rare in Islam, though several Muslim websites say it is permitted in certain circumstances.