Kuwait prevents cremation of non-Muslims

A Hindu monk carries a bowl of water to pour over the ashes of a dead man after the act of cremation is completed on January 28, 2018 [Kaveh Kazemi/Getty Images]

The Funeral Department of Kuwait Municipality has rejected requests by Buddhists and Hindus to cremate the bodies of their dead in Kuwait, Al Rai newspaper reported yesterday.

According to the paper, the Funeral Department rejected a request to cremate corpses using modern incineration tools such as electric ovens.

Director of Funeral Affairs, Faisal Al-Awadi, said: “Whoever wants to cremate corpses, he should take them to his country and burn them there, not in Kuwait.”

Kuwait banned cremations in the early 1980s in line with Islamic teachings.

“We respect human rights and allow all religions to be buried according to their religious laws,” Al-Awadi said, adding that his country has vaccinated workers in all cemeteries regardless of their religions.

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