Terrorist Could be Cremated–Against Islamic Law

San Bernardino terrorist Tashfeen Malik likely won’t receive a traditional Islamic burial, and reportedly might even be cremated–an act forbidden by Islamic law–if no one steps forward to claim her body.

Malik’s bullet-ridden corpse remains in the San Bernardino County Morgue. Under Sharia Law, a body must be buried immediately. Islam also requires that the body of the deceased be washed prior to the funeral. The body of the deceased is then laid to rest on his or her right side and facing in the direction of Mecca.

“The state is not going to care about religious tradition. She was a terrorist,” attorney David Wohl told Fox News. It seems like Muslim leaders do not want anything to do with her. Local attorney Troy Slaten reportedly told Fox News that the body will likely be turned over to the public administrator if no one claims it and that it will likely be cremated “because it’s the cheapest option.”

However, an alternative perspective was provided by Daniel Akbari, a certified Sharia lawyer and expert on Islam for the Supreme Court of Iran. Speaking with Fox News, Akbari predicted that Malik and her husband, Syed Farook, will eventually receive a religious burial in the end, suggesting that it will take some time before someone steps forward but noting that “since it is obligatory to bury a Muslim’s dead body, many Islamic institutions will probably be willing to do the burial.”

Farook’s remains will likely be released to his family, who live in the U.S.

Malik, who entered the country in July, 2014, did so on a K-1 (fiancée) visa and was subsequently granted a conditional green card.

Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was buried at sea after he was killed in May 2011, in a ceremony that Obama administration officials said was in conformity with Islamic law. The claim was always dubious; the real reason for a burial at sea was to prevent his grave from becoming a shrine.

The jihadi couple in San Bernardino leave behind a six-month old baby girl whose custody has yet to be decided by the state.

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