The Malaysian Bar - Cremation of businessman upsets religious dept officials

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Cremation of businessman upsets religious dept officials

Monday, 26 September 2011 10:38am

©The Star (Used by permission)

PORT DICKSON: Officials from the Negri Sembilan Islamic Affairs Department have told a family of a dead businessman here that they will take action against those responsible for cremating his remains.

The officials, accompanied by policemen, conveyed this to the family of the late T. Lawrence at their home in Taman Wawasan at about 12.30am yesterday.

They arrived with an injunction from the Syariah Court and had asked for the businessman’s remains but were told his body had been cremated several hours earlier.

This upset the officials who then said that those behind the cremation had violated provisions in Islamic law.

Lawrence had allegedly converted to Islam just two days before his death and had taken the Muslim name Zairy Abdullah.

Port Dickson OCPD Supt Baljeet Singh said the officials lodged a report early yesterday.

The businessman, a father of a four-year-old daughter, was found unconscious at his store in Jalan Seremban.

He was rushed to Port Dickson Hospital and pronounced dead at about 8pm.

Internal bleeding was believed to have been his cause of death.

It is understood his ashes have been placed in a Christian cemetery in Seremban.

Lawrence was said to have gone to Pusat Dakwah in Seremban with a friend and had stated his intention to convert to Islam.

A department official recorded a conversation between them on his mobile phone and Lawrence’s pictures were also taken for documentation purposes.

Port Dickson assemblyman M. Ravi said the religious department officials were at the businessman’s family home for more than two hours.

“I advised them to leave as we did not want any untoward incident to take place,” he told The Star.

Family members and relatives said they were shocked at claims that Lawrence had converted as he was a devout Christian who attended church regularly.

Attempts to contact Pusat Dakwah officials and the religious department were unsuccessful as they were either in meetings or had their mobile phones switched off.

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