By Jonathan D. Rubin
c. 2008 Religion News Service
ARLINGTON, Va. — There seems to be a striking symmetry on the rolling green hills of Arlington National Cemetery — rows upon rows of identical white limestone markers, perfectly spaced in every direction.
But underground, Muslims are laid to rest on their right side, facing Mecca, according to custom.
A Jewish Marine, meanwhile, might be buried in a traditional wooden coffin with wooden nails, which can be quickly absorbed into the earth according to Jewish tradition.
For the families of Jewish and Muslim members of the armed forces, challenges often arise when religious tradition conflicts with explicit rules that govern U.S. military cemeteries. Sometimes, an individual or family must choose one over the other.
For example, Muslims and Jews generally are not buried alongside members of other faiths. At military cemeteries, however, servicemen are not segregated by religion.
But a desire to be buried with their units sometimes trumps religious tradition. Many Jews are regularly buried in places like Arlington. Observant Jews, however, “would tend not to be buried there,” said Col. Ira Kronenberg, an Orthodox rabbi and chairman of the military chaplains’ committee of the Rabbinical Council of America.
Abdul-Rashid Abdullah, deputy director of the American Muslim Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Council, said the desire to demonstrate patriotism — especially in a post-Sept. 11 world — is a leading reason Muslim service members choose to be buried in Arlington.
This way, Abdullah said, a family makes an important final statement with their loved one’s final resting place, as if to say, “Hey, we are patriotic people, our child served this country.”
Abdullah, who is a veteran, understands the desire of a soldier to be buried with his or her unit. Still, he said, “I wouldn’t want to be buried there myself. This is not a proper Muslim cemetery.”
The two faiths share other requirements. Both Islam and Judaism take seriously the need for a body to be laid to rest quickly.
“A person’s body is made in the image of God,” said Kronenberg. “The body must be treated in an extremely dignified manner. … Burial must take place as soon as possible. A body is supposed to decompose into the earth, dust to dust.”
Islam has similar laws. Abdullah said the religious goal is “to bury it within a 24-hour period. … If you die in the morning, it should be buried in the afternoon before sunset.”
In World War II, servicemen who died overseas were buried in Europe and elsewhere, but today’s service members are brought home for burial, which can make the two religions’ speedy burial tradition difficult to accomplish.
However, the military makes special accommodations to get the body to rest in American soil as soon as possible.
If a soldier dies close to a military base, the body can be transported from anywhere in the world to Delaware’s Dover Air Force Base in a little more than 24 hours, Kronenberg said.
“They go out of their way to treat the dead with the utmost respect,” he said.
In Iraq, sandstorms or lack of access to helicopters or other military vehicles could extend the wait for days. But the military moves so quickly and efficiently that a fallen comrade could receive full military honors, with an escort platoon and military band, immediately upon arriving home.
“If they get a call, (the honor guard) can be ready at a moment’s notice,” Kronenberg said. “Unfortunately, the military has had to do too may full honor funerals in the last five years,” he added.
Another factor comes from military law that mandates a “forensic pathology investigation,” or autopsy, is justified whenever a service member dies in an “unnatural” way, including being killed in combat.
Judaism and Islam strongly frown on autopsies for two main reasons:
First, they prolong the time until a body is buried; and second, they are considered mutilation of the body and are therefore undignified.
“If you watch ‘CSI’ and shows like this, there are a lot of gallows humor” during autopsies, Kronenberg said. If an autopsy had to be done, both Judaism and Islam would require an imam or rabbi to be present to ensure the procedure is done with care.
To comply with the Army mandate and still respect their religious traditions, some Muslim and Jewish groups are pushing for what is called a “virtual” autopsy. It involves using non-invasive methods like CT scans and MRIs to create a 3D scan that can be enlarged, rotated and, best of all, saved digitally.
“There are so many things that are shared between Muslims and Jews in regard to traditions. It behooves everyone to work together,” Abdullah said.
Copyright 2008 Religion News Service. All rights reserved. No part of this transmission may be distributed or reproduced without written permission.
Beliefnet
Advertisement
posted June 16, 2008 at 6:16 pm
As is right, the military does its best to bring home and bury the military fallen with respect for the soldier’s and his/her family’s religion and/ or wishes, as to location of burial.
And as also mentioned…tooo many funerals in the last 5 years…ones that should never have happened.
posted June 16, 2008 at 7:53 pm
I admire the way Jews conduct burial I would love to have my own burial in a wooden coffin with wooden nails for fast absorbency into the earth, to give this shell back to earth as quickly as possible. I’ve given it a lot of thought and that way seems the best to me.
As for trying not to bury folk next to each other that’s ridiculous and unAmerican.
posted June 16, 2008 at 8:16 pm
cknuck: For a man who says he is Christian and stands by his own beliefs, how can you critize other religion’s beliefs for burial? If certain religions feel it necessary to have themselves buried in a place with those of the same belief, how can that be ridiculous? As a matter of fact, Catholics are the only ones who can be buried in a Catholic cemetery. Aren’t they considered Christian? Is that ridiculous too?
And how is that desire to be buried with those of their own faith also UnAmerican? They died for this country. They’ve done more than their share of proving their loyality to this country. If they want to be buried in a place with others of their faith, how can you call that UnAmerian?? I really don’t understand that attitude…of calling it ridiculous and UnAmerican!
posted June 16, 2008 at 8:20 pm
It’s called a military burial in a military cemetery, if they want a religious right observed then they should go to a religious cemetery, pretty simple to me.
posted June 16, 2008 at 8:34 pm
cknuck: It said in the article that many choose to give up the religious burial for the one at Arlington. But not having themselves buried in a military cemetery because they perfer to be in a religious cemetery and not buried in a place where all beliefs are buried, isn’t UnAmerican. It is following their beliefs…they proved their loyality (as I said above) by dying in the military. Unfortunately the over 5000 deaths in Iraq have been for nothing.
What difference does it make if “Taps” is played in a Jewish or Muslim cemetery vs a military cemetery?
posted June 16, 2008 at 9:27 pm
Perhaps then they should never have fought for their country in the first place.
posted June 16, 2008 at 9:55 pm
cknuck, I think I’m with you on this one. It’s good when the military treats everyone the same. If people don’t want their kin buried that way they can put them in a civilian cemetery.
On a different topic, cknuck, you may be interested in this article about the materials spread on yards in a poor black neighborhood.
posted June 16, 2008 at 11:04 pm
So you can die for your country in the military, but not be buried in a military cemetery the way your religion specifies?
posted June 16, 2008 at 11:38 pm
Arlington Cemetary is an fascinating place. It makes orderly and neat what was chaotic and horribly messy. It is obsessive where the cause for it is often impulsive. In some ways it is dishonest by making death by war seem so peaceful. And yet, it is a place of honor and dignity, where even the most casual visitor is stilled to quiet reflection. Doing a funeral there is an exercise in military efficiency (the one arena whee it truly exists) and punctuality. The formal style and tone belay the manner in which people die in battle or as a result from wounds. And yet it seems thoroughly appropriate.
They have just located a new National Cemetary near my house in Florida. I expect I may be asked to conduct a few funerals there in the years to come. It will be as obsessively neat and comulsively orderly. I hope they will honor the religious requests of families there too. It is right in this amazing juxtaposition of needs.
posted June 17, 2008 at 12:29 am
Some might call it off topic but I think it’s right on topic to talk about what these young men and women are dying for. The Bush Administration has established 106 bases in Iraq and it is demanding the US keep control of several big ones for the foreseeable future. Bush, and presumably McCain unless he denies it, want us to control Iraq for a long time. Iraqi sovereignty is to be a bad joke.
To see a very informative article on this Google “The Greatest Story Never Told Finally, the U.S. Mega-Bases in Iraq Make the News” without the “”. Then choose the Tomgram result.
You might ask yourself why Bush/McCain want giant permanent US bases in Iraq. Oil for the US oil companies? Bases to make war on Iran, Syria, etc. etc.? I don’t know, but American men and women have been dying for policy decisions that have never been debated in congress and that in fact would surely not be chosen by the majority of the American people.
posted June 17, 2008 at 12:41 am
nnmns
I think the whole thing is deeper, darker, and more despicable than this. I believe that the bin Ladens are family friends of the Bush’s and that getting Hussein out of the way was their motivation all along. Certainly Reagan had no problem doing business with Osama Inc. “W”‘s short attention span has been even more decreased since the hit-by-trial was carried out. Imagine, conspiracists all over, if even the 9/11 attacks were orchestrated but overly successful mistakes between the binLaden/Bush partnership. It certainly kept “W” in office longer than was necessar, helpful, or safe. The ONLY ones to benefit from all the warfare has been the Bush /Cheney confederacy.
Now won’t that make the bodies, the funeral, and the mourning all the more sad. No one really benefits from war, except vultures (in all forms)
posted June 17, 2008 at 8:18 am
Bush/Cheney certainly profited from 9/11; before that people and even the press were noticing he was a very mediocre president. Afterward he was untouchable for years. And the military-industrial complex Ike warned us about has profited immensely. Those who want us to think of all Arabs as terrorists profited.
The people who paid the biggest price are the ones who volunteered after 9/11 to defend America and were sent off to Iraq instead.
posted June 17, 2008 at 6:00 pm
Actually the different religious ceremonies are causing the same effect as observing different religious ceremonies in public malls or schools. It’s a mess already and causing trouble just wait until ground space becomes even more limited. If you fought side by side and then turn around and say I don’t want to buried next to “them” then that to me is unAmerican and it goes against many of the principals I’ve seen people here try to promote in other situations. Yeah the military cemeteries are neat and orderly and one more thing respectful.
posted June 17, 2008 at 6:30 pm
So CK, you have no problem being buried between, say, two Muslims?
How about two Jews?
How about next to a gay minister?
You have no problem with people dying for you – you just won’t let them be buried the way they like.
Screw that – Jews don’t belong being buried anywhere except in a Jewish cemetery.
posted June 17, 2008 at 6:35 pm
cknuck, I see no comparison with religion and public schools or the mall. Public schools have, by law, no religion in them…prayer, Bible readings as worship, Torah reading as worship etc, as it should be. Public malls are just that…public. However where a soldier is buried is his/her choice…and I don’t think it is discrimination against another soldier because they are of a different faith when the family/soldier wants to be buried in the cemetery of their faith. If space becomes limited? That’s what cremation is for.
And yes, the military cemeteries ARE neat and orderly and yes, respectful…IMO….as they should be.
posted June 17, 2008 at 7:08 pm
Actually I expect where a soldier is buried is rarely his or her choice but the next of kin’s choice.
I wasn’t in the service and correct me if I’m wrong but I understand soldiers and marines, at least, are taught to be loyal to their units and to cover the backs of, and perhaps even die for, the men and women they train and fight with. I’d imagine a lot of those people think if the guy or gal next to them is good enough to die for they are good enough to be buried with.
A lot of people have enough sense to not pay too much attention to religious traditions, and if nexts of kin want to pay that attention they can send the soldier to a private cemetery.
Can you imagine the mess when one part of Arlington is Protestant, one part Jewish, one part Islamic, one part Wiccan, one part Buddhist, one part Catholic, one part atheist, one part white, one part red, one part black, etc. etc.?
No on this the military have it right.
posted June 17, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Yes,nnmns…the soldier certainly doesn’t decide his/her burial place…next of kin would. (expect sometimes the wish might be expressed by a soldier at some point)
It was only recently that symbols of a Pagan were allowed on the grave stones.
posted June 17, 2008 at 7:29 pm
I’d imagine a lot of those people think if the guy or gal next to them is good enough to die for they are good enough to be buried with.
Perhaps. But there is also religious law, and the preferences of the family.
Jews have to be buried in ground that has been set aside for Jews. We can’t even be buried with our spouses if they are not Jewish.
posted June 17, 2008 at 7:33 pm
ScottR.
Serious question…are there no Jewish men (women) buried in Arlington because of the laws?
posted June 17, 2008 at 7:48 pm
Scott if the decider chooses to follow the religious law there are private cemeteries.
And you might want to re-think those burial laws.
posted June 17, 2008 at 10:12 pm
Pagansister,
Sure, there are Jews buried there. Not all Jews observe the burial customs.
nnms,
I agree. I think Jews should only be buried in Jewish cemeteries.
And why would we re-think those customs? They’ve served us very well for thousands of years. Kosher keeps us separate. Shabbat keeps us separate. Laws against intermarriage keep us separate. The burial laws keep us separate. In America, all these are breaking down, and we are assimilating. Once we assimilate, we disappear.
*********
FTFY – Tiger
posted June 18, 2008 at 12:53 am
It’s pretty sad if the last statement one makes about his or her life is intolerance and segregation or superiority, Sad and not American.
I could care less who they bury me next to just to answer the question, I don’t know what the preference of some of the people I served with, Jewish, Muslim, homosexual, man or woman and I would be proud to be buried next to them just like I was proud to live and possibly die with them.
posted June 18, 2008 at 9:50 am
Scott, given how much trouble various religions have caused us, you can’t imagine how little concern I have to preserve what keeps people separate. It strikes me we’d all be better off without religions.
posted June 18, 2008 at 10:55 am
p.s. asked, “Serious question…are there no Jewish men (women) buried in Arlington because of the laws?”
There is an area set apart in Arlington, and I believe in most other National Cemetaries for Jews.
I prefer cremation, and inclusion in a reef ball – sustaining life in the sea is the best way I can think to honor Creation. Many of the traditions so scrupuously honored were established centuries ago and did not anticipate the huge number of dead people. It is becoming far more common in our new tradition for people to be cremated. I have done only 4 “body” funerals in the last 10 years.
posted June 18, 2008 at 4:36 pm
Scott I sort of doubted they would. Just a friendly comment.
posted June 18, 2008 at 6:06 pm
Scott you can call me all the names you want and try to restrict my freedom of speech but what you are calling me and saying still has nothing to do with government/military property, or being in the service or in battle. Suppose a Jew or a Muslim dies in a foxhole with someone non-Jewish or Muslim that has fought side by side with them and the enemy gets the bodies will that affect anything about those persons or their afterlife.
It’s a shame if someone even after death and no voice speaks from the grave to say I don’t want to be buried next to that person because they are different. Call me antisemitic or whatever I think it is unAmerican and there is no room in America for such notions.
I personally do not worship the body it is a shell which carries my spirit and I shall depart it before it hits the ground you can do anything you want with it, but it’s not about my religious views even though it it was Christians saying these things there would be quite a different stir, its about American military people in America. There really is not enough ground to satisfy all of these different religious requirements.
posted June 18, 2008 at 10:54 pm
Honoring God is more important that being a good American. Death is the final, and the ultimate, time to honor the person. It doesn’t affect what happens in the afterlife (if there even is one) – it is honoring what our fathers and mothers (Avot v’imhot) before us did.
You are thoroughly dismissive of anything we believe or care about. Perhaps you aren’t anti-Semitic. Maybe you just have a gigantic ego.
posted June 19, 2008 at 9:23 am
I think it’s a tough question. You can’t divorce religion from military service because the military itself considers religion strongly. Otherwise, there would be no military chaplains, nor would there be religious markers on the headstones.
I don’t know the details and can “google” it later, but there should be some reasonable way to set aside portions of Arlington to respect the religious needs of the service members who died serving the country. That does not seem too unreasonable to me. I’ve been to Arlington and watched the changing of the guard and it’s an immensely solemn, respectful place.
And yet, there are thousands of rows of crosses spanning the grounds. It seems the religious needs of Christian members are being met. Why not so for Jews and Muslims?
It’s going to get even tougher, as I believe Arlington is starting to “fill up”. What are they going to do with the bodies?
posted June 19, 2008 at 11:35 am
Arlington is indeed filling up, and so are the other national Cemetaries. For that reason they are opening more cemetaries around the country. This is in response ot the many veterans from the last 60 years and their desire to be buried with their comrades in arms. We have one such new cemetary in development right up the road from our house. I expect i will be asked to do more than a few funerlas and interments in the years to come. I have many WW2 veterans in my congregation, as well as a few Korea and Viet Nam vets. I am continually thankful that I have had no Gulf War funerals.
Arlington is quite landlocked and will not be able to open too much more area. They do have some accomodation for specific religious groups, but they are away from the more visible areas, and so do not get many pictures. Some areas do not allow pictures out of religious respect. Looking carefully at many of the headstones you will see a vriety of religious symbols.