Omar bin Laden Angry About Father's Burial
Almost immediately after it was announced that Osama bin Laden had been killed, the rumblings started in the Islamic world about his burial at sea. In spite of U.S. officials' claims that Islamic tradition had been observed, Islamic scholars cried foul.
Now, bin Laden's fourth son, Omar Osama bin Laden is joining that chorus, claiming that the burial was "demeaning" to his family, and alluded to the possibility of taking legal action against the U.S. Which customs had been observed (and which had not) can only be determined in theory, since details are scant and most likely will not be released by U.S. officials.
In the case of bin Laden, it is not surprising that there have been complaints about breaking with Islamic burial customs during the disposal of his body. Based on those customs and what few details are known to the public, it is not unreasonable to assume that at least one was broken. Quite simply put, sea burials in Islamic tradition are not chosen unless the individual dies at sea, or there is genuine concern that the individual's enemies may attempt to desecrate the grave by exhuming the body. There is also the issue of attempting to ensure that a body that is dropped into the sea is weighted significantly enough that it is not immediately eaten by sea creatures.
Additionally, there are the customs involving martyrs. It wouldn't be surprising to find out that U.S. personnel failed to observe the custom of leaving a martyr in the clothes he was wearing at the time of death. Obviously, the custom of burying a martyr where he falls, or very close to it wasn't observed.
Those are probably the grounds for Omar bin Laden's current complaints about his father's burial. How seriously those complaints will be taken remains to be seen, but it is unlikely he will find many sympathizers outside the Muslim world. He has cried that his father was treated like a criminal, and that is precisely how many in the world consider him anyway.
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