um well the word revert it refers to the
idea that if you were to study the Quran
you would realize that you had all you
were a Muslim all your life and you
didn't realize it assalamualaikum greens
at Peace by now you've probably all
heard the news of the sad passing of
Sinead O'Connor McGarry Allah have mercy
on her Grant her Jannah a few years ago
as you know Sinead O'Connor accepted
Islam and Islam you don't call it
conversion you call it reversion the
idea is that you were born Muslim in the
first place that if you know any any
person with any logic would realize they
were Muslim all along so that's actually
what happened to me uh being a
theologian all my life study in theology
but I never thought that I would join
any particular religion but because I
grew up in a theocracy I was very
interested in theology so I studied all
the different religions and I actually
left Islam to last because I had such a
huge amount of prejudice about it
actually you know so I started reading
the scriptures when I was very young
child and then I started studying
scriptures from different religions
trying to find you know the truth about
a God as such and I left Islam until
last because and I never thought I would
join a religion I left them to laugh
because I I had so much Prejudice about
Islam you know yes and then when I
started reading I read just chapter two
alone of the Quran I realized oh my God
I'm home I've been a Muslim all my life
and I didn't realize it and shared her
story here first with us here on the
dean show and also I made a promise that
I would only talk to you
that when I was ready to talk about it I
would only talk to you but now we've
come to the question
will she be given will her decision to
accept Islam be respected enough to give
her and his proper Islamic burial as
requested by the Muslim Community
because as we are coming to see reading
from the current news current news
sources are saying Sun day world Sinead
O'Connor will be laid to rest in her
native Ireland following her tragic
death in London last month it had been
widely reported that the singer would be
given in Muslim burial after she
converted to the religion in 2018. it
continues to say however a source was
told the Sunday World a sources hold a
Sunday world that this wouldn't be the
case with the funeral date yet to be
confirmed
so now to get more into this story my
next guest ostada Lorraine who resides
in the UK and teaches English law at the
University
she converted she is it she used to be a
former devout Christian leader a
Catholic just like Sinead O'Connor and
she went down to study many of the
Islamic Sciences she has said I feel
very sad at the fact that it seems
like she will not be given an Islamic
burial so to discuss and to go into this
deeper let's bring out Lorraine
here on the dean show when I was ready
to talk about it I would only talk to
yes and I was explaining how much
respect I have for the faith of Islam
welcome to the beach
how are you sister
I'm very well brother how are you good
good alhamdulillah
and that we are so glad and so so so
um you know Overjoyed really that that a
person of the statute of Sinead O'Connor
embraced Islam because her her soul was
a pure soul and she searched all her
life like many of us do as reverts on
this journey many of us have searched
for many years and become as she said in
her own words we come home so she came
home in 2018 and I think she said that
on your show
um and we really we really would love
her to be able to rest eternally in her
home it would be the most beautiful
thing that could happen for her and in
fact it is her right as a Muslim woman
so you know I just thought we could talk
a little bit about what it means to have
a Muslim burial because I think maybe
her family might not know
um it doesn't mean that the family is
excluded it means that just the rights
the necessary parts of the funeral like
the washing and the prayer and the
actual burial are done islamically but
the rest of the funeral is it can be run
by the by the person's family it's in
fact it's often done when we have
burials for reverts the family is the is
the is the main participant and the
ranger of the whole affair
you see so I think we just want that to
be made really clear
yeah this is this was her decision in
2018 when she was searching and I had a
chance to talk with her she was very
delighted very static and she was proud
of her decision coming to Islam and she
made that clear I feel so passionately
about Islam and and and passionately by
defending it against stigma that I
probably will talk a lot about it tell
me this now we're reading in the the
news that it was out there that she was
going to have a Muslim people were led
to believe that okay she's going to have
a Muslim burial but then sources now are
saying that this is not the case so is
there anything else that we know
well that's all we seem to know at the
moment there's one new spirit
having unless
and then all the other reports of today
because today is when the family
released the news that they will be
having the funeral on Tuesday With A
procession starting at 10 30 a.m in
Dublin
um yes so this is very very time
sensitive so you guys are all right
watching watching this now and Tuesday
is right around the corner
so what can people do I mean the thing
is like okay reaching out to maybe the
has the Masjid there we don't know if
they were able to even establish contact
with the family to explain what you were
just explaining of the Simplicity and
how easy it is and that they're not just
they're not to be disconnected to this
but they'll be a part of it is it's
quite a simple easy process but it's her
right though and the thing is will will
people respect her right now she made
that decision to become a Muslim one who
has submitted to the will of the Creator
not the creation and trying to give her
the proper funeral as a Muslim woman
and it's very important I think that
there is the from what I've been able to
gauge which obviously is just looking at
the news reports like everyone else is
that the the two there have been two
masjids the first one
um where she made her shahada there was
a new there was an interview with the
Imam who is uh
Omar alpadri and he was saying he'd be
you know he'd be really pleased to to do
it that she would be buried in a Muslim
burial but I I don't think they've made
any contact with the family I don't
think it's possible for them perhaps and
then the other one was another the
Islamic cultural center of Dublin who
had also said that they would be happy
to do a funeral for Chalet but that they
they made a public plea but I don't
think they've contacted the family you
know I don't know if it's possible for
us to contact the family that's why it's
really important for if anybody knows of
any way that we could possibly contact
the family we'd be really really great
grateful for that information I know
obviously it's very difficult because
she's such a famous person but for the
sake of Allah if we could possibly just
have of some words with her family you
know because we found in the past one
sorry I wanted to say we found in the
past when we are burying other rivers
that just talking to the family it
changes everything
yeah so establishing the connection
first and foremost and we've we've heard
I mean you probably have also horror
stories where now people end up dying in
this state and they don't go ahead and
make it in their will or they don't
prepare for this day as far as how the
funeral burial possession maybe they are
not in a state where they can explain
things to their family and the family
takes over and now what happens is now
sometimes they even go to cremate the
body
uh and or they they'll end up you know
doing things obviously according to
their customers their their ways uh
there's been cases uh where a sister not
too long ago here where I'm from she was
actually a Muslim River for many years
and then she ends up she passed away and
in her family the Muslim Community was
trying to connect with them and they got
to talk with them but they were kind of
like no we're going to go ahead and bury
her how we want and then when they
actually saw the bill and they saw the
bill then they actually uh they said hey
can you help us so that's another thing
that maybe this is probably not the case
with them but this is not something that
the Muslim Community would also probably
cover this cover this expense of uh the
funeral what do you think yes they will
definitely we have Muslim burial funds
here that are willing very much to cover
all the costs of a burial cost is not
the issue at all no yes but we have also
had those experiences here where we've
had sisters where you know in the
beginning the the family was adamant
that they were going to have a cremation
and they were going to have a Christian
burial even I'm sorry a Christian
service a cremation even though they uh
everybody knew she was Muslim but we
after having mediated with the family
and you know we actually had a most
beautiful beautiful Muslim burial in
which the family participated and they
cried and they found it very touching
and very moving yeah
yeah so you got the washing of the body
preparing the body by women yes yes so
the body is treated respectfully and
then you have the prayer she's wrapped
in the shrouds
the white shrouds and then from there
can you explain that process and how
long it takes it's
as well it's quite simple really so yes
she's she's Washed by women she's then
she's put in a coffin which is which is
the she has some white robes put around
her and then she's placed in like a in
English it's called a b-i-e-r you know
it's an open it's basically an open
casket and people then are able to come
and pay their respects to her
um and they see her face and then um
after that the um the the she will be
carried to the wherever it is it doesn't
have to be a mosque it can be you know
one of my one of the sisters she was her
funeral took place in a beautiful garden
you know the Imam came to the garden and
it was lovely so it doesn't have to be a
mosque it can be anywhere anywhere at
all the Imam will come and we will pray
what is called the Salah upon her which
is two rakaz um done in a specific way
and of course the family members are
most welcome to participate that you
know we don't there's another doesn't
involve frustrating you don't go into
rakua answer Jude you just you stand so
the family is absolutely welcome to join
the the Muslims in Salah from janaza
there's no worry about that you know
we'll be welcomed they'll be most
welcome and then after that what would
happen is that the uh the the casket
would then be taken to the um to the to
the cemetery and into you know the the
the the the hole will be opened and then
there'll be prayers said upon um her as
she as she as she goes in you know
anyway we don't use a a coffin in the
same way we use it it's a it's a it's
it's wrappings
yeah this is very very important so
hopefully this gets to the family the
friends and the community there because
we often even someone who is and I don't
know if I make this comparison somebody
who is um going to they're living but
they know they're going to die and you
would give them their last request what
is your request now and the person says
I want this meal I want this I want
people go out of their ways to grant
their requests the living person but now
this person obviously made a decision to
accept Islam the pure monotheism the way
of all the prophets the worship of one
and only one God and now they're a
Muslims so obviously it's obvious their
request is if they're Muslim to go ahead
and be buried as a Muslim and are we
going to respect that are we going to go
ahead and just put our feelings and
desires of our and what we want above
what Sinead O'Connor yeah yeah would
want as a Muslim woman
yeah yes that's very true yes I mean
also you know she was she was I I
managed I happened to see her in a live
interview on uh I think she's in it was
Piers Morgan is one of the presenters
here in in England and um she was
wearing her hijab a couple of weeks
before she passed away she's wearing a
new job and she looked you know very
very happy as a Muslim
yeah can you also fill us in because you
come from a similar background you were
a devote Christian later a Catholic just
like Sinead O'Connor and did you go
through some struggles with your family
when you decided to accept Islam and
have it
I did have a struggle but um you know I
think I didn't have as much I don't I
wouldn't know if she's had a struggle or
not with her family but I I didn't I had
some difficulties with my family but I
found that actually my father my mother
had passed away by then but my father
um if it quickly accepted the fact that
I was Muslim and um you know he was
happy I I I looked after him when he was
old and he was very happy because
um if one brings the beauty of Islam to
a person and we bring it with our heart
uh you know it dispels all these media
and distortions of what Islam is and
it's actually such a beautiful thing
that everybody's responds very
positively and even my father who was
you know an adamant that Islam was wrong
he was very responsive in the ends what
do you advise you all you teach English
law at the University there
and you know the law what is your advice
to prevent others from going through
something similar where they don't have
their right now taken away by their
family or someone else who's in charge
and then they end up getting cremated or
they get married the problem is this yes
this is the problem the problem is that
the law does not the English law and
this I've I also checked this afternoon
in the in Irish law is the same it even
if a person expressly States in their
will that they want to be buried
according to a specific religious rights
like Islam and it is still open to the
family to disrespect that they choose
because yes in English law the family
has the final say and only say as
regards the unless it doesn't mean the
family as a whole it's the next of kin
the one who's next the closest family
member has the the final say
unfortunately that is the case but we
also have and we have the quite
religious freedom in which is the in the
in the European convention which binds
us here and would bind Ireland as well
and we you know it is it's it's it's
something that one can work with where
you know the courts have the law hasn't
officially changed but they the we have
found you know they are willing to be
much softer in that regard because of
the rights of religious freedom so what
so a couple so what what can people do
what can people because Islam continues
to be the fastest growing way of life
and you have these situations happening
often what do you advise what do you
advise people what can they do to
protect themselves I advise an
individual revert to establish very
strong and firm
um relationships with the Muslim
Community
sometimes that can be hard for a revert
but you know with the help of Allah it's
possible so that when it comes to the
the point um you know where the person
is passing away and if they've made it
they must also make it clear they must
make a wool and make it clear but if
they if they have they're very well
grounded in the Muslim Community what
will happen inshallah is that is that if
there's any conflict the Muslim
Community will take it on I have had
that experience here where a sister was
well grounded and had firm Connections
in the community and the community uh
went all out and we raised the money and
we got everything sorted and in the end
we had a beautiful Muslim burial because
you know it is our duty as Muslims yeah
we must not forget it's fund kifaya
which means it's a communal obligation
on all Muslims to bury the deceased
islamically so if you make strong
connections with the Muslim Community as
a revert it is the duty of the Muslims
to do the bear varying and so I would
add as well that the Muslim Community
has to stand up I'm not sure what it's
like in the United States but here
sometimes the Muslim Community is a bit
slow to act right
now yeah now's another time to act slow
actually so ending with this so we're
creating some awareness we're doing our
part hopefully let's put some pressure
get some media attention and what else
can they do you talked about for the
person there the one who gave her the
shahada and the community there's I
believe in Dublin if I'm not mistaken so
what can they do and what do you suggest
now within the law what can they do to
well I mean I suggest I'm really cool
I'm sure that the you know the chef Omar
Al ponderi he is a very well it looks
like I've had a look at his biography
he's a well-respected member of the
community in Dublin and if he at all he
is able to um make uh you know make a
reach out to the family and find them
um you know and talk to them I'm sure
they'll be I think her family loves her
so much her children really love her so
that if he's he and his community at the
at the mosque where he is if they can
reach out to the family if at all
possible and and and and gently persuade
them also um to uh they can I would urge
them also to contact if they may contact
you and also I'm quite happy to be
contacted myself
yes if we can help in any way we'll be
most willing and just now people
watching us to create more awareness to
go ahead and um everyone is an
individual to if they have some contact
to somebody that knows their family or
somebody yeah that's connected to them
to share this with them because I I also
strongly believe that the some of the um
people behind the scenes may not be your
family are connected to there will be
forces because this is Islam on a global
stage with this with this funeral and
there are satanic forces other forces
who will try to prevent this who are
trying to prevent this also uh from from
happening because you'll have now uh her
going and being Muslims being there and
more word about her becoming a Muslim
and Islam has the the spotlight once
again so what are your thoughts on that
yes I think it's it's important that we
stand firm because I think that um
shaytan can get into the Muslim
Community when they are afraid and in
the and then about America but here
they're afraid a lot of our community
here are afraid of the authorities and
afraid of standing up because of Islam's
phobia and all other things all sorts of
other things but if if you stand up in
Courage and in Reliance on Allah you
know shaytan is a very weak enemy and we
don't have we we are those who stand
with Allah will be will overcome there's
no there's no problem with that
yeah because they don't want this but
inshallah we can go ahead and do our
small part and yes we can hopefully make
this happen for our sister give her the
proper give her her right to a proper
Islamic burial yes yes
I know this is I don't know if this is
because um she was a pure soul and she
had so much pain in her life
um through her struggles in the Catholic
Church which I can identify with and
that you know it will be so beautiful
for her and that it will be it will
Delight all the souls in Paradise she
has received you know in full after
having had her full Islamic rights
performed upon her and all those who
allow her her family will get great
reward from Allah may Allah bless them
and guide them and shower his mercy upon
them I mean thank you very much
and I'm so excited to be here at the
dean Center mashallah which is under
renovation and I can't wait to see
what's going to come inshallah there's
going to be a dawah center there is a
Masjid there is a school in Islamic
school a gym and what we hope inshallah
will also have a mental health part of
this Center as well inshallah so I'm
asking you to please make sure that you
support this effort inshallah I really
hope that it spreads and really the
knowledge of Islam and people get to
know more about Muslims that Islam for
this effort
[Music]
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