Respect our rights

Two Bradford fathers are fighting to give bereaved families the choice to determine the cause of death of their loved ones through non-invasive MRI scans instead of post mortems.

On Chsitmas Day in 2008, Ramzan Mohayuddin's son Saad passed away unexpectedly in his sleep at just 18-years-old. The family objected to a post mortem being carried out because the radiologist had informed them that the likely cause of death was the electrical currents to the heart stopping.

However, despite agreeing with the coroner that heart samples would be taken, the family later discovered that an extensive post mortem had been carried out and most of the organs had been removed and then replaced.

"I understand in certain cases a post mortem is necessary but if someone passes away due to natural causes or old there should be a choice to for non-invasive MRI or CT scans. It's not just about faith but about dignity for the loved ones you lay to rest," Ramzan said.

Mohammed Ilyas heard about the Saad Foundation, which Ramzan set up to help parents know their rights when a loved one dies, after his son Mohammed Owais Ahmed passed away at three-and-a-half-months-old. The Bradford coroner refused Mohammed's request for an MRI scan to be carried out instead of a post mortem.

"As Muslims, we must wash the body before laying it to rest and I couldn't do that because my son had a post mortem, which is very intrusive," he said.

To read the full article at The Asian Express newspaper site, please click here and visit pages 20-21.