SINGAPORE, Dec 14 — Working as a concierge at a firm in Singapore requires Zainab Ash Shughra Amer to be adept at interacting with and handling various requests from...
BWF World Tour Finals: Mixed doubles pairs Soon Huat-Shevon, Tang Jie-Ee Wei fly Malaysia’s flag into semi-finals after wins in HangzhouZainab Ash Shughra Amer is the first Muslim woman embalmer — and currently the only one — in Singapore. It is understood that there are no Muslim women embalmers in Malaysia too.
Zainab embalms the bodies of Muslims and non-Muslims. In the case of Muslims — since embalming is not allowed in Islam — her services are only required if the deceased is a non-citizen and has to be repatriated to the country of origin. “There have also been times when I was called to embalm not the complete body but amputated body parts,” she said, adding she once embalmed three bodies in a single night.
According to Zainab, non-Muslim embalmers, in general, tend to leave bodies uncovered to allow easier inspection of the flow of formalin solution, which gives the skin a reddish hue. “At first, I was sceptical but after researching and reading about embalming, I felt a sense of responsibility to pursue this field,” she said, adding one of her main reasons for taking up embalming was to ease the process of managing the remains of family members who pass away in foreign countries and need to be repatriated.
“I’m actually quite fearful by nature. Even seeing a cockroach can make me scream and my mother understands this about me well. So, she was the one who was most worried when I expressed my intention to learn embalming,” shared the mother of five children, aged three to 15, with a laugh.
“There, I completed the required embalming within just a month and earned my certification as an embalmer in Singapore,” said Zainab, who offers her embalming services on a freelance basis. “I try to explain the importance of embalming, especially for those who pass away abroad and need to be repatriated. Countries like South Korea, China, Japan and Taiwan don’t allocate burial plots for foreigners.“Usually, when a foreigner dies in these countries, the options are either cremation or embalming for repatriation. This is where the role of a Muslim embalmer becomes crucial,” she explained.
“The solution is pink in colour, so as it flows into the body through the veins and pushes out the blood, you’ll see the pale body regain a reddish hue, similar to living skin,” she explained.Dismissing claims that internal organs are destroyed, Zainab said what actually happens is that the fluids are suctioned out from within the organs such as the lungs, stomach, heart and intestines.
“During the embalming process, the smell of blood and decomposition is very strong, and those who can’t endure it may faint,” she said, recalling an instance when a friend was forced to withdraw from the practical training course after she fainted the first time she entered the mortuary to do the procedure.Like others in her line of work, Zainab too is often asked if she had any eerie experience whilst carrying out her work.
“You can imagine the condition of the body and the smell. It was impossible to embalm. But the pilot’s mother insisted that her son’s body be embalmed and prepared like any other intact corpse. I was alone in the mortuary doing some work then when I heard the mother arguing with the manager of the centre outside.
Embalming Singapore’S First Muslim Woman Embalmer
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