Boston Bombing Suspect’s Aunt Says Tamerlan Tsarnaev Denied Burial By Boston Mosque

An aunt of Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the elder of the two brothers suspected of orchestrating twin explosions at the Boston Marathon who was killed during a firefight with police last week, says that a Boston mosque has refused to bury him.

According to NBC News, American officials have given Tsarnaev’s relatives permission to reclaim his body, which was autopsied by a Boston medical examiner last week, but finding a mosque that will agree to perform a burial has been difficult.

Tsarnaev’s aunt, Patimat Suleimanova, told the news outlet that an uncle of Tsarnaev had contacted a mosque the family attended and requested a funeral but had been turned down. In addition, the Islamic Society of Boston, where Tsarnaev sometimes attended prayers, has also distanced itself from the bombing suspect, telling reporters that Tsarnaev was disruptive and received warnings from mosque leaders.

Imam Talal Eid of the Islamic Institute of Boston, a research institute that sometimes organizes local funerals, told the Huffington Post that he would not consider having a funeral for Tsarnaev and that his alleged involvement in the bombings went against the Quran.

"I would not be willing to do a funeral for him," Eid said. "This is a person who deliberately killed people. There is no room for him as a Muslim. He already left the fold of Islam by doing that. In the Quran it says those who will kill innocent people, they will dwell in the hellfire."

Imam Suhaib Webb of the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center, the largest mosque in Boston, would not rule out a funeral for Tsarnaev but said that no one had reached out to him.

"He should be buried according to the religious tradition he adheres to. His case is with God. We can judge him as best we can, according to the savage and insane actions he has done, but, in the end, his soul is going to be brought before God," Webb said. "I don't think I could ethically lead a prayer for him, but I would not stop people from praying upon him."

Tsarnaev’s younger brother, 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, remains at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Boston, where he is receiving treatment for neck and leg wounds. On Monday, he was charged with use of a weapon of mass destruction and malicious destruction of property resulting in death.