Apparently, the United States has decided to play the respect-for-Islam card with the mortal remains of Osama bin Laden. The official press briefing by an unnamed senior US Official claims: "We are ensuring that it is handled in accordance with Islamic practice and tradition. This is something that we take very seriously. And so therefore this is being handled in an appropriate manner."

The most influential Islamic institution among Sunni Muslims condemns the sea burial of Osama bin Laden. Obama took pains to make sure that Osama would get a proper Islamic burial, but since he wanted to bury the body quickly (in accord with Islamic law) and couldn't find a country that would take the body (and probably also didn't want to create a place of pilgrimage and anti-American agitation), he buried him at sea. He was trying to show the Islamic world that the U.S. is not at war with Islam, but ended up enraging Muslims anyway -- demonstrating yet again that dhimmi pandering gets nowhere.

"Bin Laden: Al Azhar, Sea Burial Is A Sin," from ANSAmed, May 2 (thanks to Insubria):

(ANSAmed) - CAIRO, MAY 2 - The body of Osama bin Laden must be buried in the ground, and throwing it into the sea would be a 'sin', said Mahmoud Ashour of the Al Azhar Academy of Islamic Research, the most prestigious Sunni educational institute, while speaking to ANSA.

The Al Azhar official rejected the idea of sea burial of the Al Qaida leader for "trivial motives", explaining that even when someone drowns, the body must be searched for in order to be able to "bury it in the ground". "They should bury it in the ground without putting anything on the grave," explained Ashour, responding to a question about whether Osama bin Laden's burial could become a sort of pilgrimage site. (ANSAmed).