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Charity Registration No. 1072903 Cemetery Address and Telephone Numbers: Correspondence Address: Website and E mail address: Elmbridge Road, Hainault, Ilford Essex IG6 3SW PO Box 2241, Ilford, Essex IG1 9UX www.gardens-of-peace.org.uk info@gardens-of-peace.org.uk 020 8502 6000 and 07729 707013

POST MORTEMS AND MRI SCANS FACT SHEET Coroners have a legal and professional duty to establish the cause of death where this is not clear or where a death is unexpected. They normally discharge their duty by carrying out a post mortem, which is an invasive procedure. It is better to explore all possible alternatives if a post mortem has to be carried out The Jewish community in Greater Manchester pioneered the use of MRI scans in partnership with their local Coroner as an alternative means to determine the cause of death. This has now also been used by the Muslim community in Greater Manchester for some years. In East London, Maulana Yunus Dudhwala has introduced the use of MRI scans working in conjunction with the Jewish community and is supported in this by Gardens of Peace Key points in relation to the above are set out below: There is no preferential treatment afforded to one community or religion compared to another; what is available to one in a particular locality is available to the other The cost of MRI scans is borne by the family of the deceased and can be in the order of 1,000 MRI scans may not give a definitive view on the cause of death; if this is the case, then a post mortem would have to follow in any case. This will cause more delay in the burial of the deceased, when compared to a post mortem having been performed in the first instance The option to use MRI scans to establish cause of death is not a right, it is a concession extended on a case by case basis by the Coroner depending on his or her view of the likelihood of success of the scan identifying the cause of death Gardens of Peace is actively involved in lobbying the Ministry of Justice (the government department responsible for Coroners and burial matters) on a range of matters affecting the whole Muslim community. In doing this, we work closely with representatives of the Jewish community as their concerns are the same as ours and our combined voices are more powerful in lobbying successfully An important point to remember is that if someone has died and doctors attending to the deceased say that a post mortem should be carried out, please ask whether this is legally required. It is not always the case that a post mortem is legally required; sometimes it is suggested by doctors in the name of medical research but this point is not always made clear

Should the need arise, please contact Gardens of Peace on 07729 707013 or email us at info@gardens-of-peace.org.uk. We will help with more information, help you understand the costs and timetable involved and liaise with Maulana Yunus to see if an MRI scan can be pursued in place of a post mortem.
July 2012