Jackson may get Muslim burial: reports

Michael Jackson’s funeral will be held next Tuesday at the Los Angeles Staples Center is to be the biggest funeral in history, and the pop icon family will reportedly have a traditional Muslim burial for him, media reports said Thursday.


" The family is considering following the Muslim burial traditions because they believe Michael would have wanted to be laid to rest in keeping with his new-found religious beliefs "
Anonymous sourceA source said to be “close” to the Jackson family told an entertainment gossip website that the family is considering a traditional Muslim burial for the King of Pop, who reportedly converted to Islam in 2008 following his travels to the Gulf.

"The family is considering following the Muslim burial traditions because they believe Michael would have wanted to be laid to rest in keeping with his new-found religious beliefs," the source told X17 Online "Michael's brother Jermaine is educating the family as to the special rites because he feels it's important to bury his brother according to the Muslim way."

The anonymous report came as news that there would be a public funeral service on July 7 at 10 a.m. at the Staples Center in downtown L.A., a source with the concert organizer AEG Live told the Hollywood Reporter.



Michael Jackson posing with Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa, son of the King of Bahrain.
AEG was behind Jackson’s 50 concert comeback tour “This Is It” that was to have taken place in London this summer.

The King of Pop, who died last week of uncertain causes, spent his last night at the venue rehearsing for his upcoming tour.

AEG, which owns the 20,000-seat Staples Center and the Nokia theater next door, will reportedly put giant screens outside the venues for the thousands of additional fans expected to attend the public service. Neither AEG nor the Staples Center could be reached by Al Arabiya for comment.

There has been no official confirmation as the where Jackson, who was rumored to have changed his name after converting to "Mikaeel" in a reference to the name of one of Allah's angels, will be laid to rest.

According to sharia or Islamic law, a Muslim’s body should be cleaned and wrapped in a white sheet before being buried on his right side with his face facing the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.Those present say a special prayer called “Salat al-Mayyit” -- prayer for the dead – and family members and friends traditionally observe a mourning period.

[link to www.alarabiya.net]