postponed
Tuesday, September 21, 1999
The family of the Lodi man killed Thursday has persuaded the Bergen County Medical
Examiner's Office to temporarily postpone his autopsy, attorneys said Monday.
Relatives of Mohamed Jamal Tabba, 27, said the medical procedure "is disrespectful to
the dead" and would be pointless because "everyone knows he died from drowning," said
Tabba's cousin, Mohamed Alkhawan. They also said disagreement over the autopsy has
violated the family's right to religious freedom because Islamic law calls for bodies to be
buried within 24 hours of death.
"We wanted to bury him in Syria immediately," Alkhawan said.
Officials said they would wait for a judge to rule. "We're trying to do the right thing ... and
comply with the law," said Anthony DeCandia, acting Bergen County counsel.
DeCandia spent Monday researching precedents. Even though it appears Tabba
drowned, the medical examiner cannot, by law, rule on the cause of death without more
substantial proof, he said.
Tabba's relatives have hired an attorney, Hamdi Rifai, who is trying to secure a court
appearance for today. The family hopes a judge will block the autopsy or order the
examination to be as non-invasive as possible, Rifai said.
