Manama: Angry Saudis have blasted two men who offered their sick friend a death shroud as they visited him in hospital.
The picture of the two men presenting the shroud as a gift to their friend in his hospital room went viral on the interet on Friday, prompting angry reactions and sarcasm at their act.
Neither the patient nor the two were identified, but for Saudi bloggers, the idea was so repugnant that they attacked the two men and criticised their behaviour.
“Even if it is a joke, it is of such a bad taste,” one blogger posted.
“There is a huge difference between a hand that offers a rose and a hand that presents a shroud,” Abdullah, a blogger, posted. “Obviously each hand gesture reflects the soul of the person and we can see that the two men are sick.”
Kady, another blogger, said that one of the purposes of vesting patients is to boost their morale and communicate happy optimism, local news site Al Marsad reported on Saturday.
“These two men are conveying a sentiment of imminent death and incurable pessimism. I wonder if they would do it if the patient was a very close relative.”
Fahd contributed to the debate by sarcastically advising the two men to be more decisive in their next visit.
“You should cut off all equipment and push for the quick burial of the patient,” he posted.
Ibn Rubai, another blogger, said that the men offered a terrible social image that did not reflect at all the values of Saudis.
However, Mohammad insisted that the pictures were part of a joke played out by the two men and their friend who pretended to be a patient.
“It is merely a prank, and it should not be taken out of this context,” he said.
However, he did not explain how he concluded that it was a joke.
