On the subject of Mark’s post, a friend sends along some helpful research, published by the Telegraph last year, courtesy of a learned imam in Morocco (bold emphasis below is in the original, which I pass along without further comment because — well, what else is there to say, really):

An Imam in Morocco issued a fatwa stating that necrophilia is “Halal” or religiously acceptable practice in Islam. He said that a husband has the right to have sex with his dead wife.

The Imam, whose name is Zamzami Abdelbari, said that marriage remains valid even after death, which does not cancel the marriage link. He took as evidence a Koranic verse which says that Muslims believers will go to Paradise with their wives…

Sheikh Zamzami said that the husband has the right to have sex with his dead wife. He added that the husband may wash the body of his dead wife and have sex with her.

He said that the woman also has the same right but failed to explain how a woman can manage to perform sex with the corpse of her dead husband.

However, Sheikh Zamzami, tempered his most unusual fatwa by stating that necrophilia, though Halal is a disgusting act that would be best avoided.