Muslims Want Panel to Probe Hate Campaign
Faiszer Musthapha, MP of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and Azath Sally, Member of the Central Provincial Council, has asked President Maithripala Sirisena to appoint a commission to inquire into the “hate campaign and violence” against Muslims in the last four years and take appropriate measures to ensure that all Sri Lankans are protected.
“Your Excellency is well aware that the instigators of the pogrom in Aluthgma and Beruwela have not been brought to justice as promised by former President Rajapaksa,” they said in a letter to Sirisena.
Musthapha and Sally pointed out that several other promises made to the Muslims had not been kept and submitted a document giving details of “hundreds” of incidents of violence suffered by the Muslims.
Giving a few examples, they said that government has not kept its promise to allow the construction of a small prayer centre at Dambulla, till alternative land is given for the construction of a mosque.
The older mosque has been under a threat of demolition by the authorities under pressure from the head of a local Buddhist shrine and Buddhist extremists from outside.
The government has not kept a promise made by its predecessor that land would be given for the expansion of the older mosque at Swarna Chaithiya Road, Grandpass, Colombo, whose expansion was halted by the threat of a major riot of the “1983” variety. That promise had been made by Dinesh Gunawardene and Champika Ranawaka, both ministers in the Rajapaksa cabinet.
The site in Kuragala associated with the great Islamic saint, Qutab Muhiyadeen Abdul Cader Jailany, who had visited Sri Lanka over 1,000 years ago, is now under threat by the Bodu Bala Sena. Since appeals to other authorities to protect the shrine had not borne fruit, the two Muslim leaders appealed to Sirisena to do the needful.
(Indian Express)
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I think first of all Muslims should unite,
sad to say we are a mere 8% population in this tiny Island but if you count the number of political parties various factions there are hundreds, the reason for this is every one one wants to be a leader of some party everyone wants to be boss first of all we should ask our selves are we really Muslims do we really practice Islam that has been taught to us. so naturally we Muslims can be easily targeted.
first of all lets us all Muslims unite as one Ummah and practice Islam according to what has been revealed and preached then only then that Muslims will live in peace not only in Sri-Lanka but all over the world
IT IS INFORMED THAT A CONCERNED GROUP OF MUSLIM CITIZENS, BOTH WITHIN THE COMMUNITY AND REPRESENTING PROFESSIONALS AND ACADEMICS, WHO ARE POLITICALLY MOTIVATED HAVE CONVENED A CIVIL SOCIETY MOVEMENT/ORGANIZATION CALLED “THE MUSLIM VOICE” A HUMAN-RIGHTS ORGANIZATION, ESPECIALLY TO HIGHLIGHT THE GRIEVANCES FACED BY THE SRI LANKAN MUSLIM COMMUNITY AND SEEK FOR REMEDIAL ACTION FROM THE WOULD-BE POLITICAL POWERS THAT BE, GIVING RESPECT TO THE RIGHTS OF THE MAJORITY AND OTHER MINORITIES Insha Allah. THE INCIDENTS AND OCCURRENCE, BOTH POLITICAL AND OTHERWISE AIMED AT THE SRI LANKAN MUSLIM COMMUNITY OVER THE YEARS ARE TO BE DELIBERATED AND PLACED BEFORE THE NEW GOVERNMENT/PRESIDENT/PM. IT MAY BE THAT, KNOWING THIS HAPPENING, MP. FAIZER MUSTHAPHA AND PCM MEMBER AZATH SALLY HAVE JUMPED THE GUN TO WRITE A LETTER TO PRESIDENT MAITHRIPALA SIRISENA AS IT HAS BEEN REPORTED IN THE NEWS ITEM PUBLISHED ABOVE. KNOWING THE POLITICAL DRAMAS BOTH THESE DECEPTIVE MUSLIM POLITICIANS HAVE STAGED DURING TO THE RUN-UP TO THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS OF 2010 AND 2015, I BEG OF THESE POLITICIANS NOT TO TAKE THE MUSLIM ‘POLITI’ FOR A RIDE ANYMORE BY PUBLISHING/UNDERTAKING SUCH MEDIA JARGONS. THE POLITICAL HIERARCHY AND THE SRI LANKA MUSLIM CITIZENS HAVE DECIDED LONG BEFORE THE ELECTIONS THAT THEY CANNOT BE FOOLED BY YOU PEOPLE ANYMORE. SO LEAVE THE SRI LANKAN MUSLIM CIVIL SOCIETY TO TAKE CARE OF MATTERS CONCERNING THEIR ISSUES. I BEG OF YOU NOT TO STAGE ANYMORE POLITICAL DRAMAS TO DECEIVE THE “MUSLIM POLITI” TO FILL YOUR SO-CALLED VOTE BANKS.
Noor Nizam.
Peace and Political Activist, Political Communication Researcher and Former SLFP District Organizer – Trincomalee.