SLMC Has Become A Shameful Liability On The Community
By Latheef Farook -October 7, 2012
Latheef Farook
It was deliberate deception and calculated betrayal by the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress.
This is how most Muslims describe the SLMC decision to join the very United Peoples Front Alliance, UPFA, government which it severely criticised to win votes and deceive people during the recent eastern provincial council elections.
Muslims were suspicious of SLMC when it criticised the government, while being part of the it, in view of its past record of letting down the community. As a result most Muslims were indifferent to recent provincial council elections. They only voted in response to appeals by mosques in the hope that this time the SLMC will honour its promises.
However Muslims were once again deceived when the SLMC joined the government without seeking any assurance to solve some of the community’s burning issues. This is nothing but shamming by the SLMC to harvest votes.
Muslims are not against joining the government. As a minority community Muslims need to work hand in hand with the government in power. However, they wanted to do so ensuring their rights and dignity. Side-lined by the government, the Muslim community has been facing numerous serious issues.
To cite few examples more than 120,000 or so Muslims were driven out mercilessly within hours by the LTTEin October 1990. Most of them continue to languish in refugee camps in appalling conditions in and around Puttalam even to this day. They expected to return to their lands after the defeat of the LTTE. However, as even pointed out by Minister Rishard Badurdeen, the government remains indifferent to the pathetic plight of these victims. Declared as old IDP and ignored by all they were allowed to rot.
In the east Muslims claim that their lands were acquired under various pretexts and the latest being the acquisition of Karumalai village in Mutur after evicting 105 families without any notice as claimed by Muslims there. There is uncertainty in Colombo too following the forceful ejection of Muslims from Slave Island and the acquisition of commercial property in Fort.
Instead of relief there has been a steady rise of chauvinism and Sinhalisation since the defeat of LTTE in May 2009. This includes organised campaign, perhaps sponsored by external forces, demonising Muslims as plotting to turn this island into a Muslim country. The aim of this ridiculous and vicious campaign is to poison the minds of mainstream Sinhalese perhaps to create an anti-Muslim pogrom. As part of this campaign, in an extremely dangerous move, a handful of Buddhist monks who are supposed to preach Lord Buddha’s message of peace and harmony, have been used to attack Mosques inciting Sinhalese against Muslims. These activities intensified since the arrival of Israelis who remain sworn enemies of Islam and Muslims worldwide.
