Rishad Bathiudeen: A Potential Future Muslim Leader?
Rushdy Nizar
The post-independent politics of Sri Lanka can be characterised as a two-party structure. Invariably, since independence we have seen the patronage of two leading political parties in shape of the United National Party (UNP) and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). Although more recently the Sri Lankan political landscape is punctuated by the sway of emerging political parties, having the clout of the king-maker, hence, an indication of the multi-party system and greater democratic propensity. However, Sri Lanka, like many developing nations cultivates political parties on ethnic, region and religious lines.
Tamil areas are generally dominated by Tamil parties and the same goes with the predominantly Muslim majority areas led by Muslim parties, though not until the formation of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC). Further, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) has become a reckonable force, arguably the third most powerful party. The party has gone through different levels of transformation from Marxist political philosophy to the adoption of domestic political culture.
The formation of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress by late M.H.M. Ashraff was a landmark historical event in the Island. It was not the formation that raised alarm, but the unconditional support of then governments for it creation. The support was well crafted and endeavored to polarize Sri Lankan Muslims as a separate distinctive Tamil speaking entity, an attempt to divide and dissect yet another identity for the Muslims. Such a political ploy further alienated the isolated and scattered Muslim community, yet created deep-rooted feelings amongst them on the extent to which they are an integral part of the nation. The ploy hyphenated the socio-political and socio-economic status of Muslims with M.H.M. Ashraff and SLMC. Undoubtedly, the dispersed Muslim community found a certain degree of integration, and Messianic solace in the SLMC. Read More
Compare Israel With The LTTE
By Hameed Abdul Karim -August 5, 2014
Hameed Abdul Karim
I was more than disappointed when I read your editorial in the Sunday Times (August 2, 2014) where you directly compare the Hamas with the now vanquished LTTE suggesting that Hamas too is a terrorist organisation as Israel and its backers in west, the so-called ‘international community’, want the whole world to believe.
It is open season on Muslims in Sri Lanka as in the whole world, so I will be treading on dangerous grounds when I say Hamas is not a terrorist organisation. I know also that useful idiots like ‘caliph’ Baghdadi of Islamic State notoriety contribute immensely to the sound bites of ‘Islamic terrorism’ that are ever present in the echo chambers of the world media.
Free and fair election
But please remember Hamas was democratically elected in an election that was supervised by Jimmy Carter who said the process were ‘free and fair’. But of course such reports do not appear at all in any media anywhere as frequently as the term ‘Hamas is a terrorist organisation’ does. If the people’s will is the defining term in a democracy, as we hear so often, then the world must accept Hamas as an elected body and if necessary in times of oppression and slaughter support them when they offer legitimate resistance which is permitted under international law the same way it supported the French Resistance Movement in its struggle against German occupation. But the world, especially the so called ‘international community’, makes fish of one and fowl of another. The Nazis dubbed the French Resistance fighters as ‘terrorists’ but the world supported them, quite rightly, as a legitimate resistance to Germany’s occupation of their country.Read More
