Sri Lankan personal laws between justice and freedom – A value based perspective
Featured image courtesy Colombo Telegraph
M.H.M. FIRDOUS on 12/01/2016
No century in recorded history has experienced so many social transformations and such radical ones as the twentieth century (Peter, 2016). Over this period, without any exception every human culture has been transformed from within, due to globalisation and rapid geopolitical changes. Unlike the past, today the universe is increasingly transforming into closely connected villages where all social groups and nations are compelled to find commonalities among them with mutual understanding and respect to each other. Identifying a common ground in terms of the immutable values and common goals which enable attainment of those values is the missing task that plural nations need to fulfill. Throughout the human history to date social groups have had certain ways of life shaped by codes of conduct, both unwritten and written. Without exception every such code has undergone changes; and change will be the only constant factor that never changes. This article attempts to analyse various personal laws and family laws in common and Muslim personal law in particular in line with perceived higher objectives or immutable values in compliance with the divine texts and prophetic traditions. Furthermore, this article tries to unfold mere dogmatic and cultural practices and open Muslim eyes in particular to move towards common goals and a common framework to reach those goals in terms of personal laws of Sri Lankan in common and the Muslim personal law in particular.
