Dealing with instigators of racial discord

Aren’t the misunderstandings between Sinhala Buddhists and Muslims artificially created?

2016-04-19

I appreciate and endorse Dr Ranga Kalanasooriya’s views in his March 1, 2016 column in the Daily Mirror reiterating the need to seek means to create better understanding between Sinhala Buddhists and Muslims.  

Details of burning issues faced by Muslims provided in my response were aimed at highlighting their current miserable plight to dispel the myth that Muslims float in wealth and do not care for the country. 

The reality is that, according to a survey by Dr A.M.M.Riyas, only five percent of the Muslim community is well to do while 25 per cent belongs to middle class and the remaining 70 per cent live below poverty line suffering from vicious related health, education and illiteracy problems.

This segment remains ignored by successive governments and their own politicians. The need of the hour is to attend to their legitimate grievances, help alleviate their sufferings, give them some hope in life and make them feel part of the system.

In this regard it is time that governments take the Muslim community into confidence and provide them with job opportunities from government establishments, armed forces, semi government and other sectors to help solve their socio- economic problems.

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