By Hilmy Ahamed –
Hilmy Ahamed
Your Highness Prince Zeid Ra’ad Zeid Al-Hussein,
In your capacity as the UN Commissioner for Human Rights, I write to your Highness with much hope and confidence that the office of the United Nations Commission For Human Rights will provide and protect the human rights of Sri Lanka’s multi ethnic, multi religious and multi cultural population.
Your Highness, as you are well aware, all three communities in this country, i.e. the Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims suffered in numerous ways and faced untold hardship during the 30 years of armed conflict that devastated our country socially and economically. The Muslim community in particular, who were not part of the armed conflict, paid a heavy price when ethnic cleansing took place in the Northern Province, when they were forced to leave their homes in a few hours taking nothing of value. The entire population of the Northern Province was ethnically cleansed. The Muslims in the East too suffered extreme violence including the gunning down by the Liberation Tigers of Thamil Eelam (LTTE) of 147 Muslims while they were in prayer inside a mosque in Kathankuddy, Sri Lanka. The Muslims paid this price because they refused to join the Thamil separatists in their quest for a separate state (Eelam).
The evicted Muslims of the North have remained in refugee camps and shelters in different parts of the country for over 25 years and still continue to live as a “Forgotten People”. They have been denied their right to return, their land and properties forcibly taken from them and their livelihoods lost.
At the end of the war in May 2009, the Government followed a policy of resettling the ‘last in, first out’, that deprived the Muslims of their right to return to their homes and restart their lives and livelihood.
During their displacement, most of their land and property have been taken over by the LTTE and settled with families of their war heroes and other Tamil population of the Northern Province. The Government, the International Community and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) have done very little to address the grievances of the Muslim IDPs.
In 2012, the Government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, in one of the most controversial declarations had professed large extents of land in the Northern Province as forest reserves. This was undertaken as a knee jerk reaction to the possible loss of control by the then government of the Northern Provincial Council in the elections of 2013. The The 13th Amendment gave the Provincial Councils rights over “Land, land tenure, transfer and alienation of land, land use, land settlement and land improvement.” It specifically says “Land shall be a Provincial Council subject to certain limitations.” The Supreme Court determined in September 2013 (Three weeks after the TNA won the Northern Provincial Council) that state land was vested in the central government and not the provincial councils.
The Muslims were the worst affected by this declaration as almost all their lands that they were forced to abandon due to their eviction had forest growth beyond the stipulated height. They could not go back to clear the shrub growth due to the military engagement of the LTTE and the government forces.
At the end of the war in 2009, President Mahinda Rajapaksa appointed a Presidential Task Force (PTF) for Resettlement, Development and Security in the Northern Province. The President’s powerful sibling, Hon. Basil Rajapaksa, led the PTF. It was mandated to resettle the 300,000 IDPs from the war within the shortest possible time. Almost the entire displaced persons of the last stages of the war were resettled, but IDPs from 1990 were not part of this impressive resettlement scheme as they were considered old refugees.
In 2012, the PTF identified and started distributing some land in the Mannar district (Musali South) previously owned by Muslims for the resettlement of the Muslim IDPs of the 1990 eviction. In the absence of substantial support from the Government, benevolent donors from many Muslim countries supported these returning IDPs with housing and other basic infrastructure. This led to various protests by extremist Buddhists and they began, with the support of some Environmentalists, a campaign claiming that these IDPs were being settled within the boundaries of the Wilpattu National Park. When evidence was provided that the Muslims had title deeds to these lands, some under the seal of King Edward from 1906, they changed their stand and said that they are being resettled in the forest reservations of Kalaru, thus depriving the rights of the Muslim population to return to their own homes.
Further, with the end of the war in 2009, some extremist Buddhists began targeting the Muslim and evangelical Christian population of the country. The Secretariat for Muslims (SFM) has recorded over 500 incidents of violence, intimidation and threats against each of these communities during the last four yers. The Government has taken no action to stop this violence. With the change in government in 2015, there was high expectation amongst the minority communities that the new Government of good governance would address these concerns, but regretfully there has been no firm action against these extremists.
The hate campaign orchestrated by these extremist Buddhist groups led mostly by Buddhist monks culminated in the Aluthgama pogrom that resulted in loss of lives, property and livelihood of the Muslims. The demand from the Muslim community for a commission of inquiry has not been heeded. We earnestly request your office to address this issue as priority and bring the perpetrators of this violence to justice.
The Muslim community expects your Highness and the Office of the United Nations Commissioner For Human Rights to include the legitimate concerns of the Muslim community as part of the Geneva process in finding a lasting solution to our country’s long drawn conflict. Any solution without addressing the concerns of the Muslim IDPs and the hate campaign towards minorities will cause the rights of the Muslim community to be violated.
I thank you for your kind consideration.
Vibhushana / February 9, 2016
I would wish to clarify a few points.
I agree with most things, including BBS hate campaign. The BBS was a big factor for the violence at Aluthgama.
However,
I do not agree that it was a “pogrom”. I cite a video here that may provide another perspective.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1MsuXl84i4
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Ben Hurling / February 9, 2016
Hilmy Ahamed,
Your begging on your knees in front of a UN official in this manner is unwarranted. Embarrassing to all Sri Lankans.
Do Sri Lankan Muslims have specific grievances? Yes. But, so do all others that inhabit this land. We are in it together. Not just Muslims. Sad to note that you too are in that tiny Muslims only box. Unable to think outside the box.
Are Muslims specially targeted by BBS and rise of anti Muslim feeling in the country? Yes. But, how is it only a Sri Lankan problem?
Islamophobic hysteria has reached epic levels where ever Muslims are a minority. Around the world. That situation is far worse in the West.
Please see it in the global context. There is a BBS in almost every country now. Only they are far worse.
That does not mean we should not deal with the BBS & Sinha Le menace. Which affects Sri Lankan Muslims. But, that has to be done by Sri Lankans. In Sri Lanka.
Quit begging. Stand up as a Sri Lankan and fight for your rights with other decent people here in Sri Lanka.
Cheers!
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Farhad Mushin / February 9, 2016
Ben, Hilmy is not begging but demanding that the Muslim factor is also taken in to consideration. It has nothing to do with Islamophobia, but a clear case of discrimination by the government which is sucking up to the International community. The government is hell bent on appeasing the Tamil diaspora as they have total control of the international community. The Muslims are not part of the resettlement process, and they too are IDPs
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Native Vedda / February 9, 2016
Hilmy Ahamed
“The Muslim community in particular, who were not part of the armed conflict, paid a heavy price when ethnic cleansing took place in the Northern Province, when they were forced to leave their homes in a few hours taking nothing of value.”
No one is disputing the fact that Muslims too suffered during the war. In fact I suggested TGTE should confess, own up, say sorry beg for mercy (and pay compensation from the funds the LTTE brokers accumulated over 15 years period) from those unarmed civilians who paid a heavy price through no fault of their own.
There is no justification for ethnic cleansing or committing war crimes.
Hilmy is suffering from selective amnesia. Some Muslim traders also enriched themselves by supplying contraband to LTTE with the connivance of a number army officers, particularly one or two or brigadiers and more officers.
He hides himself behind LTTE atrocities in order to hide atrocities of Muslim home guards and the the few torture experts who were hired by the armed forces during the war. Even though the war was brought to an end nearly 7 years ago, the professional torturers have not changed their attitudes towards and condemn for those victims. They continue to threaten and throw their weight around.
If he is truly concerned about people irrespective of their ethnicity he should delve into land grab issues related to the Eastern province, this time around the victims seem to be Tamils as well as Sinhalese.
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Dr. Gnana Sankaralingam / February 10, 2016
Dear native Veddha,
Hilmy is deliberately distorting the truth that Muslims were helping Sinhalese during the conflict. There was a labourer named Sheriff working in General Hospital Colombo and residing in Rajagiriya, who became ill and was my patient in late 70’s. He told me that he was a spy for the government. He used to visit Mutur and stay with a Muslim family, collect information about Tamil activity and pass the information to government officials. There would have been several such persons in Muslim community who would have acted as spies, which would have resulted in the arrest and disappearance of fighters and in some cases innocent people. These facts are being conveniently covered up. Just as what you have stated Muslims have appropriated lands belonging to Tamils in Eastern Province. A Sinhalese doctor told me that his land in Valaichenai has been encroached by Sinhalese and Police is not taking action to evict them due to political reasons.
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Irshard Cader / February 11, 2016
Dr Gnana, your name is not asthe wisdom you seem to have. You are conveniently forgetting your Dauglos Devandan, Arumugam Pundaman, and since of late Jarun and Pillaian. What were they> Innocent supporters of the racist Mahinda Rajapakaya government??? Do not throw stones from a glass house. Yes, there would have been Muslim mercenaries, just as we have in any community. There is no need to highlight how corrupt the Sri Lankan army was. It must be mentioned that most of the essential needs of the tigers including pen torch batteries for Jhonny Battas that blew up the feet of Sri Lankan soldiers were smuggled by the army soldiers, So, please look at your self in the mirrir and judge for your self. I can assure you, the Muslims helped SL forces to destroy Tamil terrorism
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Amarasiri / February 9, 2016
Hilmy Ahamed –
RE: An Open Letter To UN Commissioner For Human Rights
“The evicted Muslims of the North have remained in refugee camps and shelters in different parts of the country for over 25 years and still continue to live as a “Forgotten People”. They have been denied their right to return, their land and properties forcibly taken from them and their livelihoods lost.”
Thank You.
Yes. Facts are Facts. UN must address them, instead of putting it under the rug. Why the Double Standards?
The culprits are at large.
What will the UN will and Will not do to correct these problems, even though thee is so much hate-water under the bridge.
Forgotten People – The Evicted and Displaced North Muslims of Sri Lanka (English)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JV60McNQ9o
Published on Jun 1, 2013
The Evicted and Displaced North Muslims of Sri Lanka. The expulsion of the Muslims and other nations from the Northern province was an act of ethnic cleansing carried out by the Tamil militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) organization in October 1990. In order to achieve their goal of creating a mono ethnic Tamil state in the North Sri Lanka, the LTTE forcibly expelled the 72,000 strong Muslim population from the Northern Province.
The culprits are at large.
What will the UN will and Will not do to correct these problems, even though there is so much hate-water under the bridge.
They Killed my Father,Give my father back-Aluthgama,Dharga town kids crying
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jreY9ijQg7Q
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Thiru / February 9, 2016
“The Muslim community in particular, who were not part of the armed conflict, paid a heavy price when ethnic cleansing took place in the Northern Province, when they were forced to leave their homes in a few hours taking nothing of value.”
Really, Hilmy Ahamed,
Several Muslim leaders have admitted that the Muslims took sides with the Sinhala racist governments against the war for liberation of Tamils waged by LTTE.
Muslims played a crucial part in aiding and abetting the governments in defeating the Tamils since they were advantaged by their language – for snooping on Tamils!
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Ajith / February 9, 2016
Thiru,
I agree with you that Muslims also played crucial part in this conflict. It is true Muslims were also affected in this conflict but they (political leadership) also benefited taking opportunistic decisions in collaborating with Buddhist Sinhale against Tamils. They also violated human rights. In fact their benefit outweighed their losses compared to both Sinhalese and Tamils. They were never played a neutral policy. Their motives were business, that means profit only by any means.
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baludeen / February 9, 2016
[Edited out]
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ballah / February 9, 2016
get rid of islam and world will be a better place for both humans and animals….
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fazeel Hussain / February 9, 2016
Yes, Ballah, we can start with animals like you. Unfortunately, we need to find some Koreans to eat you.
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ballah / February 9, 2016
exactly my point farzel, muslims can’t co-exist with anyone. you admit that animals are the followers of islam??
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Fazeel Hussain / February 11, 2016
Yes, Ballah. The Muslims and the rest of humanity cannot coexist with dogs like you, but the real canine kind is far superior and adorable than the ones like you
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Saro / February 9, 2016
Yes, Muslims and indeed other communities displaced should be resettled in their former homes.
There is no truth in the claim that
“The President’s powerful sibling, Hon. Basil Rajapaksa, led the PTF. It was mandated to resettle the 300,000 IDPs from the war within the shortest possible time. Almost the entire displaced persons of the last stages of the war were resettled, but IDPs from 1990 were not part of this impressive resettlement scheme as they were considered old refugees.”
In 2013 the British PM visited tin-hut camps during his Jaffna visit and showed the world that Tamil refugees were languishing for more than 2 decades.
Former president Rajapakse and his cohorts are waiting to stop the investigation of his misrule and corruption, money laundering etc and the efforts taken so far have not been successful is trying to topple the present government. The soft target can only be hitting the ethnic and religious minorities as they perceive that their grassroots supporters will rally around to start a pogrom and in which they can make a dent in the yahalapana government.
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K.A Sumanasekera / February 9, 2016
Thank you Mr Hilmy for remembering the poor Muslim brothers and their sons who were blasted by the the LTTE Tigers whom the TNA Boss Mr Sambanan called” Our Boys”.
Those poor souls didn’t have a chance to put their hands up or wave a white hanky even,because they were on their knees ,looking towards Mecca.
I watched the Video clip of the funeral procession and the mass burial on U Tube several times recently.
And noticed that the Bedouin Prince only wants to know what happened to those “Our Boys” since 2009.
Didn’t you read the Brief to the Prince or the Brief issued by the Prince..
Hakeem, Baththudeen and even Azath Sally are quiet as mice .. Aren’t they?
They too must be feasting on Batalanda’s Bacon Bones ,which even a few of our Sinhala Buddhist SLFP MPs have been chewing for the last 13 months.
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Patriot / February 9, 2016
Well Hilmy the truth hurts. Zayed is not here to solve your problems. He is here on a Diaspora funded tour to release the Tamil political prisoners, find the 4000 missing (some who are in Nauru Island now) and give back their land. Now don’t be a spoil sport. Be happy Yoshitha is inside. Huray.
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Native Vedda / February 9, 2016
Patriot the pathetic
“some who are in Nauru Island now”
How did they reach Nauru Island given that a tight security has been in force around the shores of this island on 24/7/52 basis, enforced by the Navy?
Unless of course the Sri Lankan Navy dropped them there as part of its tourism package, or in the pretext of Whale Watching.
Please find out the true story behind Naurau mission from Yoshitha and Namal Rajapaksa.
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ballah / February 9, 2016
don’t cry hilmi, muslims are hated everywhere and your tears will not do anything to reverse it.
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upul Jayasinge / February 9, 2016
Hilmy, you should have met this highness of yours and told him what the Tamil Terrorists have done to both the Sinhala and Muslim population. Some Colombo Tamils too suffered as much as others because they did not agree with the homeland concept. Its time the international community listed to the Muslims too on their fate without giving everything to the Tamil diaspora. The unfortunate thing is,none of your politicians have the backbone to stand up and fight for Muslim rights, so there is no point in asking this prince. Just make sure that your politicians will pushed to force the government to concede. Otherwise, dont take them to your mosques.
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susantha Ratnayake / February 9, 2016
Good article Hilmy. Will get the attention of the UN high commissioner for human rights, but I don’t agree with some of your issues. The majority of Buddhists are not in favour of the extremist Buddhists. You also need to highight that fact.
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Sujatha Jayaweera / February 9, 2016
A well written artice that shows the plight of the Muslims. The yahapalanaya has a responsibility to address the issues hilmy has raised in his thought provoking article. We as a nation owe it to the Muslim community. Without them, our country would have been separated.
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Fathima Nazeera / February 9, 2016
Thank you brother Hilmy for highlighting the Muslim IDP issue. You are one of the few in this country who is bold enough to speak out on behalf of the Muslims. May Allah protect you always. You are in our prayers always. Your parents too would be blessed for bringing up a son like you.
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Jaffnamuslim / February 9, 2016
Thank you for this hilmy brother. We tried to meet him to tell about our problem but the racist staff of the UN in colombo did not give us chance. Your letter is good. Now they will know Muslim problems.
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Bensen Berner / February 9, 2016
Prince Zayed is one of the fairest human beings on earth; neither a Muslim, a Sinhalese nor a Tamil. The Rajapaksas, as usual, played to the sentiments of the illiterate Sinhala masses as did the Chauvinists in the 1950s and thereafter. Prince Zayed is in a way an indirect descendant of Prophet Mohammed the founder of Islam. Bensen
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trawlerman / February 9, 2016
Realy man, Then why he keep sending illegals to europé, destroying european cultures, life, society, etc etc, Missusing democracy respect etc etc. This fellow is nothing but trouble, only misusing intl system to get his own religious and cultural people to invade others.
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Priyantha Perera / February 9, 2016
Hilmy, why do you address him as Your Highness Prince…. He is just another stooge of the international community and is a paid servant of the Tamil diaspora. They are out to destroy Sri Lanka and take our soldiers to Hague for war crimes. It will not happen. There would be blood on the streets of Colombo if they try.
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Marwan / February 9, 2016
Thanks Hilmy for bringing this issue to the fore. At least now the world will be aware of the plight of Muslims living in this country. It is only after the change of government that there is some respite, but more needs to be done to bring back the lost confidence. The total investigation of assets of BBS Secretary, how he earned his wealth to build and own large buildings at his Temple premises, who funded him and for what pyurpose, his ownership of a Mercedes Benz car, the investigation and arrest for those who conducted the Aluthgama/Beruwela/Dharga Town looting, arson and killing of Muslims, whilst the police and armed forces turned a blind eye. These investigations also need to be conducted and the perpetrators brought to justice, just as importantly as the human rights abuses that took place in the final stages 9of the Ealam saga.
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Snowden Edward Asange / February 9, 2016
LOL @ blood…why all em would have periods? YOU keyboard warrior…go out to the street and try fighting JUST one person than sit in ur air conditioned basement that belongs to ur parents..
Why is he referred to as Royal Highness? coz he comes from a ROYAL FAMILY unlike your Namal Yo-shit-a or even Rohitha…
Dude IF the soldiers committed war crimes.. they have to face reality NONE is above the law..whether a soldier or a layman… every life is equally important and valuable..
IF u slit the wrist of a Sinhalese Tamil or a Muslim the blood is not green yellow or blue..but ALL red…
God created humans to love each other not to kill one another…He liked diversity, hence he created people of different color height weight religion creed tribes etc…
SHAME ON YOU…AND YOUR PARENTS FOR BRINGING UP A LOSER LIKE YOU…
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Eusense / February 10, 2016
“Dude IF the soldiers committed war crimes.. they have to face reality NONE is above the law..whether a soldier or a layman… every life is equally important and valuable.. “
Very true. Only exception, soldiers from the Western world.
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Ajith / February 9, 2016
Al Hussein is a Muslim. So,Hilmy addressed him as highness because he is a Muslim, not as a UN HR secretary. You know half of the Muslims are on the side of West and other half of Muslims are on the side IS.
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Fazeel Hussain / February 9, 2016
Ajith, I wish that some one from the IS side will come and check out your backside
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Native Vedda / February 9, 2016
Fazeel Hussain
” I wish that some one from the IS side will come and check out your backside”
Why go all the way to Middle East, go to the closest army camp and I assure your that you will find an expert explorer readily available for your purposes. If you prefer a Muslim expert, he too is available in this island on demand.
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Salman Rasheed / February 11, 2016
Ajith, There is no need to address Zeyed as HRH, because it has nothing to do with Islam. Hilmy has a refined person is giving the diplomatic recognition to a person from a royal family. As far as Islam is concerned, zeyed would only be a fellow brother who would stand shoulder to shoulder in prayers and eat from the same plate. SO, don’t try to make out that this is a Muslim affair.
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Fathima / February 9, 2016
Shame on the Muslim parliamentarians who have not the slightest sentiment of duty or responsibility to speak for the war affected Muslims. Shame on the Government to continue to ignore issues concerning all citizens. All of you who have held or hold any position of responsibility are answerable to God or Karma or whatever you wish to name The Supreme.
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jansee / February 9, 2016
Fathima:
By and large, you get the picture. The Tamils voted in those who would voice their concerns whereas most Muslims sided with their Muslim leaders who cohabited with the Rajapakse regime. Today he SLMC is in tatters. The Muslims chose a destiny that opted for short-terms gains and their leaders got what they wanted, personally.
The Tamils suffered a great deal to stake their claim whereas the Muslims made a choice to side with the regime and the take of it was that the regime turned on the monks against the Muslims. If even after 68 years the Muslims are either greedy or naive in a merciless “desert” then they have only themselves to blame.
Hilmy Ahamed is a fool. He wrote this as a Muslim, instead of as a SL. If has an axe to grind, try to persuade the Muslims to elect him as their leader so that he can work for them but unfortunately they (the Muslims) will vote for vultures, and not for Hilmy. He has to figure out where and what are the fault lines?
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Paul / February 9, 2016
Stop lying the Muslims were the biggest beneficiaries of this conflict. They had used this conflict to better their position at the expense of the Tamils in the south and in the east and even the Sinhalese know this. Just look at Colombo they had purchased all the properties and businesses of the fleeing Tamils very cheaply and thrived. In the east they have strengthened their hold, with the help of the Sinhalese settlers, as thousands of Tamils have been killed, have fled and have been ethnically cleansed by the Sinhalese and Muslim home guards
They were not innocent victims even in the north. From the time of independence despite being ethnically Tamil they have denied their largely low caste Indian Tamil immigrant origin and falsely claimed an Arab origin for the entire community that even the Arabs do not acknowledge but have classified them as descendants of largely low caste South Asian converts. Being Muslim is not an ethnicity it is a religion that cuts across many races ethnicities and language groups. They are Tamil by heritage and ethnicity and Muslim by religion. There is no such thing called a Muslim Christian Buddhist or Hindu ethnicity, these are all major world religions that cut across races and languages. Only small religions like Judaism, Sikhism, Druse that are closely related to certain ethnic groups. Only in Sri Lanka due to politics to divide and rule the Muslims have been considered a separate ethnic group and differentiated from their fellow non Muslim Tamils. They are not Moors or Arabs as they never originated from there. They are from the Tamil parts of South India.
They overtly and covertly supported the Sinhalese, joined the Sinhalese mobs and armed forces in the south and east of the island to kill, loot rape and ethnically cleanse thousands of Tamils from their homes and lands. Even now thousands of ethnically cleansed Tamils in the east are not allowed to return to their lands by these Muslims. These Muslims in the east who only came there a few centuries ago seeking asylum from the Tamils are now doing everything in their power by joining with the illegal Sinhalese settlers in the east to deny the Tamils their rights and steal their land from them.
Despite the TNA being the largest individual party that won most of the seats in the east. The Muslims formed a coalition with the Sinhalese settlers in the east to deny the TNA and the Tamils forming a government in the east. Now this Muslim ruled eastern provincial council is doing everything in its power to destroy the Tamis in the east by denying them everything.
The LTTE at first never bothered about the Muslims in the north as they only numbered around 70000 in a sea of Tamils. However they were caught spying for the racist Sinhalese armed forces (that was then busy killing raping and looting the northern Tamils) and hiding weapons provided by the Sri Lankan armed forces in their mosques. Why do all this to their own fellow Tamils? They were behaving like enemy aliens, a fifth column, in a time of war, despite speaking Tamil and being Tamil. Enemy aliens are either incarcerated or deported at a time of war.
The LTTE did not want a repeat of what happened in the south and east to the Tamils at the hands of these Muslims so packed them off. They have never wanted to live amicably or in peace with the island’s Tamil population and have always joined hands with the Sinhalese to deny the island’s Tamils their rights with the intention of ultimately stealing their lands for their immigrant community, especially in the east. This is the reason the nasty Muslim politician from Manna,r was on the pretext of settling Muslim IDPS, was instead busy settling thousands of out of area Muslims with the help of funds from certain fundamentalist Islamic nations from the Arabian Gulf to create new Muslim majority areas in the north, then ultimately claim these lands from the Tamils as it has happened in the east.
More than 70% of them live amongst the Sinhalese but they will never dare to claim for Muslim rights or Muslims autonomous areas in the Sinhalese south but will only demand these in the Tamil areas despite sharing a common language culture and ethnicity with the Tamils. Why? It is not because they love and trust the Sinhalese but they fear them, as they are the government, with the armed forces and police manned by the Sinhalese. Any cry for Muslim autonomy/rights in the Sinhalese areas will be dealt by the Sinhalese powers to be very sternly. However they feel the island’s Tamil population are weak and helpless with the Sri Lankan government wanting to destroy them, so easy to demand and steal lands from the Tamils for their immigrant community from South India, with Sinhalese help. If ever they want protection it should be from the Sinhalese and not the Tamils but they dare not ask.
It was the Tamils who were denied justice rights and were treated very badly in their own land not these immigrant low caste converted Indian Tamil Muslims. They connived and colluded with the Sinhalese from the word go to deny the Tamils everything, so they can get the crumbs that fall from the Sinhalese table for their immigrant community and are still doing this. The Tamils were forced to fight for their just rights in their own land and had lost over 300000 lives their lands their wealth with around 1.2 million of them ethnically cleansed and forced to flee their lands, whilst these Muslims just were happily colluding with the Sinhalese overtly and covertly and were benefiting from this situation. Now when the world and the UN want to do something to the Island’s Tamils to save them from outright structural genocide. They come like party poopers crying what about me and want to spoil everything for the Tamils by falsely claiming that they were also affected when it was the opposite for the vast majority of them and demand vast chunks of Tamil lands rights only in the Tamils areas where only a 28% minority of them live and not anything in the Sinhalese areas where more than 72% of them live, shows their outright hypocrisy and fake claims. They are doing this to sabotage and spoil everything for the island’s indigenous Tamils and steal as much as possible from for their immigrant refugee community from South India, as they feel the Tamils are weak and is the island’s two ancient communities the Sinhalese and Tamils reconcile under a federal system their immigrant community will loose out as both these people really do not like them and trust them.
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Dr.Rajasingham Narendran / February 9, 2016
Hilmy,
Yes, what happened to the Muslims was absolutely wrong. All Muslims who lived in the north were made to pay the price by the Tigers, for what they perceived as a grave travesty committed by a few. Many Tamils were also killed by the LTTE because they were labeled traitors. They were the law, the policeman, the judge and the hangman, all in one! The Tamils themselves paid a heavy price-unimaginably higher than the other communities- for having permitted the emergence of the LTTE and other militant groups.
However, the Muslims gained much from the marginalization of the Tamils in Sri Lanka, to the extent that among the Sinhala elite there was resentment accumulating against them as early as the 1990’s. Their visible prosperity as a community was arousing envy. I knew then that once the war against the LTTE ended favoubly for the government and the Sinhalese, there will be an anti-Muslim crusade. This happened with Gnanasara in the lead. The basic tenets of Islam came under attack.
The government also used the Muslims- who are Tamil speaking- tactically to drive a wedge between the two minorities. The Tigers were stupid not to understand this ploy and turned their guns on the Muslims. The wedge driven between the Tamils and Muslims as a result is yet quite deep. It will take concerted wise action by the leadership of both communities to bridge it.
All communities have much to regret and repent.
Dr.Rajasingham Narendran
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alex / February 10, 2016
One should not forget the Muslim intelligence operatives and the home-guard who will also have to be accountable for their actions in the East.
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Native Vedda / February 10, 2016
Dr.Rajasingham Narendran
“All Muslims who lived in the north were made to pay the price by the Tigers, for what they perceived as a grave travesty committed by a few. “
I think you have overlooked an important aspect to the ethnic cleansing of Muslims from the North.
This was not a stupid mistake by VP, a calculated move to raise funds and appease anti Muslim section of the Tamils. If you go back to the early 1990s, just after the departure of IPKF, the LTTE was almost bankrupt without source of funds. They saw a golden duck in Muslim community.
For example Erukkalampiddy in Mannar district was a rich village. The wealth accumulated from smuggling by a few Muslims (just like or almost equal to VVT)was also a target. Main concern for LTTE was not about a few informers, but the wealth of the Muslims. LTTE’s spin doctors started working on Muslim treachery well before the actual eviction was carried out, preparing the Tamils to accept and justify the ethnic cleansing. The LTTE became rich over night. I was told that funds was the sole reason as to why LTTE did what it did to the Muslims, as usual the justification followed and some section Tamils were happy carrying the message around the world.
I have met a large number of Muslims who were evicted from the north and have had lengthy discussion on this subject. A young Muslim from Jaffna whom I have known lost Rs 2,000,000 in a matter of minutes. His relatives lost hundreds of millions of rupees worth gold, cash, stock, etc.
If treachery was the only reason then why didn’t LTTE allow the Muslims to take their billions of rupees worth movable assets with them?
Just after the eviction of Muslims from North the Muslim contingent of LTTE left the stupids with heavy heart.
In Mannar, I am told whenever the armed forces gave chase to LTTE cadres they usually escaped through Muslim houses. When they are bogged down in nearby jungles Muslim old women used to carry food and other essential to their Tamil LTTE boys fed them with affection.
In Manal Aru (Welioya) settlements the Sinhalese used to feed the LTTE not out of fear but for some unknown reason (definitely not money). Maybe they empathised with the boys. In the East on many occasions Muslims men and woman had helped LTTE to escape from pursuing STF and other brutes.
The relationship among various communities and LTTE was complicated. I am not an authority to analyse their relationship, however I will continue to state the facts as I see them.
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Dr.Rajasingham Narendran / February 10, 2016
NV,
You are right. This was the modus-operandi of the LTTE. They called it brilliant strategy, instead of down right thieving. When the needed an excuse, they used whatever was around or invented one, to do what they wanted. Sad indeed. Thanks for the derailed information. The Tamils are burdened with the sins the Tigers committed in their name!
Dr.RN
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jansee / February 10, 2016
NV:
It is important and necessary to highlight such behaviour and practices of the LTTE, which most overseas Tamils are not aware of. Seen from a human angle, and you are right, depriving the driven away Muslims of their property smacks of outright banditry, as if driving them out in the first place was not worse already and destroys their stand and argument that the LTTE cares for Tamils. Prabhakaran’s pluses were greatly negated and eventually were scorned at and he became an international outcast. He chose to fight for the oppressed Tamils and we welcome that but his ledger account shows a disgraceful negative account which obviously will continue to haunt the Tamils for a very long time.
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Paul / February 12, 2016
Jansee ,if you carefully look at the Sri Lankan Muslims, they have never supported the Tamils or voted for Tamil parties at all. In the South and the East, their history has been openly hostile to the Tamils and have sided with the Sinhalese from the word go and heavily partaken in the killing looting and large scaled ethnic cleansing the Tamils.
Even now in the east the Eastern provincial council that is now controlled by them, thanks to the Sinhalese settlers is doing everything in its power to marginalise the Eelam Tamils, still the largest community in the east and the real owners of the east and steal more of their lands.
Recently there was severe opposition from the Tamils living around Kalmunai as the Muslims controlled town council in the pretext of expanding the Kalmunai city was trying to use its powers to only acquire large tracts of Tamil owned agricultural lands and not the Muslims who make up the majority in this area. Strange the expansion was only affecting the 30%-40% living in the area and their lands and not a single Muslim. They were cunning/sly and on the pretext of town planning and expansion were trying to us their powers to forcibly acquire Tamil lands around Kalmunai and ethnically cleanse them.
In the northern province they were unable to do this, as they were a microscopic minority of around 50000-70000 in a sea of Tamils, in the Jaffna area they numbered only around 12000 the most. Most of them were concentrated around the Mannar area. Here if you look at their historical voting patterns they had never supported any Tamil party from the time of independence. Neither the Federal Party, the TULF nor the TNA they had always voted for the UNP,(as the SLFP never contested in the Mannar area) ensuring the victory of the UNP at Mannar a few times.
That Muslims were supporting the LTTE on a large scale in the north is a myth. A very small minority of them may have just like in the east or the south either due to political or economic convenience/opportunity or through the real belief that they were also Tamils but the vast majority of them brainwashed by their elite to hate their fellow Tamils or anything Tamil and to thing that they are Arabs, never supported the Tamils and had always acted against the interests of the Tamils, the Tamil language and culture.
Just look at that nasty politician from Mannar who was recently trying to settle thousands of out area Muslims in the Mannar and Vanni region and create new Muslim majority areas in these areas,that had never existed. Given the opportunity this is what they will do to the Tamils, but they did not have this until the Rajapakse government deliberately gave this man a free reign in the north and he was using this and the support of the Sinhalese armed forces/Police to intimidate and chase many Tamils in the Mannar and Vanni region and bring thousands of out of area Muslims to the north in the pretext of settling Muslim IDP whom he hardly bothered to settle and settle them in these newly ethnically cleansed and already vacant Tamil lands to create new Muslim majority areas in the north and hugely increase his support and voter base. Certain Gulf Arab states and Pakistan were supporting this strategy to Islamise the north.
The Muslims in the north and east are more or less 100% Tamil in ethnicity there is no doubt about this. At least in the south a few hundred families have a little bit of Arab but this is not there in the Tamil areas and these people also speak proper Jaffna/Batticaloa Tamil and not the slightly Arabised form of Tamil called Arvi that is spoken by the Muslims down south.
That the LTTE ran through a few Muslim homes to escape the armed or a few old Muslims women feeding the LTTE in the jungles, is no indication the northern Muslims were supporting the LTTE. They may have had no choice in this matter or paid to by the LTTE or many have done this through genuine conviction. Just because a few Sinhalese villagers in the north/east supported the LTTE or a few Tamils supported the government in the south does not mean there was wholes sale support from the Sinhalese in the east or anywhere else in the island for the LTTE or the vast majority of the Tamils even in the south the genocidal antics of the Sri Lankan government and armed forces against the island’s Tamils. Similarly the vast majority of Muslims in the north were never pro LTTE but were overtly and covertly supporting the Sinhalese armed forces to destroy not only the LTTE but many innocent Tamil civilians. What the LTTE did state is the truth. One swallow does not make a summer. A few Muslims supporting the LTTE in the north did not mean all the Muslims were supporting the LTTE or the Tamils. A few Germans also were very anti Nazi and worked against Hitler and tried to save Jews and others, however the vast majority of the Germans were not, that is why the second world war happened. Now just like this Hilmy these northern Muslims are trying to use a few stray incidents to portray how much they loved their fellow non Muslims Tamils and supported the LTTE. May be a few but not the majority that is why they always voted for the UNP and not the TULF. This does not mean I condone the large scale ethnic cleansing of innocent Muslims from the North for the sins of others. All genuine IDPS Muslim or Tamil and in some cases the Sinhalese must be returned but this should not be used as a pretext to settle out of area Sinhalese and Muslims in the north and east to further marginalise the Tamils.
The community that really was marginalised and suffered immensely were the Tamils. They suffered at the hands of every party to the conflict. The racist genocidal Sinhalese government and armed forces/police Sinhalese and Muslim thugs and home guards in the south and east and later at the hands of all Tamil militant groups including the LTTE. The suffering of the Sinhalese and Muslims is very little( in fact on the overall other than the northern Muslims who only numbered 70000 the most, Muslims everywhere in the island immensely benefitted from the marginalisation of the Tamils that is why they are dead set against any solution and want to sabotage it) compared to what the Tamils had to endure from the time of independence, but they try to exaggerate this to justify what they did to the Tamil, “oh we also suffered,” What suffering just look at the population statistics since independence. Tamils from around 28% now reduced to 16=17% within a period of 60 years from independence. Sinhalese from 66% at the time of independence now to 75%. Muslims from around 6%=7% at the of independence to now around 9%. More than 300000 99% innocent Tamil civilians killed at the hands of the Sinhalese armed forces and Sinhalese and Muslim thugs and home guards around 40000 in May 2009 alone as per UN. 1.2 million Tamil forced to flee the island largely to the west. Their causalities are peanuts a few thousand each, excluding the armed forces in a genocidal war against the Tamils that these tow communities partook and now are crying foul when the UN and the West India want to intervene to save the island’s remaining Tamils from further marginalisation and structural genocide at the hands of these two communities.
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trawlerman / February 9, 2016
Is this UN man came to SL to look after muslims or humans of all kind. anyway he must start all that in his home. its a refugee hell their. war, corruption, This man is sending all illegal terrosits and migrants to europé making religious colonies,and misusing european tax payers money.and disturbing european culture and society and misusing euro system and democracy and respect.
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Marwan / February 9, 2016
Trawlerman, you are ignorant as hell, pls don’t get wet in the rain as your brains will erode further and can get get dissolved away. Jordan is his home country and they are housing, caring and feeding nearly 800,000 Syrian refugees on a daily basis, until permanent solution is found. He may be Muslim (if that is the only thing you see through your biased lenses), but he is the Head UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and it his duty to be just to all irrespective, correct the wrongs done by whichever party to the conflict and help to bring closure to those affected, and help us to move along and get on with our lives. For this to happen, he has to give a patient hearing to all the many woes, disgruntlement and pain they are all suffering and address those issues the best way possible, being fair to all, with the powers vested in him by the international community. In this respect, I am proud to say as a fellow Muslim, he is continuing to do a sterling job, unlike any of our politician we can ever think of.
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Paul / February 9, 2016
Other than the slender thread of religion (even that may be a different variety, as the Muslims in Sri Lanka practise the Indian form of Sufi Islam whilst he will be following the main stream Sunni Islam ) there is nothing common between you and him. He is a Jordanian Arab and you a Dravidian Tamil Muslim whose ancestors originated from South India.
You have far more in common with your fellow non Muslim Tamils or for that matter with your other fellow Sri Lankans too,than with him. A common origin heritage culture and language and he has far more in common with his fellow Jordanian and other Arabs than with you even if they are Christian or Druse.
It is only these Tamil Muslims in Sri Lanka that pathetically try to create this mythical common Muslim identity and ethnicity that never exists in other parts of the world, in order to justify this artificial Muslim identity/ethnicity that has been artificially created for them in the island for political purposes to divide and rule the island’s Tamils.
To Muslims in other parts of the world their religions is important but so is their language and ethnicity. Language and ethnicity and a common origin and heritage unites people far more than a common religion. People within the same ethnicity may fight amongst themselves on the basis of religion or region ETC but will always unite against a common outsider.
Only these Sri Lankan Tamil Muslims do not do it as they have been brainwashed by their selfish elite to think that they are Arabs and pathetically worship anything Arab and to hate and deny their real 1000 year old Dravidian Sufi Tamil Muslim origin. This by itself is a form of genocide, not allowing a people to acknowledge their real origin and heritage and to manipulate them for political purposes to deny and hate it. Just take one look at the author of this piece Hilmy Ahmed. Does he even remotely resemble an Arab or a Moor? No he looks like a typical Tamil Dravidian. However here he is decrying and running down his fellow non Muslim Tamils to the hilt.
Pakistan was the only country in the world that was formed on the basis of religion and it did not work. As a common religion could not bind the different ethnic groups that made up the then Pakistani nation and it divided into Pakistan and Bangladesh. Even now in Pakistan the Baluch and the Sindhis are restive and do not like the majority Punjabis who rule Pakistan. Even the Muslim Kashmiris in Pakistani ruled Kashmir do not want to remain part of Pakistan but want Kashmir to be separate from India and Pakistan.
So do not fret. His highness Prince Zaid is not going to feel extra brotherly to you just because you are a Muslim. Just like a white European Christian is not going to identify him or herself closely with a Sri Lankan or African Christian. To him you a foreign non Arab Muslim that has very little common with his Arab culture/heritage. You are just another subcontinental,who happens to be Muslim. Sorry to burst your bubble.
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Marwan / February 9, 2016
Paul, as Muslims we all follow the only true religion of Islam, stand shoulder to shoulder when praying in congregation, no rich man poor man, white man brown man segregation, and we all pray in unison together going through the motions and following the same pattern and style universally with absolutely no differences. There is no caste segregation, as in high caste and low caste. We don’t separate people based on their color of hair, eyes, skin, genes, and ancestry. An Arab is not superior to an non-Arab, and it is the same vice-versa. We belong to one group of Believers in Allah, and accept Prophet Muhammed (Peace and Allah’s blessings be upon him) as His last and final Messenger. Everything else is irrelevant. Our only differences that could be considered is our closeness to God through worship and doing good deeds. Every Muslim in every country in the world recite daily prayers in Arabic, read Quran in Arabic, and declare our relationship as being ‘brothers and sisters in Islam’, and being part of one big family called the Ummath of Prophet Muhammed (PBOH). This is the way we look at ourselves, and there is no such thing as pride in us to want to be associated with any group, tribe, color, country nor even even any Jordanian Prince. First we consider ourselves Muslim then everything else. This is ingrained into our thinking through our religion, and thus nothing will ever change that view. When we say we are Sri Lankan Moors, it is only for formality sake and means nothing to any of us. Some call us Marakkale, referring to people from Morocco. Who cares as long as we are all referred to as Muslims and follow the religion of Islam. Our ancestry is no guarantee of paradise in the hereafter, but it is only our good deeds and remembrance of God through our daily prayers. In short, living our lives as Muslim and fearing God only. Not bowing down to worship other deities attributing God qualities on statues made of rubble and stone which are represented as symbols of God, including human worship and fearing people and their positions of authority. That form of worship is for you.
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Paul / February 10, 2016
Nonsense no one is stopping you from being a Muslim or praying to God. We all pray to a God and believe in the same things as you do. So what is so special or superior about being Muslim? As per the bible Koran and the old testament that makes up most of the Koran it the Jews who are the chosen people not Muslims.
All Hindus offer prayers in Sanskrit and until very recently the Roman Catholics in Latin. So does this mean all Hindus are Aryan Brahmins or all Catholics Roman? Don’t be silly offering prayers in Arabic does not make you an Arab/Arabic heritage or an Arab your brother. What a stupid excuse to justify your fake Arab origin claim and renounce your real Tamil origin.
Even the Turks Iranians Kurds pray in Arabic and use the same Koran but do not consider each other as brothers and fight and kill each other as well as the Arab. In Malaysia the Malay and Indian( largely Tamil Muslims) also offer prayers in Arabic but the Malay ill-treats the Indian Muslim and does not consider him as his brother. All perks in Malaysia is only reserved for Malays not for non Malay Musims. Very little brotherhood. Even Arabs fro different countries do not consider each other as brothers. The Gulf Arabs consider themselves separate from the Arabs from the rest of western Asia. The Iraqi in separate category. The north African Arabs with their Berber/African mix a considered separate. The Egyptians just by themselves and the highly Negroid Sundanese Arabs a group within themselves. This the reason there was hardly any reaction or sympathy from the Gulf Arab states to the plight of the largely Sunni Muslim Syrian Arabs. Whom are trying to fool with this ISIS/Salafist philosophy, you low caste converted Dravidian immigrant Tamil Muslim from India, that just because all Muslims read the Koran in Arabic and Pray in Arabic they are brothers and sisters. You desperately and shamelessly want to be Arab. Most of them just read recite in Arabic and do not understand anything and this has to be explained to them in their own languages. Even the Arabic used is old and very archaic and even most Arabs will now find it difficult to understand.
Even this Pan Islamic ISIS/Slafist policy is only embraced by the Sunni Arab population from Iraq, Syria and the surrounding countries and not by any other non Sunni Arab population. The Shia Arabs do not want it, as they are killed and treated as heretics by the ISIS. Nor the Turks the Kurds the Iranians all Muslims. For your information the Arabs treat these brain washed foreign fighters who go to fight for the ISIS with disdain and use them as cannon fodder and for other dirty work like sex slaves( females). This is how the Arabs treat any non Arab Muslim with scorn and disdain. Ask any of your Muslim friends how the Arabs treated them? TO them you are a low caste converted subcontinental Muslim low life that has come to work for them. before the arrival of foreign workers, they treated the African origin Negroid Arabs who were originally captured and brought there as slaves, very badly. There was and still very little brotherhood amongst them too.
All are equal and not caste or class in Islam. Have you ever lived amongst Arabs or other Muslims especially from the subcontinent. I have. I still can speak Hindi/Urdu. Malayalam quite fluently and Arabic to some extent. There is caste, class amongst Muslims too and they practise this vehemently.
The Muslims from the subcontinent still marry into their own castes and very rarely will go out of their caste. I have lived amongst Pakistani Punjabi Muslims and caste is a big factor. Many still use their original Hindu caste name like Chowdry Rana ETC. especially if they belong to the upper castes.
Even the Tamil Malayalee and other Subcontinental Muslims marry according to caste. The Tamil Muslim castes are Marrikar, Rawther, Lebbai.Thambi, Kutty etc. If there is no caste it is tribes. The Arabs Pashtuns Baloch ETC marry into their own tribes or to allied tribes. Some tribes are considered superior than others( a form of caste) and they perform certain duties. Even now many so called white Arabs will not marry into Arab families that have Negroid blood in them. So very little brotherhood.
You are called Marrekale by the Sinhalese because your converted largely low caste Dravidian ethnic Tamil Muslim ancestors fled from what is currently wooden boats called Marrakallam in Tamil( literally meaning the wooden vessel in Tamil)to the Tamil speaking parts of the island seeking refuge. This is the reason the Sinhalese call you Marrakalle minissu ( people of or from the wooden vessel) nothing to do with Morocco or any part of North Africa or the Arabs. Again you people are pathetically trying to link this with the Arab and create a false myth. The Muslims Tamil community who manned these wooden sailing ships or boats, belonged to a Tamil Muslim caste called Marikarayan or Marikar. A very common caste or family name amongst the Sri Lankan Muslims. The former Indian president and the father of Indian nuclear science the late Abdul Kalam was a very proud Tamil and belonged to the Marrikar community. Don’t try to desperately link this name to the Arabs or the Moors to claim a fake Arab heritage. Just because the Portuguese mistakenly identified all Subcontinental Muslims as Moors, naming them after the Moors from Morocco who occupied and ruled the Iberian peninsula for centuries, as they were the only Muslims whom they knew prior to their travels does not mean you are a Moors or Arab and try to use this mistaken identity claim a fake Moor/Arab origin. The Portuguese mistakenly called the Jaffna Tamils Malabars and the Sinhalese Siamese. So are they?
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Rohan / February 10, 2016
You first learn to love and identify with your fellow non Tamil Muslim brothers and sisters, instead of trying to use Islam to claim brotherhood with Arabs. Charity and love begins at home not elsewhere. Learn to treat your real mother father brother and sister and your actual Tamil heritage with love and respect before showering love and respect to others. Being Muslim and reading the Koran in Arabic is not good enough to hate Tamils and love Arabs
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Native Vedda / February 10, 2016
Rohan
The problem with Sri Lankies is that they think they know who they are but do not know for sure who they are. A confused lot.
Tamils for instance think they are Dravidian, Tamil, Mediterranean, descendants of Gondavana land, Mohenjo-darian, Harappan, Illavar of Iran, … all at the same time.
On the other hand, Sinhalese think they are Aryan, Buddha’s chosen people, Bengali, Sakya Muni’s descendants, Gujrati, Yakka, Naga, Sinhaporean, Singaporean, Hela from Helsinki, Ravana’s descendants, ….. all at the same time.
Muslims think they are essentially Arabs, Sinhala Muslims, Tamil Muslims, Kerala Muslims, ….. related to Muslims of the entire world, gods preferred children for being born in Muslim family, ….. all at the same time. But the Oil Rich countries don’t even consider them as humans.
The Christians used to think they were Europeans well we know what the reality was.
They are indeed a confused lot.
Until they know who they are, their identity crisis will go on for another 2500 years.
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Paul / February 11, 2016
Sinhalese are not Aryans and the Sri Lankan Muslims are not Arabs both are Dravidian. The former predominantly descended from Tamils and the latter almost exclusively descended from Tamils.
However the Tamils are Dravidian and the original Dravidian people did originate from the eastern Mediterranean region and gradually migrated to what is the Indian subcontinent, this is why you still many aspects of the Tamil Dravidian Saivite religion and proto Dravidian or old Tamil similar to many old Mediterranean cultures. One of the Tamil words for god or Siva is Eesan which means the one who gives/provides or the salvation This is very similar to the ancient Aramaic/Hebrew word Esa/Yesua from which Jesus is derived. Another ancient Tamil word for god is El or for mother goddess Ellamma( now Telugus and Kannadigas call Ellamma as Yellamma) very similar to the ancient Hebrew word Ellohim or Arabic Allah. It is from this old Tamil word for El (the sun or sun god) that ancient Tamil names for males like Ellan Ellalan was derived.
Ancient Tamil festivals.
Pongal, the festival of harvest and spring, thanking Lord Indiran and Lord El (the sun), comes on January 14/15 (Thai 1).
PeruVaenil Kadavizha, the festival for wishing quick and easy passage of the mid-summer months, on the day when the Sun or El stands directly above the head at noon (the start of modern Agni Natchaththiram) at the southern tip of ancient Tamil land. This day comes on April 14/15 (Chithirai 1).
The Tamil language and culture is essentially the original Dravidian language culture and religion and old Tamil is the mother of all the major Dravidian languages. The word Dravidian is derived from Tamil. Thamil> Thamila> Damila> Dramila> Dravida. This has been proven many times.
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jansee / February 10, 2016
Marwan:
“Paul, as Muslims we all follow the only true religion of Islam, stand shoulder to shoulder when praying in congregation, no rich man poor man, white man brown man segregation, and we all pray in unison together going through the motions and following the same pattern and style universally with absolutely no differences. There is no caste segregation, as in high caste and low caste. We don’t separate people based on their color of hair, eyes, skin, genes, and ancestry. An Arab is not superior to an non-Arab, and it is the same vice-versa. We belong to one group of Believers in Allah, and accept Prophet Muhammed (Peace and Allah’s blessings be upon him) as His last and final Messenger. Everything else is irrelevant.”
Shows how far you are removed from reality. Your pantomime doesn’t strike chords with the Pakistanis, Iraqis, Syrians, etc. In Pakistan, they don’t stand shoulder to shoulder, but blowing up NPaul, as Muslims we all follow the only true religion of Islam, stand shoulder to shoulder when praying in congregation, no rich man poor man, white man brown man segregation, and we all pray in unison together going through the motions and following the same pattern and style universally with absolutely no differences. There is no caste segregation, as in high caste and low caste. We don’t separate people based on their color of hair, eyes, skin, genes, and ancestry. An Arab is not superior to an non-Arab, and it is the same vice-versa. We belong to one group of Believers in Allah, and accept Prophet Muhammed (Peace and Allah’s blessings be upon him) as His last and final Messenger. Everything else is irrelevant. uslim brothers
Shows how far you are removed from reality and the bad business that cocktails it. Do you know who blow off Muslims there? Have you heard of the horror stories in Iraq and who are those responsible?
Greed has not spared followers of any faith and Muslims are not an exception. I even thought that your SLMC leaders were prostrating at the feet of the Rajapakses. In Islam, no one is supposed to OWN any property, be it tangible or otherwise. Everything is supposed to be held on trust but what is the reality? Even donkeys have some brain unless yours has deserted you completely. You may start by telling all Muslims to park all their properties under a trust for Muslims and not under individual names. I will give you another 400 years. Do you know how the first three Caliphs of Islam died? They were all murdered. I mean murdered. May be we should salute Darwin for unmasking us – that we carried with us ALWAYS that monkey in us.
“Not bowing down to worship other deities attributing God qualities on statues made of rubble and stone which are represented as symbols of God, including human worship and fearing people and their positions of authority.”
This is a stale story mite. If you have such a conviction, then why bother having a mosque at all. Isn’t a mosque a structure, and now you have BEAUTIFUL mosques. There are thousand and one faults with ALL religions but we have to learn to live and respect THY NEIGHBOUR. When most civil society has abandoned legal polygamy, Islam is still trapped in such an antique in what is perceived as a disgrace to women. Many Muslim women have spoken against this archaic practice as merely satisfying men’s appetite. If you want to find fault, there will be plenty on your plate too. So, let us respect each other in our beliefs. People are generally more glued to form rather than substance. Adios.
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Ramesh / February 9, 2016
Hilmy
Why are you wasting your time writing to UN H.R Commissioner. The killer of Muslims and the evictor of Muslims is sitting right in front of you. He was the asst Secy of SLFP and a Minister in the previous govt. His crimes are well known to the present govt too. However the Sinhala leaders want to protect him at any cost .
Your buddy and the Muslim saviour Rahul Hakeem was a co-Minister with Karuna Amman, the main guy who hurt the Muslims. What have your Muslim leaders done about this? You can do nothing because now Karuna is now useful to sabotage the Tamils and even kill them if they make noise. Your Muslim leaders love Karuna,s role in the govt.
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michael munaweera / February 9, 2016
muslims be aware that muslims other than the arab countries are not recognized as you claim yourselves. i have watched in an arab country how your community was treated. even in the prayers sri lankan muslims were ousted. one lady muslim teacher tole me.
also you claim the muslim community is the descendants of Morocco ! is ridiculous claim. i told one muslim, when he claimed descendants of Morocco. because Moroccons are non speakers of tamil. he claimed we are not speaking tamil in peculiar tone.
do you know most of the muslims in arab countries say ” we are going to bray” actually muslims bray instead of “pray”
do you know the butchers of your community are crying like the animals that they kill viz as cows and goats? think what you all are doing and where you all are going. you think only muslims were begat other followers of other faiths are shat by allah !
sinhalese are being deprived by muslims. you can marry our women but we can’t look at your women. is this fair? your boys’ playgrounds are not allowed for other communities. because those play grounds are also circumcised. stop circumsing women by removing the clitoris you will know the change or emancipate women.open your eyes and consider without being tapped in the mess of quran. read other books other faiths and see the difference.
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rishard ahamed / February 10, 2016
michael munaweera ,
Why are you complaining about Muslim boys taking your girls. You are not capable of providing what your girls want and that is why they are turning to us for their bodily satisfaction. Why not just start off by cutting a small piece of skin and trying. Am sure it will work, and I guarantee that you will be satisfied. If you cannot, there is no point in keeping the whole thing, just cut off the whole bunch.
The Muslim women know that you are not able to provide them the ultimate, hence they will not look at you. On the other hand, your women dream of getting laid by a 3/4. So wake up
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f=ma / February 11, 2016
lol you know that it is scientifically proven that circumcised men don’t get much pleasure from sex as their counterparts do?
i guess that explains why 77% of the rapes are carried out by the 2% Muslim male population in Sweden.
bigots.
“You are not capable of providing what your girls want and that is why they are turning to us for their bodily satisfaction”
i bet you don’t even believe in love. Just the apparent satisfaction you get from converting someone in hope of getting 72 virgin goats. Don’t worry if you don’t get a non Muslim, your first cousin is always there for you.
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Davidson Panabokke / February 9, 2016
Within a few years of the eviction of Muslims from the North, LTTE was also pushed out of the North in 1995 – any houses occupied by the LTTE would hae become vacant! That means the govt could have resettled the Muslims. But what happened? All UN/EU officials and foreign politicians visiting Sri Lanka were taken by the govt to Puttalam & shown the Muslim IDPs as evicted by the LTTE from Jaffna to hide its continuing human rights violations not only in the North but also all around the country.
Many don’t know about: ”In 2012, the Government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, in one of the most controversial declarations had professed large extents of land in the Northern Province as forest reserves.”
There was news about Muslims going back to Jaffna after the war to find some houses taken over by the Army.
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Native Vedda / February 10, 2016
Davidson Panabokke
“There was news about Muslims going back to Jaffna after the war to find some houses taken over by the Army.”
And the Army was involved in buying and selling scrap metals, stored in some of the houses belonging to the Muslims.
It cost considerable money and time to evict the army metal store.
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michael munaweera / February 10, 2016
one muslim lady [Edited out]
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BBS Rep / February 10, 2016
Hilmy,
Always demand justice, not beg. There is no need to address Al-Hussein as ‘His Highness’. He is an employee of the UN.
True the displaced Muslims are still in the doldrums and suffering quite unnecessarily. We know the MR Mafia did not find a favourable solution for the Muslim IDPs. In fact they unleashed the BBS on them. It is not too difficult for the present government to settle them either in their old properties or on new government properties and in the absence of such action it is but right to look elsewhere for solace.
But the present Machiavellian Muslim leaders in Colombo must be kicked out and a new set brought in before anything else. That will get the ball rolling for the Muslim IDPs.
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Surendra Perera / February 11, 2016
Yes, the present lot of corrupt Muslim politicians must be eliminated, either through democratic means or otherwise, People like Hilmy are the ones who should represent the Muslims in parliament. He has been bold and consistent. I am told that he faced even death threats under Mahinda/Gota misrule
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michael munaweera / February 10, 2016
muslims read with interest
some lady clerks were working in a government office. one muslim lady was also working along with them. when males were out one lady has broken the silence quoting some incidents at sex with their husbands.\so all the others also contributed.
muslim lady was silent and enjoying. one lady asked what are you doing at that time? i look at the at roof and keep quiet.
uslims gents what are you doing? is this not stealing ?
on the other hand Almighty Allah is Weak to create clitoris and the part you circumcise. Mohammed is powerful to reduce what Allah has crated. are you correct or am i correct.
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f=ma / February 10, 2016
Hilmy we aren’t living in King Edward’s era nor must we play to their rules. We celebrated our 68th independence only 1 week ago; did you forget about that? Typical thesist ideology of living based on an outdated system.
you can’t resettle in a wildlife sanctuary even if you are Bill Gates or Mahinda Rajapakshe.
get you head out of your ass.. stop portraying muslims as victims. It’s a syndrome which you Muslim journalists have.
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Fahim Uvais / February 11, 2016
Idiotic Fu…ma, Hilmy is not talking about a kind edward era, but title deeds to their land which doesnt change because we have kalu suddas
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f=ma / February 12, 2016
lol typical thambi thinking.. it doesn’t make sense at all. I think your people forged that seal. who the f will be allowed to live in a national park let alone the boundaries? don’t you’ll have any self respect to live with animals? Wilpattu has been here for around 80 years and I don’t think even King Edward will let people live in the middle of a wildlife sanctuary.
you can fool a few but not everyone.
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Jim softy / February 10, 2016
muslim’s tendencey to becoming very violent.
Even in aluthgama Muslims attacked buddhist monks. Vedioes available.
What did the buddhist monk do ?
“The number of Muslim-Americans involved in violent extremist plots totalled 81 last year, the highest since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, according to a new report.
Charles Kurzman, a sociologist at the University of North Carolina, released his own seventh annual report on Muslim-American extremism.
The report said the total number of Muslim-Americans involved in violent extremism since 2001 totalled 344 or about 26 per year, according to CBN.
Five plotters engaged in violence in the U.S. in 2015, killing 19 people and raising the total since 9/11 to 69 fatalities.
Over the same period, more than 220,000 Americans were murdered, the report by the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security read.
Last year, 134 Americans were killed in mass shootings. “
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K.A Sumanasekera / February 10, 2016
Vellala Party TNA Leader Sambandan had the gall to say ” Leave the Muslims to Me ” even after Nanthikdal , when the ex President invited him to settle the so called Tamil grievances and the demand for Homeland.
Sambandan thought he can get the Muslims to live under him in the greater North Eastern Eelaam.
But it didn’t work ,and Samabandan put the Plan A.into action.
Norway Government was kind enough to train the BBS in leadership skills, and the rest is history.
UNP, Sambandan, Diaspora plan then was to re enact 1915 and get Ms Pillai to come and deliver the Homeland.
They didn’t have to do that because a few of our our own Sinhala Buddhists lead by a few Leading Monks extended a helping hand to Batalanda Ranil. Sambnadan and Suren Surendran.
Wahabis politicians as usual read the tea leaves and not only backed Ranil but took full UNP membership as well.
Now poor Hilmy has to come out and expose the genocide Ethnic cleaning, and war crimes of Pirahaparan and his LTTE, on the Eastern and Northern rural Muslims.
May be Hakeem ,Batthudeen, Assath sally now worship at the same Mosque with Bakir Hasim, and Muzzamil. in the capital of the soon to be Megapolis.
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Jim softy / February 10, 2016
Muslim talk only half the story. Muslims haress muslims becuse they are not in the same camp. there are so many stories like that in Sri lanka. It is the same story else where.
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Jim softy / February 10, 2016
The evicted Muslims of the North have remained in refugee camps and shelters in different parts of the country for over 25 years and still continue to live as a “Forgotten People”. They have been denied their right to return, their land and properties forcibly taken from them and their livelihoods lost.
Muslims are very good at lies.
It is proven how these m,uslim shave been settled about ten times and how rishad bathiuddian beccme rich land owner because of that.
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Muslim softy / February 11, 2016
Jimmy, what is there for Muslims to lie about. Are you trying to say that they were not ethnically cleaned? What do you mean by “Muslims have been settled about ten times”. You need to get your head examined and Dr Gnanasara would probably be the best for you, another habitual liar like you.
The UN conventions that Sri Lanka is party to have all confirmed a persons right to return after conflicts. So, the Muslims even if they have been settled a million times have the right to return. If you dont accept that [Edited out]
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