19 March, 2024

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Buddhist Extremists Threaten “The Forgotten People”

By Hilmy Ahamed

Hilmy Ahamed

Hilmy Ahamed

The Internally displaced persons (IDPs) of Muslim origin from the Northern province who have been branded as the “Forgotten People” during the last 25 years, continue to be intimidated and harassed by some extremist Buddhist forces and a section of the ill informed media. These Muslim IDPs who were forced out of their homes with less than 2 hours notice by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 1990, had to leave their villages leaving behind their worldly possessions and lifetime savings. They paid this price because they refused to support or be part of Velupillai Prabaharan’s Eelam quest.

Today, the assault on these innocent Muslims continue to be a politically motivated campaign targeting Minister Rishard Bathiudeen and his fight for justice for his fellow Muslim IDPs. This has the full blessings of the Sinhala extremists, the Catholic church in Mannar and some sections of the political leadership.

Rishard Bathiudeen, who is himself a Muslim IDP from the North was also evicted from his home by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in 1990. This eviction of the Muslims from the Northern province has been recognized as the worst ethnic cleansing exercise ever undertaken in Sri Lanka. Minister Bathiudeen is being continuously targeted for voicing his disapproval of successive governments’ failure to address the just grievances of his fellow IDPs. The failure of the Government to provide the same opportunities to the Muslim IDPs as the returning Tamil IDPs is a violation of their basic right to return. They were branded as old IDPs and the international community too who champion human rights discriminated against these unfortunate people. The pressure on the Mahinda Rajapaksa government to resettle the Tamil war displaced during the final stages of the battle made these Muslims to be a forgotten people.

WipattuThe crisis for the Muslims started off from the day they were evicted in 1990. Upon eviction of the entire Muslim community from the North, the LTTE started resettling Tamils, especially the families of LTTE cadres on Muslim lands that the Muslims were forced to abandon. This strategy of colonizing Muslim lands was undertaken as a strategic move to permanently displace the Muslim population from the northern province and has been fully supported by the noted LTTE sympathizer and anti-Muslim crusader of the Northern province, the Bishop of Mannar, Rev. Rayappu Joseph. This had the blessing and support of the Tamil administrative officers who held important government positions. This land grab and the resettlement of Tamils in Muslim lands continue to be a major cause of conflict between the returning Muslim IDPs and the Tamil population who had been settled in the Muslim lands.

Upon eviction in 1990, the Muslims were forced to settle in Puttlam and other areas South of Mannar with small numbers settling in Colombo, Kandy and other urban centers. Some of these hard working Muslims have succeeded in reestablishing their lives and livelihood, while the others were forced to live with the barest of resources in refugee camps. As it happens in many similar situations, the IDPs are not welcome by host communities as they threaten the scare resources of the areas they choose to settle. Transformation of Puttlam and Kalpitiya as rewarding agricultural pockets is mainly due to the efforts of these hardworking Muslim IDPs.

The assault on the Muslims by Buddhist extremists started immediately after the end of the war in 2009 when a large number of Muslims opted to return to their homes, like the rest of the refugees from the 30-year terror conflict. This also put pressure on the government that had worked out a strategy to colonize the North with Sinhala Buddhists who would provide a buffer for any future separatist aspirations of the Northern Tamils. Thousands of acres of land were brought under the security forces claiming them to be high security zones. A large number of Sinhala Buddhist families from Hambantota and families of service men have been settled in Kalabogaswewa and Namalgama in the Mullaithivu district which were predominantly a Tamil dominated area.

This pushed the Tamils to seek land elsewhere which put further pressure on the Tamils who had settled in the Muslim lands to share the resources with the returning Muslim and Tamil IDPs.

Now, the Sinhala extremists have taken a novel approach to targeting the Muslims in the Mannar district by claiming that they have encroached on to the wild life sanctuary of Wilpattu. This has been totally dismissed by the people of the area. This claim by the extremists is based on a forest department declaration that any land with shrubs over 3 feet should be considered a forest. The Muslim lands that were abandoned for over 25 years had obvious forest growth of over three feet. The Muslims have permits or title deeds to these lands. The once powerful presidential task force (PTF) that was under former strongman Minister Basil Rajapaksa had approved the land for resettlement of the returning Muslim IDPs. Due process has been followed and land Kacheries had allocated the lands for resettlement.

Various Buddhist extremist groups including the Bodu Bala Sena have undertaken media Tamasha’s to undermine the legitimate claims of the Muslims to resettle in their former villages. A few environmental groups as well as Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) too have joined the bandwagon and are providing ammunition to these racist extremists.

If any of these groups have sufficient evidence to prove that the Muslims have encroached in to the Wilpattu wildlife reserve, it is appropriate that they move courts to plead for necessary injunctions to stop the resettlement without resorting to intimidation and threats to these innocent IDPs. The Muslim community from the North who paid the ultimate price for safeguarding the unitary state of Sri Lanka during the LTTE trust should not be made to pay the price again by Buddhist extremism.

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Latest comments

  • 9
    13

    Muslims of the North and East spied on the Tamil freedom struggle against the racist Sinhala Buddhist unitary state of Sri Lanka.

    Muslims all over Sri Lanka helped the unitary racist Sinhala state as sleuths, torturers and murderers of Tamils during their just struggle against Sinhalese oppression.

    Instead of supporting the oppressed people, the Muslims heartlessly aided and abetted the Sinhala racist state. Muslims even forgot what the racist Sinhalese did to them in 1915 anti-Muslim riots.

    Sinhala racists, cunning as ever used the Muslims like curry leaves to cook Tamils and they threw the curry leaves away after Tamils were butchered and burried/burnt in Mulliaaikkaal.

    • 10
      7

      Mr Thiru

      Apparently you HATE the Muslims AND the Sinhalese, Muslims more than the Sinhalese. Psychopaths need treatment. Get it.

      • 6
        9

        Navin,

        Truth hurts you, not me, and I don’t hate anybody, their evil actions only.

      • 1
        0

        Thiru , needs to grow up.

        He Forgets that Thiru is para- Para-Demala from India. DNA is his body is proof. Ask the Native Veddah Aethho.

        May be he should go to India.

    • 11
      4

      Thiru

      “Muslims of the North and East spied on the Tamil freedom struggle against the racist Sinhala Buddhist unitary state of Sri Lanka.”

      If what you say is right

      why didn’t LTTE allow the Muslims to take their entire cash and gold assets with them? They were allowed to take only 200 rupees with them when they were forced to leave their habitat within a short period of time.

      If what you say is right

      The LTTE should have forced the entire Hindu and Christian population from North as VP found many Tamils working for Sri Lankan state.

      If what you say is right

      Could you let me know how many of the Muslims you found spied for the Sri Lankan state.

      The VP and LTTE worked for Hindia, The West, Sri Lankan Armed Forces, Premadasa, Mahinda, and won the election and war for Mahinda. You should have expelled entire Tamil speaking population not only from North but also from this island. So that you could have saved many thousands of their lives.

      Does crime, punishment and proportionality ring any bell?

      “Sinhala racists, cunning as ever used the Muslims like curry leaves to cook Tamils and they threw the curry leaves away after Tamils were butchered and burried/burnt in Mulliaaikkaal.”

      Butchery is not an exclusive Sinhala/Buddhist trait. If you revisit your own past, you would see a shared history of perpetrating heinous crimes, massacre of TELO, EPRLF cadres, at Anuradhapura, border villages, lamp post murders, ………..

      Stop exposing your racist views and stupidly defending the psychopath.

      • 8
        1

        Well said Veddah! So well said that there will be no counter argument from Thiru.

        • 4
          1

          Paul

          If Thiru does not respond to NV, he may have to comment in the future as “Thirudan” !

          • 1
            2

            You all can say all kinds of impertinent things but they do not invalidate the facts.

            Tamils know the prominant part played by Tamil-speaking Muslims in helping the state defeat Tamil struggle to free themselves from Sinhala state oppression.

            After Tamils were finished off, the racists naturally targeted Muslims. It is basically a story of Sinhala state sponsored oppression of minorities, whether they be Tamils, Muslims or Christians.

            Please don’t get emotional and worked up when I bring out the historical facts.

            • 1
              1

              Thiru

              You have not responded to my comment instead you have just downloaded what was in your head or bottom.

              Why didn’t LTTE allow the Muslims to take their gold and cash with them?

              Why didn’t they expel Tamils for the same crime(?) committed by Tamils?

              How many Muslims that you think betrayed the so called war?

              Can you name them?

              What about crime(?), punishment and proportionality?

              “Please don’t get emotional and worked up when I bring out the historical facts”

              The historical fact is that LTTE committed heinous crimes, ethnic cleansing is one of them. Even the LTTE accepted it as tragic incident (thunpial sampavam, according to a Tamil friend).

              Just accept it, own up the crimes, say sorry and move on, don’t defend what LTTE did under a few psychopaths at the top.

              It is common among the Sri Lankans to defend their position even though they knew they were wrong. You are a typical dishonest Sri Lankan.

    • 5
      1

      Hilmy Ahamed –

      RE: Buddhist Extremists Threaten “The Forgotten People”

      Please bring to the attention of Yaha-Palanaya, Good Governance.

      1. Initially the Sinhala, and then the Muslims were chased from Jaffna and the North and East, in 1990, courtesy LTTE.

      2. More than 95% were not able to get back home to their original places of residence, 1990-2009, Courtesy of LTTE and Velupillai Prabakaran.

      3. More than 98% were not able to get back home to their original places of residence, 1990-2009, Courtesy of LTTE and Velupillai Prabakaran.

      3. More than 96% were not able to get back home to their original places of residence, 2009-2014, Courtesy of UPFA and Mahinda Rajapaksa.

      4. The Muslims should ask the Sinhala Buddhist extremists to help them get back to their original homes and lands.

      So far All talk, and no concrete action. They had the white elephants, Hambantota Harbor, Hambantota Cricket stadium Hambantota Mattala airport, Colombo Port city, etc.

      It is all in the presentation.

      Dr. Farzana Haniffa on Displaced North Muslims Issues

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MASigQJTgaQ

    • 3
      1

      Hilmy Ahamed , (RE. Thiru and Others who have been Misled and brainwashed.)

      Under whose agenda and self-interest are the Sinhala “Buddhist” extremists acting? Israel? Norway? West? ask Mahinda Rajapaksa.

      1. Mahinda Rajapaksa says BBS was funded by the West, Norway and Israel

      2. BBS, in whose interest are they doing this anti-Muslim Moves.

      3.. This happened after 2002, when the Norwegian, Israel and West Project was Initiated.

      4. It may have something to do with removing support for Mahinda Rajapaksa by the Muslims.

      4. Mahinda was stupid to hang on to the dead rope.

      5. Dr, Bilal Phillips asks why Arab Muslims, Not Muslims are depicted as Suicide Bombers, and in whose interest was it? Israel

      6. Sri Lanka LTTE produced the highest suicide bombers.

      Dr Bilal Philips Misconceptions Abouts Islam & Muslim Sri Lanka Tour 2012

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16GpdYIEGDI

      • 3
        0

        CORRECTION

        “3.. This happened after 2002, when the Norwegian, Israel and West Project was Initiated.”

        CORRECTED: 2012 not 2002.

        3.. This happened after 2012, when the Norwegian, Israel and West Project was Initiated.

    • 1
      2

      Thiru

      Go with the facts and truth. Otherwise, you have no credibility. You will have to depend only on Mootals and Modayas only. We know there are many out there, but right now they are not in the majority. The Mootals and Modayas have an average IQ of 65, and the people with Common senses, around 93. So, you have an uphill battle, just like Mahinda Rajapaksa.

      [Edited out]

    • 0
      1

      Thiru

      “Muslims even forgot what the racist Sinhalese did to them in 1915 anti-Muslim riots.”

      What an ironical statement! Sir Ponnampalam Ramanathan went to England to defend the Sinhala racists of 1915. Do you or Do you not think Muslims have forgotten that too?

      • 0
        1

        Justice seeker

        “What an ironical statement! Sir Ponnampalam Ramanathan went to England to defend the Sinhala racists of 1915. Do you or Do you not think Muslims have forgotten that too?”

        Which Para-Tamil “Leader” agreed to disenfranchise the Para-Indian Estate Tamils in Lanka, the Land of Native Veddah Aethho?

        Ponnabalam or Somebody Else?

    • 0
      0

      Hilmy Ahamed

      “The Internally displaced persons (IDPs) of Muslim origin from the Northern province who have been branded as the “Forgotten People” during the last 25 years, continue to be intimidated and harassed by some extremist Buddhist forces and a section of the ill informed media.”

      I would suggest that you make a Direct Case to the State to help these people to get to their former homes, instead of being in the jingle where the animals need to live. Who else took land from the Jungle?

      Ask them about the other clearances by the State. Mattala Airport, stadium etc?

      The Veddah Tribe? It was All Native Veddah Aethhoo Land before the Paras occupied it.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f89NuukY32U

    • 0
      0

      Thiru

      Get over it. LTTE was full of Mootals and they did a lot a damage to a lot of people, including getting money from his buddy, Mahinda Rajapaksa, who paid back in kind, and ended LTTE Terrorism.

      Given below is some damage done to Northern Muslims.

      RE: 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.

  • 3
    0

    Beast Gnanasara is very much alive.

    Sri Lanka will have sustainable peace only after the [Edited out]

    • 6
      0

      Navin

      On an auspicious day Thiru might want to officially join BBS.

      • 2
        0

        What’s the difference between you and Gananasara?

        He doesn’t write to CT, but you do; mostly your trash opinions.

        When I quote well known facts, you jump up like a headless chicken.

        • 1
          1

          Thiru

          “What’s the difference between you and Gananasara?”

          For a start I am not a saffron clad thug.

          “He doesn’t write to CT, but you do; mostly your trash opinions.”

          If my opinions are trash, its my own and not yours, does it bother you, I can’t help it, …. If my opinions are trash please feel free to ignore them. Until CT bans me I will continue to say what I want to say. This is not Tamilnet therefore I will exercise my right to express my views. Remember we are not living under VP nor MR reign of terror.

          You are not any better than Dayan, HLDM, ….. There is something common among you and the others, a complete disrespect for intellectual honesty.

          “When I quote well known facts, you jump up like a headless chicken.”

          Let us see evidence for your so called well known facts. Does a headless chicken jump up?

    • 0
      0

      Navin

      Given Below is a Different perspective

      This guy says, this is to punish thev Muslims for Voting for sririsena by BBS and their cronies..

  • 6
    0

    Dont use religion and religion based unity system to destroy wilpatuwa.

  • 3
    6

    Are you serious?.

    Just imagine our Bishop Raiappu joining hands with BBS Gnannissara.

    Ahmed has to come up with something more believable if he wants to defend his mate who is on record for abusing ? even a Tamil magistrate.

    By the way that nice Hamlet in the middle of Wilpattu must be a joint Diaspora, BBS. Catholic Church venture to help the Dalits in Mannar Diocese..

    • 3
      6

      Sumanasekera, that Koti Bishop has done enough damage to sri Lanka in general and the sinhalese in particular. What Hilmy says probably is true because he was the LTTE agent in Mannar. Now, he is probably breathing hi slast in Chennai protected by the LTTE sympathisers.

      We need to make sure that the Muslims who saved the country from annexation to the east by the LTTE are proetcted. Even if we have to give Wilpattu, it would be worth it. If not for them, we would not have a united sri lanka

      • 5
        0

        upali wijewardene

        “that Koti Bishop has done enough damage to sri Lanka in general and the sinhalese in particular.”

        How
        What
        Where
        When

        By the way you don’t need Rayapu to damage Sri Lanka and Sinhalese when you have Sinhala/Buddhists to do enough damage to them.

        Time again the Sinhala/Buddhists have aptly demonstrated there ability to destroy this island.

        When you have Sinhala/Buddhists on your side you don’t need enemies.

    • 3
      3

      Ahamed need not respond to you as he has already articulated the truth. What you don’t realise is that the Magistrate was the old Bishops pew boy. He would do anything the Bishop orders. That is why he farmed our Minister Rishard. The presidential office at temple trees has records to prove that Raisahrd Badurdeen was in Colombo when this incident happened. The lawyers who kiss ass with the magistrate cerated that unnecessary fuss

  • 1
    8

    The Muslims deserve this and more. They are the ones who killed our Eelam dream and now the Bodu Bala Sena is teaching them a good lesson with funding from the Diaspora. Norway too is giving them a lot of money. Kotabaya is the one behind and will make sure that the Muslims are also finished

    • 2
      1

      If the so called Ealem dream had come true, then the Muslim, Sinhala and even sections of Tamil community who did not [Edited out]Prabhakaran and his terrorist goons would have gone through hell and worse. It is good destiny that these terrorist marauders were finished off.

      • 1
        0

        Sammy

        “It is good destiny that these terrorist marauders were finished off.”

        Please thank VP, Hindians and USA.

    • 3
      1

      Suresh Pathipan

      “The Muslims deserve this and more. They are the ones who killed our Eelam dream”

      How
      Why
      When
      Where
      and For what?

      It was only a dream wasn’t it?

  • 8
    2

    Hilmy shouldn’t the displaced muslims be returned to their original land. Along with C Vigneswaran shouldn’t you be asking the government to settle the muslims in the right full place since LTTE no longer exists. Why just bring the ethnic sinhala issue here for a problem that the terrorist leaders created.

  • 2
    2

    As patriot says these people should be resettled in their original lands in the north.why is this not being done by the government?There is no excuse that the LTTE is there to stop it anymore.In fact there are no excuses for anything now bringing out the usual LTTE excuse and now if the country dos not move forward and the economic well being of the people does not improve there will be a back lash as the raja’s found out.Instead of bringing out excuses for that inhumane ethnic cleansing tamils also should help and contribute to resettle these muslims.

    There is a saying do unto others as you would like them do to you.If the tamils treat these muslims badly don’t grumble when god does not treat you well.We all reap what we sow in life.

  • 0
    3

    Shankars, the Muslims cannot be settled in their original homes because teh Tamils have already been settled by the LTTE. If the government attempts to move them, the Diaspora and international community will scream – Murdering the innocent Tamils. This is the bieggest dilamea

    • 2
      1

      Upali

      Don’t bring excuses here.Did the government try to do move them in the first place?Without dong the first step don’t talk about the second,about international consequences.people all over the world know that you can’t go and chase out somebody from their homes and occupy it.If those who enjoyed 25 years in another persons home are now asked to piss off back to wherever they came from,no human being in his right mind in any part of the world will have any sympathy for them.

      The wrath of god fell on the LTTE and their supporters due to their dastardly acts.If tamils want god to help them they must try to rectify any injustices committed by the LTTE,otherwise they can forget about any decent future even if they go and pray and pray in kovils.

    • 3
      1

      upali wijewardene

      “the Muslims cannot be settled in their original homes because teh Tamils have already been settled by the LTTE.”

      Come on don’t be silly.

      Many of the Muslims who were forced out of North have managed to get their properties back. Those poor Muslims who did not have support need to be resettled. That should be a priority.

      You should demand your brethren who run Diaspora organisation to fund the resettlement of these IDPs and compensate for their loss of earnings, suffering, ……

      You can start with an appeal to TGTE on Tamilnet.

  • 1
    3

    Confine BBS to the temple. Period.

    They are giving the innocent Buddhists a bloody nose for no fault of theirs.

    Shame on these extremist groups.

    • 1
      2

      The most sensible response so far. Well done. “Confine BBS to the temple” is commendable but six feet below is better.

  • 6
    3

    Hilmy is a muslim who lies in order to promote his cult.

    • 3
      3

      Jim softly, you comment is nothing short of stupidity.

      Look yourself in the mirror, and grow up man.

    • 3
      5

      Jim Softy, Yes, I am a Muslim and proud to be one. What is your problem in me being a Muslim? There is no cults involved in Islam. It probably comes from where you originate.

      • 1
        5

        Hilmy, just ignore what perverts like Gnanasara and Jim Softy say and do. They are so impotent under Yahapalanaya; they can do no harm.These imbeciles get orgasms while insulting minorities. Let them enjoy their [Edited out]

      • 3
        0

        Mr Hilmy
        “Yes, I am a Muslim and proud to be one.”
        Think of the parasitic existence of Muslims on non Muslims.
        Even the loudspeaker on top of the Mosque tower is manufactured in Taiwan.
        Other than terrorism what contribution Muslims have made to the world today to be proud of?

        • 0
          2

          Dear Jansz,

          You are probably an atheist or someone who grew up without any form of religious background. You may see the Muslims as terrorists, but it is far from the truth. How would you react if I walked in to your house, threw your entire family out and squat. That is what is happening to the Muslim world because Allah has blessed them with mineral resources like no other. There are people grabbing that wealth and killing the Muslims, so it is quite obvious that some would fight back, like you would if you were in that situation.

          The mosques are the only place on earth where people are reminded of their existence. It is a place where people go to pray (in your terms meditate) and cleanse your self. These so called Taiwanese loudspeakers of yours are just a reminder that you need to pull yourself away from your greed and do some prayers, making peace with yourself. So, it is music to the Muslims even though it may be an irritant to you. I dont want to go on and insult the serenity of your poya days if you are Buddhist (your name sound burger), but you just have to concentrate and listen, so that you can judge for yourself.

          Islam has given so much to humanity that you would only understand if you study it. Walk in to any Muslims house and ask them to help you to get a copy of the translation of the holy quran and you would be a changed man from then on. May Allah shower his blessings on you

          • 1
            0

            Mr hilmy
            “Allah has blessed them with mineral resources like no other.”
            But He blessed non Muslims with the technology to extract them.
            Also has no power to protect them from non Muslims or stop killing one another.

            My issue was parasitic existence of Muslims on others.

            Mr. Hilmy next time you set for Mecca pilgrimage take a piece of paper and write down the sources of:
            Air transport, land transport, communication, food, medicine etc etc you utilise for the journey. Then again I must understand that “gratitude” is not a word in Islamic vocabulary.

            • 1
              0

              janz

              “My issue was parasitic existence of Muslims on others.”

              Could you explain what do you mean by the above.

    • 1
      2

      There is nothing to lie here, these are well known facts, which is being distorted and twisted by BBS monks and the disgruntled, who portray these events as land grabs and unauthorized settlements. For some, the truth is a hard pill to swallow. We have already seen Bathiudeen’s interview with the press on this matter in another media, which statements confirm what has been written here. Now you may call Bathiudeen a lier too as what he says may not tally satisfactorily with your racist views, and he too being a Muslim, belongs to your understanding of a ‘cult’.

    • 1
      0

      Jim softy

      “Hilmy is a muslim”

      Muslim Definition

      Jim Softy, you can be a Muslim too, but you have to accept “There is no God but God, Muhammad is the messenger of God.”

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim

      A Muslim, sometimes spelled Moslem,[1] relates to a person who follows the religion of Islam,[2] a monotheistic and Abrahamic religion based on the Quran. Muslims consider the Quran to be the verbatim word of God as revealed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad. They also follow the teachings and practices of Muhammad as recorded in traditional accounts called hadith.[3] “Muslim” is an Arabic word meaning “one who submits (to God)”.[4] A female Muslim is sometimes called a “Muslimah”. There are customs holding that a man and woman or teenager and adolescent above the age of fifteen of a lunar or solar calender who possesses the faculties of rationality, logic or sanity, but misses numerous successive Jumu’ahs without a valid excuse, no longer qualifies as a Muslim.[5][6]

      Most Muslims will accept anyone who has publicly pronounced the declaration of faith (shahadah) as a Muslim. The shahadah states:

      There is no god but God, Muhammad is the messenger of God.[7]

      Islamic beliefs commonly held by Muslims include: that God (Arabic: الله‎ Allāh) is eternal, transcendent and absolutely one (monotheism); that God is incomparable, self-sustaining and neither begets nor was begotten; that Islam is the complete and universal version of a primordial faith that has been revealed before through many prophets including Abraham, Moses, Ishmael and Jesus;[8] that these previous messages and revelations have been partially changed or corrupted over time[9] and that the Qur’an is the final unaltered revelation from God (The Final Testament).[10]

      The religious practices of Muslims are enumerated in the Five Pillars of Islam, which, in addition to Shahadah, consist of daily prayers (salat), fasting during the Islamic month of Ramzan/ Ramadan (sawm), almsgiving (zakat), and the pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj) at least once in a lifetime.[11][12]

  • 1
    0

    I respect all the priests who do a great service.But I wonder when people are aggressive today whether priests too play a leading rule some times making peacemakers into difficulty.

  • 1
    2

    May Allah shower his choicest blessings on Hilmy Ahamed and his family. He has raised an issue which is of deep concern to me. Today, I live in the developed world with a Phd and almost all the worldly possessions that one requires, but I was also one of those whom Velupillai expelled in 1990. I was only 4 years and remember very clearly the trauma my family went through. I never realized that we were being thrown out of our homes, but the tears in my fathers eyes when we left the house is something which I remember almost every day. We walked and were taken in a lorry by some people to Puttalam, and we stayed there, I don’t know for how long under the worst of situations. People did provide us food, but we were not paupers and were used to some comforts as my family was educated and had some means. That traumatic experience of my parents is something which I will never learn or understand, but I will never forget that desire for my father to go back to our home to die. This is something which he kept repeating until the day he died in 2001 and we could not fulfill his last wish. If we not not have the obligation to immediately bury our dead, I would have preserved his body as long as I could so that I could give my father the burial he so dearly desired. Anyway, Allah SWT had other plans for my fathers body and we as Muslims accept his command.

    What is important is that there has to be a solution to it. The government has the responsibility to provide the opportunity for us to return to our home. My generation may not be keen to go back and restart our lives, but my parents generation has not dreamt of anything else.

    All this fuss about Wilpattu is utter nonsense. My family comes from that village and they have lived there for generations. The president, who got elected on the promise of reestablishing rule of law needs to ensure that these racist brutes do not have a voice. I also urge the media not connive with these undesirable elements and destroy the peace that has been established. Failure will mean that we would never reconcile. I hope good sense will prevail

    It is too emotional for me to continue because I could see my father pleading with us to take him home to die

    • 0
      0

      hussein,your story moved me deeply.I also like your father want to die in srilanka,not in this western world. Poor man,but that is what you call karma.We all cannot get what we want and will have to absorb all the disappointments in life.Whatever god has decided for us will be what we will get in life.We must always look at the brighter side of things.For example if we don’t have wealth we should thank god for good health.If we don’t have health then at least thank god for the wealth.

      “What is important is that there has to be a solution to it. The government has the responsibility to provide the opportunity for us to return to our home. My generation may not be keen to go back and restart our lives, but my parents generation has not dreamt of anything else.”

      Now this is what i also say.The government must make a decision to resettle all those people who were displaced back in their own home and lands.I have met tamils who when i ask why they don’t like prabaharan,tell me about what he did to the muslims.They admire him for fighting back,but don’t like him as a human being.This is where he went wrong and gave the image of a ruthless man heading a ruthless outfit.If he had tempered it with compassion there would have been much more support for the tamils all over the world as the bullied underdogs.

      Once the government has made this decision,wigneswaran too must get involved and ask the tamils to contribute rupee for rupee for what the government gives.The government must first take the initiative and contribute because successive governments only created prabaharan.

      it was sad to see your father leaving in tears.My father too after he lost everything in 83 did not cry but was a broken man and died within a few years.I can still remember him looking deeply into thin air,god knows what was going through his mind because he does not talk much.

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    Shankar, your story is not different from ours. See how all of us have been affected because of the politicians on all sides of the divide. We need to go beyond our religions and ethnicity and start to live as Sri Lankans with mutual respect. Religion and everything will have to be personal

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