{"id":203709,"date":"2019-07-29T20:15:28","date_gmt":"2019-07-29T14:45:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=203709"},"modified":"2019-08-03T23:54:44","modified_gmt":"2019-08-03T18:24:44","slug":"conditional-bail-to-dr-shafi-shihabdeen-exposes-mainstream-local-medias-moral-bankruptcy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/conditional-bail-to-dr-shafi-shihabdeen-exposes-mainstream-local-medias-moral-bankruptcy\/","title":{"rendered":"Conditional Bail To Dr Shafi Shihabdeen: Exposes Mainstream Local Media\u2019s Moral Bankruptcy"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Latheef Farook<\/a> –<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Latheef Farook<\/p><\/div>\n

Granting conditional bail to Dr. Seigu Shihabdeen Mohamed Shafi<\/span><\/strong><\/a> by the Kurunegala Magistrate Sampath Hewawasam on Thursday 25th<\/sup> July, restored confidence in the judiciary. The case will be taken up again on August 9.<\/p>\n

Dr Shafi was taken into custody around two months ago on allegations of forcible sterilization of mainly Sinhalese women during surgeries, suspected links to terrorist groups and amassing wealth.<\/p>\n

A Daily mirror report pointed out that the CID report informed the court that the arrest of Dr. Shafi had been made without having any evidence against him,<\/b> police reports compiled by the Kurunegala Police have been deliberately backdated with changes and<\/b> Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera, who has attended every session of the hearing in Kurunegala, has allegedly threatened the inquiring officer of the CID B.S. Thissera. \u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Contradictory developments, difficulties in proving charges, glaring conflicts of interest and many factual disputes are emerging regarding the narrative\u00a0surrounding Senior House Officer (SHO) Dr. Seigu Shihabdeen Mohamed Shafi from the Teaching Hospital, Kurunegala who was in custody over charges of alleged sterilization, terrorism and acquiring\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Protestors lined the street to the Magistrate\u2019s Court before the bail hearing. Before the case began protest was held along the route to the Magistrate\u2019s Court which included a group of Buddhist Monks.<\/p>\n

Reporters at the scene said that the demonstration was organized by local\u00a0Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna leaders<\/b>\u00a0and that some of the protestors were employees of the Kurunegala Municipal Council.<\/p>\n

Security was tightened around the court as the verdict was given.<\/p>\n

The order was given in a packed court room amidst tension and heavy security while court premise was crowded with people. This included Parliamentarian Ven. Athureliye Rathana Thera, self-declared champion of Sinhalese and Buddhism spearheading a destructive hate campaign pitting Sinhalese against Muslims least worried about its disastrous consequences.<\/p>\n

Ven. Rathana Thera, a non-entity who doesn\u2019t represent the Sinhalese community, has been carrying out hate campaign inciting Sinhalese against Muslims while emergency regulations were in force and the government turn a blind eye to the damage he has been causing to communal harmony and peace in the country<\/p>\n

As a result the government has become party to the ongoing campaign associating \u00a0 <\/span>the island\u2019s entire Muslim community with violence, demonizing and ostracizing.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0 <\/span>conditional bail\u00a0 <\/span>order to Dr Shari Sihabdeen was also a set back to\u00a0 <\/span>the mainstream media, both electronic and print\u00a0 <\/span>, which unleashed a fierce and vicious \u00a0 <\/span>campaign selling lies and deception poisoning Sinhalese minds against Muslims with the slogan that Dr Shafi had deliberately sterilized Sinhalese women.<\/p>\n

The media dismissed Muslim point of view in general.<\/p>\n

The campaign was so \u00a0 <\/span>intense that Muslims were forced to remain inside their houses in view of the rising tension against them. The ultimate target was poisoning the Sinhalese minds\u00a0 <\/span>and setting the up Sinhalese against Muslims.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Racist political parties of all shades of opinions hell bent on winning the forthcoming elections by further communalizing the political scene played, and still playing, a decisive role in this shameful and senseless media campaign which has already torn apart communities. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This very well organized and orchestrated campaign to suit the mainstream media\u2019s anti-Muslim campaign in the aftermath of the Easter Sunday Massacre had done immense damage when Dr\u00a0 <\/span>Shafi was accused of deliberately sterilizing Sinhalese women as part of the conspiracy against Sinhalese community.<\/p>\n

Time and again Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith stated that the Muslim community has nothing to do with the Easter Sunday attacks as this was done by international forces using misguided local youths which the government refuses to disclose so far.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Though Muslims \u00a0 <\/span>has nothing to do with this the government, backed by racist media, from the very inception accused the entire Muslim community of violence, imposed emergency regulations, arbitrarily arrested Muslims, some say more than 2600 of armed forces causing nightmare to families all over the island, turned blind eye when organized mob attacked Muslim owned businesses, houses and even factories, boycotting Muslim businesses and ill treatment of Muslims from hospitals and almost every public places.<\/p>\n

The question is how could the Maithri-Ranil government, brought to power with\u00a0 <\/span>almost 95 percent island\u2019s Muslim votes, turn against the very same Muslims \u00a0 <\/span>to\u00a0 <\/span>wipe them out politically, economically, socially, religiously, culturally and every possible other aspect.<\/p>\n

For example everyone knows that Ven Galagoda Atte Gnanasara Thera\u00a0<\/span>is not a man of peace He has been serving a prison sentence .Deviating from the established norms President Sirisena visited him in prison. Few days later he was released despite opposition from legal circles and entertained for tea with his mother.<\/p>\n

Since then Gnanasara Thera was not preaching Buddhism. Instead he has undertaken\u00a0<\/span>his usual hate campaign inciting Sinhalese against Muslims \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

President Sirisena released him only to be used as a tool \u00a0 <\/span>in his ongoing campaign against Muslims knowing very well that his campaign is tearing apart communities at a time when the country is passing through one of the worst period of instability in its history.<\/p>\n

However damage was already done. Communities remain divided and suspicious.<\/p>\n

Country is not moving ahead.<\/p>\n

Of course the Easter Sunday massacre provided a new lease of life to the government which was paralyzed by political and economic crisis, wide spread corruption and continuing the Mahinda Rajapaksa era policy of persecuting\u00a0<\/span>Muslims .<\/p>\n

Added to this Maithri-Ranil government\u2019s miserable failure to fulfill election promises giving a new lease of life to the same politicians whom they promised to bring to book due to their crime and corruption.<\/p>\n

There is uncertainty everywhere. The current state of affairs is such that no one knows where the country is heading towards. The irony is that this is the very same country which was regarded as the shining example in the Third World for political and economic stability and communal harmony!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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