Anti-Muslim sentiment creating insecurity for minorities, says Muslim Council

• Representatives say no company is compelled by law to get Halal certified
• Muslim Council certain Government will rein in extremist forces; prepared for legal action if necessary
• Says it sees a foreign hand in creation of religious tension
• Attempts to debunk Muslim population explosion myth

By Dharisha Bastians

Muslim groups warned yesterday that anti-Muslim sentiments propagated by certain extremist elements in the country were causing pain of mind and a feeling of insecurity for minority communities in the island, but expressed confidence that the Government and law enforcement authorities would act to prevent a deterioration of the situation.

The Sri Lanka Muslim Council, which held a media briefing yesterday, said they had met with Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Police and Intelligence representatives two weeks ago, and a clear assurance was provided that none of these anti-Muslim groups would be allowed to take the law into their own hands.

Speaking to media personnel, Sri Lanka’s former Ambassador to Iran M.M. Zuhair said some groups in the country had misunderstood certain aspects of Muslim life. “They are finding fault with our customs, the way we dress, and our food. Instead of seeking clarification, which would clear up these misunderstandings, they make irresponsible statements that damage national unity and peaceful coexistence between communities,” Zuhair said.

“We all remember the 1983 riots. We have suffered enough. Nobody wants that,” Zuhair added, saying Sri Lankans had a duty to ensure no one would be given the opportunity to create a foundation for such a situation, even unwittingly.

President’s Counsel Ali Sabry said the President had personally intervened with certain groups to ensure peace in the country. “Our people have spoken with Defence Secretary and Intelligence and Police units and outlined our concerns. There has been a clear directive that if there are problems, they are to be dealt with through discussion. They have promised to ensure the religious rights of all people,” he said.

Sabry PC told the Daily FT that the message that offensive action against Muslims would not be tolerated had filtered through, as was evident from the lack of any major incidents since an ugly demonstration by an extremist group in Kuliyapitiya.

“We don’t see the point in confronting the issue head on and creating even more conflict. But if the appropriate action is not taken to curb these incidents that incite religious and communal hatred, we are fully prepared to seek redress from the courts – that is our right as citizens and as a community,” Sabry said.

The Muslim group said that Sri Lanka’s Muslims have every right to justifiably celebrate Sri Lanka’s 65th Independence Day today because they had genuinely contributed to the campaign to obtain Sri Lanka’s freedom, even at the expense of their own rights.

“Muslims have always put national interests first,” Zuhair said, illustrating an example of how Muslim leaders backed the Sri Lanka Bill in 1945 in the full knowledge of shortcomings of the bill that would affect Muslim rights.

Sabry, who was member of the Sri Lanka delegation to UNHRC in Geneva last year, said that the Muslim delegation had stoically defended Sri Lanka’s rights to solve its own problems at the forum. He said that of the 15 countries that voted to defeat the resolution against Sri Lanka last year, 11 had been Muslim nations. “Some of them were staunch US allies, like Saudi Arabia and Qatar,” he said.

“When Buddhist countries voted against Sri Lanka in Geneva, the Muslim nations stood beside us,” Zuhair added.

The Muslim Council also said they saw a foreign hand in the anti-Muslim sentiment prevailing in the country today. President of the Council M.M. Ameen said it was possible that these moves were part of an effort to reduce support for Sri Lanka in Geneva this year among Muslim member states of the UN Human Rights Council. Zuhair added that a certain Norwegian Embassy official had also been at a meeting held by one of the extremist groups early on.

“They have since denied this claim. But we have to stress that we don’t want foreign embassies intervening in this. It will only invite even more interference in Sri Lanka’s internal affairs. We can solve our own problems,” he said.

Sabry added that Israel was also well-known for creating problems for Muslim communities all over the world.

In an attempt to debunk certain myths propagated by extremist groups, Zuhair said that no company was compelled by law to obtain Halal certification in order to market their products. “They may do so to seek a larger market for their products and many companies certify their products in order to penetrate the markets in the Middle East and that is a pre-requisite.”

Sabry said that despite the propaganda, the Division of Halal Certification of the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama earned revenue of Rs. 18 million per year, with expenses being about Rs. 17.5 million. “There’s no profit to speak of. In fact in our meetings with the Government over this issue, the President of the ACJU has invited the authorities to inspect their operation and perform audits to verify that there is no undue profiteering from this process,” Sabry explained.

According to Zuhair, the allegation that the Muslim population was rapidly increasing was also false propaganda aimed at fear-mongering between the Sinhalese and the Muslims. “Anyone can check with the Census Department and verify this – for 1,000 years Muslims have been nine per cent of the population. So there is no danger of Muslims becoming the majority in Sri Lanka in the future,” he pledged.