Ranil urges Govt. to quell hate campaign against Muslims but poses query on Halal certification

By Ashwin Hemmathagama

Our Lobby Correspondent

Leader of the Opposition Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday sought effective and urgent action from the Government to nip the rising hate campaign against Muslims in the bud in order to prevent further attacks on mosques and protests being carried out in various towns, fuelled by communal hatred between the Muslims and Sinhalese.

This was the first instance the recent frictions between the two ethnicities were taken up in Parliament, with Select Com-mittee involvement sought to ensure an amicable and lasting settlement. “The rights of the Sinhalese must be protected. But there is no need to take away the rights of the Tamils and Muslims. We are all proud of the history of the Sinhalese and the contribution made to safeguard the Theravada doctrine. Similarly, the Tamils and the Muslims have their own cultures rooted in Sri Lanka. They too have made contributions to this country. If the Sinhalese population is in danger of being depleted, we in the United National Party will be the first to raise the issue in the House,” said Wickremesinghe, making a special statement yesterday in Parliament under Standing Order 23 (2).



“In his speech in the house on 21 January 2013, the Deputy Minister of Buddha Sasana and Religious Affairs M.K.D.S. Gunawardena stated that there are no ethnic or communal incidents in the country. While he was speaking, a mob consisting of both Sangha and laymen led by Matale Wedahamuduruwo were parading the streets of Kuliyapitiya carrying photographs of a pig with the word Allah written across it. Police had been informed earlier, but failed to take action to prevent this demonstration. The intervention of Provincial Council Member M.N. Nazeer and Member of Parliament Akila Kariyawasam prevented the situation from turning ugly. This is just one of the many incidents that have taken place in the country recently. Altogether there have been 10 attacks on mosques and protests in various towns. This is an explosive situation which must be addressed immediately by the Government. I read in the papers yesterday that Ven. Kirama Wimalajothi has stated that Saudi Arabia is training Muslim youth to be terrorists and there has been damage to Buddhist shrines in the east. If this is true, this is serious. There has to be inquiry by the Police,” he added.

Also finding fault over a private religious establishment being allowed to issue Halal certificates and the validity of such action, the Opposition Leader said: “Halal certification is entirely a voluntary matter. If anyone has forced Halal certification on business organisations, there must be provisions for an inquiry by the Government after a complaint is made. Unfortunately a businessman in the south complained to me that he was pressured to obtain Halal certification. The Government must inform us why a private organisation is assigned to perform this function, which is the responsibility of the SLSI. The All Ceylon Jemmiyathul Ulama (Incorporation) Act Section 3 does not give power for certification. Even in their own website, they don’t claim any law. They are the single source of clarification that says acting under Islamic law. Why did you fail to start a discussion on this issue with the Muslim community and the business community, I ask the Government?”  Leader of the House Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva said the government would give replay to this matter today.