File Photo: Minister Champika Ranawaka having kiribath with President Rajapaksa after he was sworn in as a minister,pic by. Sudath SilvaTMVP also join plot against Muslims
(November, 09, Batticaloa, Sri Lanka Guardian) Attempt by certain Sinhala Buddhist jingoists and TMVP led by Karuna Amman to cook up stories about the presence of armed Muslim ‘Jihad’ groups in the Eastern Province have been scotched by both the SLMM and the military.
Political observers believes that the jihad story appeared to be one cooked up by the Sinhala racists and TMVP in a move to shift the focus away from them. This has cropped up in a context of mounting pressure against TMVP, who are running wild in the province abducting, intimidating, extorting and also killing their opponents.
Muslims explained that while some Muslims civilians in the east possessed arms, this was for their own safety, owing to the deteriorating security situation in the province. “Despite the presence of security forces or even home guards in the east, there is a certain amount of insecurity felt by these civilians, especially talking in to Muslims were subjects to in the past, So, they posses arms for self protection,” they added.
However, Muslims in the province say it’s not only the TMVP armed thugs who are a problem. With the military success against the LTTE, Sinhala jingoists have also begun to spread stories about Buddhist historical sites being endangered by influx of Muslims around these places.
Muslims also allege that certain government politicians are also involved in the plot to displace Muslims, who have been living in these places from centuries, and setting Sinhalese from other areas on these lands. One of the methods they state is to declare certain areas where Muslims and Tamils have lives as ‘High Security Zones’, and bar these communities from such villages.
The anti- minority Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) is in the forefront of this camping, and few days ago one of their official accused ministers Ferial Ashraff and the SLMG of being ‘the culprits’ behind move to expel Sinhalese from the Eastern province.
A Muslim lawyer from the province say, that this was a classic case of thief being chased shouting ‘thief, thief.’ The Muslims are people who are being displaced but theses jingoist robbers are accusing other of theft, he explained.
He added that it was strange that the JHU seems to be working on this plot to defame Muslims by colluding with the TMVP.
Muslims sources also expressed suspicion that the Rajapaksa’s government is slowly adopting the JHU ant-minority agenda.
They point to the increasing frontline position given to JHU parliamentarian and Minister Champika Ranawaka who is now seen by the President’s side at many public functions. Ranawaka is known as rabidly anti-Muslim by the community, having authored books against Muslims, and also alleging that during the nation’s independence struggle the community plotted to carve out a separate Muslim state in the Ceylon.
“While these jingoists were silent during LTTE domination in the East, the “liberation” seems to have given them new life,” stated from source in Ampara. “They have also mobilized certain media personnel for their campaign”.
“At the way, these jingoists are operating, Muslims in certain areas in the Eastern Province may be evicted in the way their community members were driven out of the North by the LTTE”, he concluded.
(November, 09, Batticaloa, Sri Lanka Guardian) Attempt by certain Sinhala Buddhist jingoists and TMVP led by Karuna Amman to cook up stories about the presence of armed Muslim ‘Jihad’ groups in the Eastern Province have been scotched by both the SLMM and the military.
Political observers believes that the jihad story appeared to be one cooked up by the Sinhala racists and TMVP in a move to shift the focus away from them. This has cropped up in a context of mounting pressure against TMVP, who are running wild in the province abducting, intimidating, extorting and also killing their opponents.
Muslims explained that while some Muslims civilians in the east possessed arms, this was for their own safety, owing to the deteriorating security situation in the province. “Despite the presence of security forces or even home guards in the east, there is a certain amount of insecurity felt by these civilians, especially talking in to Muslims were subjects to in the past, So, they posses arms for self protection,” they added.
However, Muslims in the province say it’s not only the TMVP armed thugs who are a problem. With the military success against the LTTE, Sinhala jingoists have also begun to spread stories about Buddhist historical sites being endangered by influx of Muslims around these places.
Muslims also allege that certain government politicians are also involved in the plot to displace Muslims, who have been living in these places from centuries, and setting Sinhalese from other areas on these lands. One of the methods they state is to declare certain areas where Muslims and Tamils have lives as ‘High Security Zones’, and bar these communities from such villages.
The anti- minority Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) is in the forefront of this camping, and few days ago one of their official accused ministers Ferial Ashraff and the SLMG of being ‘the culprits’ behind move to expel Sinhalese from the Eastern province.
A Muslim lawyer from the province say, that this was a classic case of thief being chased shouting ‘thief, thief.’ The Muslims are people who are being displaced but theses jingoist robbers are accusing other of theft, he explained.
He added that it was strange that the JHU seems to be working on this plot to defame Muslims by colluding with the TMVP.
Muslims sources also expressed suspicion that the Rajapaksa’s government is slowly adopting the JHU ant-minority agenda.
They point to the increasing frontline position given to JHU parliamentarian and Minister Champika Ranawaka who is now seen by the President’s side at many public functions. Ranawaka is known as rabidly anti-Muslim by the community, having authored books against Muslims, and also alleging that during the nation’s independence struggle the community plotted to carve out a separate Muslim state in the Ceylon.
“While these jingoists were silent during LTTE domination in the East, the “liberation” seems to have given them new life,” stated from source in Ampara. “They have also mobilized certain media personnel for their campaign”.
“At the way, these jingoists are operating, Muslims in certain areas in the Eastern Province may be evicted in the way their community members were driven out of the North by the LTTE”, he concluded.
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