Sri Lanka: Hejaaz Hizbullah - Unclothing True Face of an Adulterous Wolf

If he wanted the welfare of the Muslim people, why did he teach by giving priority to extremist books that promote IS ideology?

by Our Defence Correspondent

It is a well-known fact that Sri Lankans were among those who joined Islamic State (IS) after the open invitation by its slain honcho Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Following this slain honcho's invitation, Mohamed Muhushin Ishak Ahamed, a Sri Lankan who lived in Tanzania, and his family travelled to Syria in November 2014. Three relatives, including his brother, Mohamed Muhsin Sharfaz Nilam, who lived in Sri Lanka were also going to Syria and joined IS. This group consisted of members of four families. 

Hejaaz Hizbullah ( File Photo) 

Meanwhile, in early 2015, an organization called Pearls of Wisdom or Jammiyat-ul Millathu Ibrahim (JMI) was established. Abdul Latif Mohammad Jameel and Umayr Mohammad Iqbal were instrumental in establishing this pro-IS organization. Jameel is one of nine who carried out a series of blasts targeting churches and hotels in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday in 2019. He killed himself at the New Tropical Inn Hotel in Dehiwala.

Hejaaz Hizbullah joined forces with the members of JMI to launch the Save the Pearl in early 2015. Although it stated that its ultimate goal was to work for the welfare of the Muslim community, the primary but imperceptible mission of this organization was to subtly sow extremism and support extremists. It received the necessary political support from the government in which his political allies were an inseparable part. Because of this, they were immediately given the necessary registration without looking into the real motives behind the projects or the organizations that were going to finance them. 

Meanwhile, Hejaaz and the team were maintained several social media pages to spread his ideology, reliable sources said. Those pages were managed by Hejaaz, the Ibrahim brothers and Jameel. The position of administrator of a social network account is the power to maintain those accounts in the required manner. The exchange in these accounts was not only about the welfare of the Muslim people but also about how subtle extremism was spread.

According to the website maintained to demand his “freedom,” he plays multiple roles at the same time, including a lawyer, a journalist and a human rights activist. Fortunately, the website did not mention his role as an "unofficial mullah" who supports those who spread violent extremism. 

Can it be said that Hejaaz, who has held several dignitary positions of social responsibility, worked with these suicide bombers unknowingly for many years? This is where the real extremist adulterous wolf is revealed. His thick relationship with those suicide bombers revealing the nature of deception. Disguised as a so-called human rights activist, he has deceived the whole world while hiding the real-life he has dealt with extremists, including the Ibrahim brothers and others.

Series of discussions of his organization was held at the house of Jameel's brother in Dematagoda. Can anyone say that Hejaaz did not participate in these discussions? Can he deny it? 

The treasurer of the Save the Pearl organization was Mohamed Ilham, a suicide bomber blasted at Shangri-La, appointed by Hejaaz. The organization has received large sums of money and with that money has even bought a piece of land for Save the Pearl in the Madurankuliya area. The deal was carried out by Mohamed Ibrahim Inshan Ahmed, who detonated the bomb at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel. 

What is the reason for this so-called human rights activist to act like this with extremists, claiming that he is doing everything for the welfare of Muslims? Why did he appoint them to high positions in his organization? Was it something that happened out of ignorance?

It was during this time that Hejaaz began collaborating with the Qatar Charity. The media loyal to him reported that this charity was registered in Sri Lanka and pointed that some parties were making false allegations intending to damage the “purity” of this “humanitarian bloke.”

If the NGO registrars in Sri Lanka had executed their duty properly, Sri Lanka would not have been beaten by the LTTE for 30 years. Most of the aid to the Tigers came under the guise of charity. The government agencies responsible for such investigations are merely politicized and no forensic audit has been carried out on the funds received by NGOs in this country. The same thing happened with aid to Muslim extremists. Funds were flooded in various forms but with one ambition, strengthening extremism while promoting the culture of exclusivism.

There are several plausible allegations that this Qatari charity has funded financial assistants to terrorist and extremist organizations in the name of the welfare of the Muslim people. Following are the excerpts from in-depth research on this charity.

“Allegations Against Qatar Charity Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, and United Arab Emirates cut ties with Qatar on June 5, 2017, due to Doha's connections with terrorist organizations. Saudi Arabia also provided a terror list that designated 59 individuals and 12 organizations. Qatar Charity is #3 of the organizations listed.”

“In March 2008, the Interagency Intelligence Committee on Terrorism (IICT) of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center listed Qatar Charity as a "priority III terrorism support entity (TSE)" given its "intent and willingness" to support terrorist organizations that attack the U.S. and its interests. "The Consortium Against Terrorist Finance (CATF) called Qatar Charity a "pioneer and master of terror finance." The Washington Institute reported that in 1993 Osama bin Laden named Qatar Charity as one of the charities that had funded al-Qaeda's overseas operations. Furthermore, Qatar Charity's funds were reportedly used to support an assassination attempt on Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in 1995." A 2003 report from the House Committee on Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations notes that Qatar Charity had allegedly been engaged in financing al-Qaeda and other terror organizations."

“Qatar Charity, along with two other organizations laundered money from bank accounts in Gulf nations that supported Bin Laden and used the proceeds to provide travel documents and employment to al-Qaeda members worldwide. The report explained that most of the money was handled in cash and the organizations created false documentation to show that the money was spent on orphans or starving refugees.'" During that time, Qatar Charity had 20 banks accounts in Qatar Islamic Bank and Qatar International Islamic Bank that were available to receive donations.”

Was this Hejaaz Hizbullah, who claims to be a commercial lawyer, unknowingly receiving money from an organization that is accused of aiding terrorists? If it was obtained out of ignorance, why was the money used to brainwash the children of innocent poor Muslims living in areas like Puttalam? If he wanted the welfare of the Muslim people, why did he teach by giving priority to extremist books that promote IS ideology? 

Is it not surprising that so-called human rights activists do not see this truth? Let us recall the sage words of Dr Martin Luther King Jr., “nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” However, it is not surprising that a media outlet like Al Jazeera, which relies on Qatari oil funds, is biased in this regard. But what about others who claim to be defenders of criminal justice?

Human rights activist Hejaaz flew to Egypt with his Egyptian wife two days before the Easter attack. Subsequently, he returned to the island six days after the Easter Sunday horror. We don’t consider this is a suspicious move. Such a time would have been very convenient for him to meet his wife's relatives. It may be the best time to go boating on the Nile with his Egyptian relatives. As a busy human rights activist, that may have been comforting days for him to spend time abroad while his colleagues back in Colombo taking lives by killings “non-believers” to claim the reward of eighty thousand servants and seventy-two houri in heaven. We shouldn’t be hurried to say that his wife or relatives have thick affiliation with an organization such as the Muslim Brotherhood, an extremist organization in Egypt.  

But according to reliable sources, this exceptional human rights activist who is a commercial lawyer charged high fees for cases he defends for example the case where he defended the men who sabotaged the Buddha statue in Mawanalla has thrown two of his brand-new Apple iPhones in the trash after the law enforcement agencies launched an investigation on him.  It is now revealed that he maintained solid links with some key suicide bombers involved in the Easter attack that killed more than 260 unarmed innocents. Those killers have been offered several powerful positions in his organization and have been assigned many responsibilities. He used the suicide bombers who attacked churches and hotels to administer money received from organizations such as the Qatar Charity, a charity that allegedly financed terrorist organizations around the globe. This may be not a problem for His Holiness the Cardinal living in Colombo and keeping himself busy in illustrating conspiracy theories. But these are the real problems to find the truth behind this tragic terrorist attack.

Isn't this enough to make anyone realize that Hejaaz, who some have called an innocent humanitarian lawyer, atypical writer, and a big wheel of human rights, is not as innocent as he says he is? Hejaaz! On one fine day, you will be lucky to escape from the institutionalized justice in a world where truth has been suppressed by deception. But nature will share a fair share with your conscience, and then all the innocents who were massacred by your sinful confreres will rest in peace. Until then their broken souls will haunt every moment in and around of those who sponsored and sheltered the murderers. 

To be Continued