A Historical Opportunity In Front Of Muslim Politics

By Salithamby Abdul Rauff –October 31, 2015

Dr. Salithamby Abdul Rauff

Given the track record of Muslim politics in Sri Lanka in recent times, it has consistently failed in addressing its community’s grievances, in representing its community’s legitimate aspirations, and in insulating its community’s interests. In late 1980s, when the Indo-Lanka accord Colombo and New Delhi signed to bring a permanent political settlement to the country’s prolonged ethnic question ignored Muslim community (particularly in the north-east) systematically, the Muslim politics remained brazenly muted despite Muslims expressing an overwhelming disappointment and frustration on this ignorance.

In 1990s, when some 75, 000 innocent Muslims were ethnically cleansed from entire north, the Muslim politics could not even get a recognition for these people as conflict-induced internally displaced persons (IDPs). Lack of this recognition later had dire consequences on their life, denying access to their basic needs, their right to return and their inclusion in peace talks that occurred over time.

In 2002, under international community- brokered peace initiative, when Sri Lanka’s government and Tamil Tigers sat together at peace table to reach a permanent peaceful solution that would accommodate all ethnic groups of the country and ultimately end its 30 years of armed conflict, Muslims another ethnic minority and apparent vulnerable victims of this bloody civil war sought an independent representation for their community in this solution finding effort to channel their problems and interests. The Muslim politics unfortunately was worried on how to please enough both government and LTTE at peace talks simply ignoring its community’s legitimate concerns.

In 2009, immediately after conflict termination, Sri Lankan government advanced the return of people internally displaced by the armed conflict to their places of origin implementing an “old-new IDP” return criterion, which defined displaced Muslims as old IDPs and only prioratised new IDPs’ return. When this criterion denied Muslim IDPs their return, the Muslim politics was turned a blind eye on its forcibly displaced people despite the denial being a flagrant violation of their right to return.Read More