The “liberation” of the east heightens the anxieties of the Muslim community about its role in the new scheme of things.By: Muralidar Reddy
IT was a breezy July evening. At a seaside club close to the Presidential Palace in Colombo, the city’s elite had gathered to enjoy the performance of a foreign cultural troupe. As the show ended, a Tamil businessman sighted a fellow Muslim entrepreneur and yelled across, “Brother, didn’t I tell you two months ago your turn would come sooner than later”. The reference was to the cases of abduction of half a dozen prominent Muslim businessmen for ransom in the previous weeks.
The Muslim gentleman gathered his wits and shouted back: “Yes, you proved right. But just wait and watch for the retribution. The revolution is round the corner and I mean it.” On the face of it, it was merely “spirited” banter between two business friends. But unwittingly it brought to the fore the growing bitterness of the elite Muslim community towards the system. Abductions have been a regular feature since the escalation of hostilities between the Sri Lankan forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) over a year ago.
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