Ever memorable and never forgettable painful memory of Jaffna Muslims

By M. Shamil Mohamed

(November 27, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) 20 years back Muslims in Jaffna lived a satisfactory life in terms of peace of mind ,wealth, they were well-off in running business and were self sufficient , they were 10 % in Jaffna city limits dominating MC -municipal council sometime as mayor and sometime deputy mayor of Jaffna municipality , According to department of Muslim religious and cultural affairs there were 17 mosques in Jaffna but according to prominent Muslim scholar there were 21 mosques, Muslims were 5% in the Northern Province. They were engaged in trade, teaching and skilled trades like tailoring, etc. The Jaffna Muslims were lived four densely populated wards of the Jaffna Municipality. Moor streets, and New moor streets (Bommaively) ,Town mosque street ( here streets are not just a street but name of densely populated wards) and bhora place were their areas.

Former civil servant and Zahira Principal AMA Azeez, Supreme Court Judge Andul Cader, Appeal Court Judge MM Jameel. Education Director Munsoor etc being some leading lights of the Jaffna Muslims. There were deputy – mayor , Municipal Councillors and Abusalai hajiyar, MMC Basheer , sulthan ,and were mayor , deputy – mayor and acting mayor of Jaffna. after Ethnic Cleansing of Jaffna Muslims in October 1990 They were reduced to begging Total population of Jaffna Muslims were evicted out of northern Sri Lanka when the LTTE widely started ethnic cleansing of Muslims in north and east of Sri Lanka in 1990, killing scores of Muslims, looting their homes, taking over their farmlands and attacking places of worship.

According to Wikipedia The first eviction was in Chavakacheri, of 1,500 Muslims After this, Muslims in Kilinochchi and Mannar were forced to leave their homeland. The turn of Jaffna came on October 30, 1990.

One hundred thousands of Muslims forced to leave their homes, has been living in camps for nearly two decades. Some 18000 thousand Muslims are living in the Puttalam camps among them 30000 thousand are Jaffna Muslims .

“Jaffna Muslims were left with no option when the LTTE came and asked them to leave within two hours at gunpoint. or face death, all of them were evicted They were later branded as informers, traitor , conspirators by LTTE and LTTE supports. before the eviction of Jaffna Muslims, the LTTE was busy to create a plot against Muslims more than 50 were put in LTTE jail which was called “no escape no return” , many Muslim youth were put to death, in Jaffna. there were some Muslim LTTE members they too were disarmed before the eviction ,among them were second lieutenant Rafi, and Hazaal, Imthiyas, all of them were put in LTTE jail later killed , when LTTE ordered Muslims to exit there were less than 1500 Muslim only in Jaffna , all of them were old men and women , Childers and disabled, The rest of Jaffna Muslim population already left Jaffna because of LTTE bombardment on Muslim areas, LTTE started launching shells on Muslim area from 07.10.1990 and kidnapping Muslim youth all those started to happening before LTTE started the brutal eviction, Then the well planed eviction -Ethnic cleansing was on October 30, 1990 when all remaining Muslims in Jaffna were ordered to assemble to Osmania college’s play ground and well known LTTE leader Anjaneyar or elamparuthy ordered all of them to leave the city within two hours. They were only allowed to carry 50 rupees each , and take with them only the clothes and slippers they were wearing on. The LTTE looted almost all possessions in the Muslim houses. Many houses were stripped off tiles, wooden frames, doors, windows, etc.

Muslim’s Lands Forcibly Occupied by the LTTE after Ethnic Cleansing of Jaffna Muslims in October 1990 are 1256 lands, Muslim Residential Houses Destroyed by the LTTE are 1,391 Houses, valued Rs.497,859,750.00, according to the People’s Secretariat report in 1990 , Muslims Properties Robbed by LTTE were 2,430 robberies, valued Rs. 694,607,633.00 according to the People’s Secretariat report in 1990 ,total Muslim population in Jaffna municipal area was more than 15 thousands in 4800 families now they are doubled in number , According to the People’s Secretariat 7200 jaffna muslim families are living in 28 camps in puttlam

This was the most notorious act, ever memorable and never forgettable painful memory of Jaffna Muslims.

years 2006 rehabilitation ministry had initiated a project to rehabilitate 18,240 northern Muslim families living under inhuman conditions in these camps, six hundred houses under the project have been handed over to manner families and another 600 are getting ready.. As the LTTE intimidation is over, most of these Muslims want to return to their native towns evicted by the LTTE, resettlement process already started for Tamil IDPs, the resettlement process is in slow progress for muslims in mannar , vavuniya but Jaffna and kilinochi Muslims feel abandoned as blindfolded in a desert , Forcibly evicted Jaffna and kilinochi muslim since 1990 that they have been abandoned in camps who are still living in an uncertain life in inhuman Condition, The negligence and the inattention in handling Muslim IDPs problems is caused by the non-existence of special political decision as law that can be used as guidelines in handling Muslim IDPs. Jaffna Muslim IDPs who they are still living in an uncertain life with uncertainty, and disappointment,

Muslim Diaspora should take care of this matter of Muslim IDPs in common and particularly Jaffna and Kilinochi Muslims IDPs they feel their voice was muted , their eyes were blindfolded , and they abandoned in a desert .

كُنتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللّهِ وَلَوْ آمَنَ أَهْلُ الْكِتَابِ لَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَّهُم مِّنْهُمُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَأَكْثَرُهُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ

Ye are the best of peoples, evolved for mankind, enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong, and believing in Allah. If only the People of the Book had faith, it were best for them: among them are some who have faith, but most of them are perverted transgressors.-3:110

-Sri Lanka Guardian