Former President J R Jayewardene had, in 1987, merged the Eastern and Northern Provinces under Indian pressure. Then leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) late M.H.M. Ashraff and the Muslims in the country had opposed the merger. They didn’t want to be governed by another minority. Because of the forced merger, new demands of a separate council for Muslims emerged at that time. If not for the SLMC led by Marhoom Ashraff, the LTTE would have achieved its Eelam dream. Eastern Muslims thereby paid a heavy price at the hands of the LTTE in 1989-90 for not supporting the division of the country, President’s Counsel M. M. Zuhair, former Member of Parliament said at the 20th Ashraff memorial meeting held recently at the Abdul Majeed Hall, Sammanthurai, in the Ampara District.
Speaking further, Zuhair said the Muslims of Sri Lanka or the SLMC and its then leader Ashraff never supported separatism or the 30-year LTTE struggle to establish ‘Eelam’. Ashraff and the Muslims were opposed to the division of the country. It was the United Nations that created the first racially based state of ‘Israel’ seven decades ago in multi- ethnic Palestine. There is no place for other races in today’s Israel. It is today a land only for one race. Muslims of Sri Lanka did not want the country divided or to see the creation of a state for one race. Nevertheless Ashraff saw devolution of power as the political answer to the LTTE! Devolution is the only way today to win over the peace!
The meeting presided by Professor Rameez Abdullah was addressed by Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP M.A. Sumanthiran PC, former MP and Chairman Sammanthurai Pradeshiya Sabha A.M.M. Naushad and Deshamanya Irshad A. Cader. The meeting was organised by the Humanitarian Welfare Council of Sammanthurai and the Deshamanya Irshad A. Cader Welfare Forum of Sammanthurai.
The two major communities, Zuhair said have had their own problems. The failed ‘Christian’ coup of 1961 was an attempt to topple the government unlawfully. In 1971, the then JVP led Sinhala youth rebellion to overawe the government ended in failure. In 1988-9 another Marxist inspired major uprising of Sinhala youth to topple the government through criminal force also ended in failure. Meanwhile the 30-year LTTE war to establish a separate state was also defeated. Muslims were the only community that did not have any role in any of these terrorising events. Ashraff’s patriotic role during the 30 year war will never be forgotten. He was however never opposed to the genuine aspirations of the Tamil people of the country.
Zuhair said M.P. Sumanthiran referred to the need for the unity of the Tamil, Muslim and Sinhala people particularly in the East. Muslims will strongly support such moves. But the Tamil demand for merger had always been the major obstacle to this unity.
Genuine concerns have now emerged regarding the preservation of historical archaeological sites in the country. In Pakistan Taxila and other archaeological sites are protected by the government and the people of Pakistan. In Afghanistan, we tend to forget that the Bamiyan Buddha statues were protected by the Muslims there for over a thousand years. These sites also bring them tourist income.
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