March 05, 2023, Colombo: Various suspicions and accusations against the Muslim community persist. Even though there are recent changes in the political and public spheres, those doubts and misconceptions stay in people’s minds.
The question of who will provide the appropriate parties with the awaited answers to such allegations continues to linger.
In particular, there have been constant accusations of linking Sri Lankan Muslims to terrorism.
Not only the ordinary secular people but the educated and upper-class society today believe the accusations levelled against Muslims for common, political reasons.
Last week, some officers of the Zonal Education Office, who visited a popular Muslim school in the central hill country, made a baseless allegation that Muslim students were attracted to extremism because they were not involved in sports. The teachers who were present at the place were not able to give them a proper answer.
Sports for girls are generally not denied in Muslim schools. Also, due to this, they are not attracted by terrorism. Explanations such as Islam has made sports should be given in due course. However, the inability to respond to these accusations is why our society continues to stand with its hands tied in the criminal cage. Various real-life examples can also be pointed out.
For over a decade, the Sinhalese political forces and a couple of Tamil hardline politicians have been doing politics by making various accusations against the Muslim people. Also, Sri Lankan Muslim politicians’ wrong attitudes and political activities are harming society, which needs to be fixed.
During the past few weeks, election campaigns were carried out in a different and chaotic environment, and the accusations levelled by some Sinhalese political leaders were raised among the Sinhalese people. Our society is also responsible for proper clarification about the false propaganda carried out about the Muslim community for political gain.
The Ulama Council, Muslim Council, National Shura Council, Mosques Associations and Da’wah Organizations that approach religious matters cannot act away from these responsibilities. Also, Muslim civil organizations and intellectuals must contribute to these matters.
Recently, Islam has been imparted to people of the same race by focusing on mosques. These are popular among people. However, significantly fewer people come to these mosque events and clarify their doubts. Programs that define doubts and eliminate misconceptions should be implemented based on detailed long-term planning. We want to emphasize that these efforts are relevant.
Source: Vidivelli
