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All Ceylon Muslim League condemns actions of dissident group

"The Muslims of Sri Lanka express their disgust and condemnation of the Muslim Congress for letting down the Muslims of the Eastern Province at the crucial hour of the discussions in Oslo. We in the Muslim League have been very concerned about the position of the muslims in the Northern and the Eastern Provinces.

We were not prepared to cause a division in our community when Minister Rauf Hakeem staked his claim to speak on behalf of the muslims especially of the Eastern Province. The Muslim Congress members of Parliament including their Ministers had endorsed and the people of the eastern province also acquiesced in Rauf Hakeem taking the leadership on the North & East muslim problem. We also endorsed it as the eastern province muslims had endorsed it, states a press release issued by the All Ceylon Muslim League.

The release adds: All those who took steps to elect new president and secretaries must be condemned for these illegal actions. Their conduct borders on criminality. We the All Ceylon Muslim League had been the only representative body to speak on behalf of the muslims of Sri Lanka long before 1920.

We have never dictated to any party that a muslim be made a Minister but the choice of minister had been left to the leadership of the party. The United National Party and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, gave due recognition to the muslims, not because of our demand but a spontaneous recognition of the community. For these so called self appointed leaders of the new group to demand two ministries be given to them is ludicrous.

According to the Muslim sharia when a group has elected a leader and if another person claims that leadership the punishment is death. If the Eastern Province muslims cannot come together on a vital issue which will effect continued living of the muslims in the Eastern Province.

The All Ceylon Muslim League demands that M.H. Mohammed, who is respected by all the communities attend all future conferences with regard to the problems of the muslim of Mannar, Jaffna Peninsula, Trincomalee, Muthur, Eravur, and Amparai Districts.

We are very worried that the muslims of the Eastern Province, who were good muslims should under the influence of the so called Muslim Congress cease to be good muslims. You are betraying Allah's Command "And hold fast the rope (of Allah) which Allah (stretches out for you) and be not divided among yourselves" Surah 3-103.Should you be divided among yourselves you will be on the brink of the Pit of Fire.

In the ethnic conference, if we fail to take active part in arriving at satisfactory solution, not only the muslims of the North and East, but the muslims of the whole country will suffer. We cannot expect the Sinhalese to help us when we are fighting among ourselves to cut another brother's throat to become a minister. The muslims of Sri Lanka join us in condemning the action of the dissident group of the muslim congress. Muslim congress' fight had been to bolster individual leader's position from the time of its erstwhile Leader and not to serve the Muslim Community but to improve their position".

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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