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The world of Islam owes its gratitude to our Prime Minister - Minister A. H. M. Azwer

"The World Muslim community appreciates the candid statement of the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe who said that no one should blame Islam for the attack on the World Trade Centre on 11th September 2001", Minister of Parliamentary Affairs A. H. M. Azwer said.

"The Prime Minister has also stressed that Islam is not in any way allied to terrorism and his statement should be taken as the official statement of the Sri Lanka. The world of Islam owes its gratitude to our Prime Minister for this viewpoint. The Prime Minister was also forthright when he said that there are terrorists found among all groups of people, whether they are Buddhists, catholics, Hindus, Muslims or followers of other religions.

The Prime Minister urged all followers to adhere faithfully to their respective religions, thereby transforming the world into a peaceful place. This reflects the high standards of statesmanship of the Prime Minister who is also dedicated to bring forth peace to this Island. The Minister mentioned this at the inauguration ceremony of the International Congress on Justice and World Peace, at Hotel Hilton, Colombo.

Speaking on the second sessions chaired by the Minister of Western Region Development M. H. Mohamed, Minister Azwer stated that, "The foreign delegates to this conference should carry this statement of the Prime Minister to their respective countries and should let their people known about it. Furthermore, this statement also clears the air of the unfair image that Muslims are extremists and they support terrorism.

"On the peace process in Sri Lanka, the Minister pointed out that from the time the Prime Minister assumed power on 5th December 2001 and due to his sincere and untiring efforts we have witnessed that normalcy has returned to this country and guns have become silent and bombs have not exploded.

It was just over a year ago that the entire nation was gripped with fear and uncertainty due to terrorist attacks on our national carrier and other important places such as Hotel Galadari, World Trade Centre and the Central Bank, which are situated just across the road of the Hotel where the Conference is taking place. Now by the Grace of Almighty Allah, for the past year normalcy has returned and the economy has picked up, the delegates are meeting here in a peaceful environment.

Minister Azwer also said that this Conference is significant due to its multi-religious representations. Not only Muslim dignitaries, but also Buddhist prelates, representatives of Catholics, Hindu and Ramakrishna Mission made important contributions in its deliberations.

All of them praised the organisers for choosing this country as the venue for this Conference, which takes place at a time when Sri Lankans have negotiated the bend successfully towards the long road of peace. Speaking on the lessons from Islamic history, the Minister highlighted the Quranic injunction, If the enemy inclines towards peace, you too incline towards peace and have trust in Allah (8:61).

"In light of this command, the legendary "Hudaibiyya Treaty" that Prophet Mohamed signed with the enemy (the Quraish) is ample testimony to his magnanimous gestures and a reflection of his clear perception of the 'ground' realities when, after a period of conflicts, the Quraish sent Suhail bin Amr as their chief negotiator who was a sworn enemy of Islam during its early period.

"The Holy Prophet had no qualms in negotiating with him. After lengthy discussions, the Holy Prophet and Suhail came to terms and agreed to execute a treaty, which became famous as the 'Hudaibiyya Treaty'. When the Holy Prophet dictated the following words: "This is Muhammed, the Messenger of God", Suhail raised objections over these words on the grounds that they did not recognise Him as the Prophet of God. The Holy Prophet promptly instructed his companions to change the words and wrote simply, 'Muhammed, Son of Abdullah".

"Such was his humility and readiness for compromise, as he was not signing a mere treaty, rather it was the first step towards achieving everlasting peace. Herein lies a perfect example to us on the policy of give and take".

Minister Azwer also commended M. H. Mohamed - Minister of Western Region Development - for organising this International Conference successfully. 'He is the senior most Muslim political leader in this country and is held in high esteem by the Muslim world. Minister Mohamed is a founder member of the Constituent Council of Rabita al-Alam al Islam. He is also the Senior President of Motomar al-Alam al Islami (Karachi) and President of its Sri Lanka Council. I am also honoured by his invitation to be present here, the significance being that I was the Secretary of Rabita office in Sri Lanka and formally served as the Secretary of Motamar Council for well-nigh two decades".

Several foreign and local dignitaries were in attendance.

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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