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The Unani medical system is one of the foremost alternative health
care systems in the world.
While individual herbal treatment produces successful results, the
need to introduce natural food supplements to augument the health
healing process is stressed in the Unani medical system.
Nowadays more and more people resort to herbal treatment for curing
their illnesses and natural preventives that have been effectively used
for thousands of years are aplenty.
Margosa (Kohomba) has contributed immensely in the manufacture of
various Unani, Ayurvedic and Allopahic drugs. Margosa can be used for
the following ailments:
Asthma : Apply a few drop of margosa oil which has been extracted
from its seeds on a betel leaf, and foment the patient's chest. This
will bring relief.
Baldness: Applying margosa oil on the bald portion preferably at
night and washing in the morning, stops the falling of hair and helps in
its growth.
Cough : Gargle three or four times a day with lukewarm margosa juice
mixed with a few drops of honey.
Dental disorders : Using a fresh piece of margosa twig as a brush for
cleaning teeth makes the gums strong, eliminates foul smells and cures
pyorrhea. Gargling with margosa water (in which fresh leaves have been
boiled) stops dental decay and pain in the teeth.
Headache : 1 or 2 drops of fresh margosa leaves juice will bring
relief.
Hair disorders : Washing the hair with water boiled with margosa
leaves stops falling of hair and helps the hair to grow black and
lustrous.
This is also very effective to kill lice in the hair.
Insect bites : Chewing fresh margosa leaves with a little salt and
pepper helps in eliminating poison stings.
Margosa is also a powerful insecticide which destroys plant parasites
and helps in agriculture. Pound or grind margosa leaves, add water to
the juice and spray it on the plantation.
Harshi Nadie Perera
Piliyandala
The Sinhala Buddhists and the Muslims have lived cordially and
peacefully for centuries and there have been several inter-marriages
between the two communities.
The origins of the Muslims are well researched and documented by
Prof. Lorna Dewaraja of the Peradeniya University in her book 'The
Muslims of Sri Lanka One Thousand Years of Ethnic Harmony'. Muslims have
been trustworthy and loyal citizens of Sri Lanka. Sinhala Kings
conferred the title Rajakaruna on the Ge names of Muslims.
Muslims were the trusted physicians of the royal family on whom the
Kings conferred several honours and gave them lands on Sannasas. The
Sinhala Kings did not trust their kitchen staff and employed Muslim
cooks. The Queen's bath was manned by Muslim women. The Adigars were not
allowed to live close to the palace but the Muslim royal physicians were
accommodated close to the palace.
100% of the Kandyan Muslims are the children of Sinhala mothers. No
Muslim woman ever came here.
In this background I was shocked and surprised to read Shenali
Waduge's article in the Daily News of January 12, 2013.
We Muslims always abide by the laws of this country. Muslims have
never branded the Sinhalese as extremists or racists.
How can we, when we are half Muslim and half Sinhalese? Nowhere have
the Muslims of this country destroyed the cultural heritage of the
Buddhists.
The Muslim woman according to Islam, has to cover the entire body
except the face and the hands below the wrists. The cheapest and
economical attire is the cloak or Habaya.
In a multi-ethnic country like Sri Lanka one should understand that.
There are no exclusive Muslim schools anywhere in the country.
Children of other communities are admitted to all Muslim schools.
International Schools are private schools opened under the Companies
Ordinance and the owner has the right to give a Muslim name to his
school if the owner is a Muslim.
There is no dualism in the laws of this country except for the fact
that as far as the Muslims marriage and divorce are concerned, there is
a separate law.
In all other respects Muslims are governed by the general law. There
are no Sharia Courts in Sri Lanka.
I do not know whether the writer is referring to Quazi Courts. If it
is so the Quazi Court has been set up to hear only Muslim divorce cases
because the Muslim marriages are conducted according to the Muslim law.
These divorce cases cannot be heard in District Courts because the
procedure is entirely different as the Civil Procedure Code does not
apply to Muslim divorce cases.
With regard to the use of loud speakers for calling for prayers, the
Supreme Court has given permission to mosques to use loud speakers for
three minutes for that purpose.
The Muslims have never asked for special laws that cause conflict
with the other communities.
The Halal certificate is sought by non-Muslim traders and
Supermarkets to sell their products to the Muslims. Are Muslims to be
blamed for that? All Muslim religious days are not national holidays in
Sri Lanka except for three days.
Prophet Mohamed's Birthday, Ramazan festival day and the Hadji
festival day whereas the Buddhists enjoy sixteen national holidays. A
Madarasa is a Daham Pasala which teaches the Holy Quaran to children.
Every Muslim school has a Madarasa.
The Friday Jummah Prayer is a mandatory prayer for every Muslim.
Therefore every Muslim workplace must close for compulsory prayer
whether it is a Super-Market or otherwise.
With regard to freedom of religion for non-Muslims in Muslim
countries, I have to state that there is absolute freedom of religion if
the non-Muslims are part of the indigenous population of that country.
In Saudi Arabia there are more than eight million Coptic Christians
who are Arabs. They have their churches and places of worship in Saudi
Arabia.
The floating population is not allowed to build temples and kovils in
Muslim countries for the simple reason that these places of worship will
go into disuse once this floating population leaves the country. The
minor staff are Sinhalese.
I quote Sura 109 of the Holy Quaran for the information of Ms.
Waduge. "Unbelievers, I do not worship what you worship, nor do you
worship what I worship.
I shall never worship what you worship, nor will you ever worship
what I worship. You have your own religion, and I have mine"
M.B.M. Zubair
Kandy
In March 1993 the prestigious Wall Street Journal published extracts
from a letter of December 1893 addressed by Hegh McCulloch, the then
Secretary of the Treasury U.S.A. to all the banks functioning in U.S.A.
at that time. The words of wisdom uttered 150 years ago hold good for
any country in the world where people in positions of responsibility
should be beyond blemish.
“Let no loans be made that are not secured beyond a reasonable
contingency. Do nothing to foster and encourage speculation. Give
facilities only to legitimate and prudent transactions. Make your
discounts on as short time as the business of your customers will permit
and insist upon the payment of all papers at maturity, no matter whether
you need the money or not. Never renew a note or bill merely because you
may not know where to place the money with equal advantage if the paper
is paid. In no other way can you properly control your discount line, or
make it at all times reliable.
“Distribute your loans rather than concentrate them in a few hands.
Large loans to a single individual or firm, although sometimes proper
and necessary, are generally injudicious and frequently unsafe. Large
borrowers are apt to control the bank and when this is the relation
between a bank and its customers, it is not difficult to decide which in
the end will suffer.
“Every dollar that a bank loans above its capital and surplus it owes
for, and its managers are therefore under the strongest obligations to
its creditors, as well as to its stockholders to keep its discounts
constantly under its control. Treat your customers liberally, bearing in
mind the fact that a bank prospers as its customers prosper but never
permit them to dictate your policy. If you doubt the propriety of
discounting an offering, give the bank the benefit of the doubt and
decline it. Never make a discount if you doubt the propriety of doing
it. If you have reason to distrust the integrity of a customer, close
his account. Never deal with a rascal under the impression that you can
prevent him from cheating you. The risk in such cases is greater than
the profits.
Padmasiri de Silva
Katubedda
Leisure is important for life. Leisure means taking a little rest, or
relaxing after a hard day's work. One's profession cannot be considered
a leisure time activity. For example, a professional photographer may be
busy during his leisure time. Modern city life is like a contest with so
much of stress. Everybody is overworked. Nobody has the time to enjoy
the natural environment and give a rest to the mind and body. As a
result, many people suffer from various physical and mental disorders.
It is very important to spend your leisure time for a worthwhile cause.
Leisure does not mean spending your time in fruitless tasks such as
smoking, gambling, gossiping and consuming liquor.
Leisure can restore our energy, comfort us and make us strong to work
again. Going on picnics, taking a long walk or reading useful books are
some good leisure time activities. If you waste your time or overtax
your mind and body, you will fall ill. So everybody must try to make
good use of his leisure time.
Hoshan Naduka Bandara,
Matale.
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