The Muslim Council of Sri Lanka (MCSL) welcomes the cabinet decisions to appointment another committee to address the reforms needed to the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act
Posted on October 27th, 2016
PRESS RELEASE The Muslim Council of Sri Lanka
The Muslim Council of Sri Lanka (MCSL) welcomes the cabinet decisions to appointment another committee to address the reforms needed to the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act. The ministry of Justice had earlier appointed a committee of 17 eminent representatives of the Muslim community under the leadership of former Supreme Court Judge, Hon Saleem Marsoof to make recommendations to reform the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act. This report has still not been released.
The Muslim Council is deeply concerned about the statement made by Hon. Sagala Ratnayake, the Minister of Law and Order and Southern Development at the cabinet media briefing on 26th November 26th 2016 that the reforms to the Muslim Marriages and Divorce Act has to be enacted as part of the conditions to regain the GSP Plus concessions from the European community.
There is certainly a need ammend the Muslim Marriages and Divorce Act, but this has to be done in consultation with the Muslim religious leadership and the Muslim community in Sri Lanka and not at the dictates of the European Union or the International Community. The demand by the international community to intervene in a religious issue could cause irreparable damage to co-existence in Sri Lanka.
Similarly, there is widespread concern that the North and Eastern provinces would be merged by the current administration to accommodate the demands of the international community. The foreign policy of the Sirisena-Wickramasinghe administration should not be on the dictates of the International Community but in the best interest of the citizens of this country.
We urge the government to address the concerns of the Muslims through a consultation process with Muslim political, religious and Civil Society leadership.
N M Ameen
President
The Muslim Council of Sri Lanka
October 27th, 2016 at 7:54 pm
Muslims in Sri Lanka do NOT have a voice – a POLITICAL VOICE for that purpose. We have lost that “VOICE” since our vote-bank had been traded by our politicians. The SLMC is dead. The ACMC is busy making money, the Muslim politicians stooging the UNP are ONLY interested in their personal benefits. The ungrateful Muslim politicians who benefited the most from Mahinda Rajapaksa, Basil Rajapaksa and Gotabaya Rajapaksa are now stooging the Yahapalana government and enjoying their best with their kith and kin and henchaiyas, by selling the VOTE BANK of the Muslims who have been deceived lock-stock-and-barrel. The Muslim Civil Society, the MCSL and Muslim Media organizations in Sri Lanka and their leaders will stage dramas by releasing “press statements” because all of them have been well taken care by the Yahapalana government and the foreign interests who are giving them large amounts of funding to keep their mouth shut. Like what happened in Aluthgama and Beruwela, Maharagama and Dambulla, they all have been COVERED. The TRUTH has been hidden and the Muslims have been told a “LONG STORY, as being told now. It is time up that a NEW POLITICAL FORCE that will be honest and sincere to stand up and defend the Muslim Community politically and otherwise, especially from among the YOUTH, has to emerge from within the Sri Lanka Muslim Community to face any new election in the coming future, Insha Allah. THIS IS THE ONLY WAY THE MUSLIMS CAN SAFEGUARD THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY AGAINST THE YAHAPALANA GOVERNMENT AMENDING ANY LEGISLATIVE ENACTMENTS OR MUSLIM LAWS ALREADY ENACTED BY PARLIAMENT AND MADE LAW IN THE COUNTRY. The Yahapalana government (President Maithripala Sirisena and PM Ranil Wickremaratne) has forgetten that it was the minority Muslim votes and the Tamil votes and a very small fraction of the Sinhala votes the tipped the balance for the “Hansaya” to win the Presidential Elections in 2015. The en-block Muslim votes and Tamil votes to the Muslim candidates and the Tamil candidates made the Yahapalana government to get their majority in parliament in the 2015 general elections. In the next elections, surely the Muslims are contemplating to vote the “Joint Opposition” to power, Insha Allah.
Noor Nizam. Peace and Political Activist, Political Communication Researcher, SLFP Stalwart and Convener – The Muslim Voice.