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Northern Muslim's Problem
A Political Question. Not an IDP Issue
By Latheef Farook
Northern Muslims driven out 18 years ago by the LTTE within two hours,
urged the government to treat their problem as a political question
and not as an Internally Displaced People's issue. These Muslims fear
that, if the current government policy is to continue, it is matter
of time before they would be dumped in the refugee camps forever to
depend on the meager ration and nothing to look forward to.
They said that" it was motivated by racist and political reasons
that they were kicked out from their homes, lands and properties in
an unprecedented crime of ethnic cleansing in the island's known history
.Therefore there is no reason why they be treated as IDPs and their
basic human rights deprived"
This was the unanimous demand of the Northern Muslims in and around
Puttalam refugee camps who observed the 18th anniversary of their miserable
plight at a function held at the Negombo Town Hall on 11 November 2008.The
event also included a heart-melting exhibition of 165 photos depicting
their misery and sufferings during the past 18 years.
Addressing the gathering Moulavi B.S.Sufiyan, President of the People's
Secretariat, helping Northern Muslims and championing their cause, provided
vivid details of the injustice, financial loss and the endless sufferings
that the Northern Muslims have been subjected to without any hope of
an end to it .So much so the photo exhibition and his speech made the
participants to weep and cry with youths seething with anger at their
appalling living conditions.
Moulavi sufiyan pointed out that despite all their sufferings these
unfortunate Muslims who never subscribed to separate state demand or
took to arms to win back their rights were treated as IDPs and were
forced to live in 181 refugee camps in appalling conditions in Puttalam,
Anuradhapura and Kurunegala.
He added that "now that it has been accepted by the government
and the international community of the need for a political solution
to the devastating ethnic conflict, it is time that the government considers
their plight too as a political question and treat them accordingly".
He asserted that since independence neither the Tamils nor the Sinhalese
involved in the ethnic conflict suffered so much in the way the northern
Muslim suffered and no people were displaced for such a long period
as in the case of Northern Muslims. The irony is that their sufferings
failed to attract the attention of the local and international communities
as this problem was not properly understood and politicians exploited
their misery to win elections and gain political mileage.
These is the reason why the Northern Muslims now demand that their
grievance be viewed as political question and seek political solution
.The participants unanimously passed ten resolutions stating that;
1- Muslims driven out from their homes and lands continue to regard
north of the island as their traditional homeland and desire to get
back at any cost.
2-Northern Muslims problem should be viewed as political issue and
ensure a political solution guaranteeing their rights.
3-Loss of property caused by the forceful eviction should be adequately
compensated.
4-Lands owned by Northern Muslims before the eviction in 1990 should
be returned to them.
5-All relief, compensation, rehabilitation, reconstruction and resettlement
activities should be done by a task force which includes district representatives
of northern Muslims.
6-Planned resettlement of outsiders in lands owned by northern Muslims
be stopped forthwith as they consider this as a conspiracy to oust them
permanently from their lands.
7-Government to consider that state lands adjacent to the lands owned
by evicted Muslims should be given to them in keeping with the increasing
demand due to increase`in population.
8-Provide the Northern Muslims in refugee camps required facilities
to lead a normal life until such time they were allowed to return voluntarily
in security.
9-The dry ration and puttalam World Bank housing scheme facilities
should be given to all evicted northern Muslims without discrimination
and without political interference.
10-Special concessions should be given to Northern Muslims in Education,
government employment and livelihood programs.
The function also included a drama highlighting how the Tamils and
Muslims lived in peace and harmony and the sufferings caused to Northern
Muslims by ethnic cleansing them from their traditional homes and lands
by the LTTE .
They have also launched their website www. jaffnamuslims.lk, which
provides information about their problems and released the 15th issue
of the Tamil magazine "Nesakkarangal".
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