Dawood calls for lasting solution for adversity faced by Muslims

Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) Chairman Basheer Segu Dawood said today that Muslim political leaders should provide a permanent and a lasting solution for the discrimination and adversity faced by the community.

He also proposed that a mechanism has to be created for the community’s welfare, rather than looking for mercy from political leaders.

Issuing a statement with regard to a recent discussion in Kattankudy, he said the discussion was about a separate Muslim Provincial Unit (Muslim Alahu in Tamil) and not a Muslim separate state.

“This probably was translated into other languages as a separate Muslim state. I do not perceive this as a deliberate act but a mistake in the translation. However, the Tamil media has carried the news in the way I meant it,” he said.

He said whenever a call is made to address Muslim aspirations, it was referred to as ‘Jihad’ which has never been an entity in Sri Lanka.

“It is said it is a fashion to portray the community as a violent race. So, as Muslim leaders we should hope that future generations will come forward to win their right,” he said.

Speaking on the Tamil issue, he said as the Tamil community is demanding justice for the injustice caused during the end times of the war, the Muslim community is also demanding justice for loss of lives and possessions inflicted in the 1900s. (Piyumi Fonseka)