Muslims are in the news all
over the world; associated with "fundamentalism""
terrorism" "hijab" and stuff, no matter how much we read news
about muslims few in this isle know much about us. So, here's an introduction.
We don’t come from a land
down under nor do we come from a land up yonder; we are a integral part of this
land. Our blood is happily mixed with yours.
Muslims of sri lanka are a
mixed lot of races; arab traders have visited and settled since 100 years
before Christ. Over time, other races,
some incidentally muslim, from the Indian subcontinent have made sri lanka
their home, have intermarried with migrant Sinhalese, Tamils and malays. Today all of us, those who have ancestral
roots and others recently arrived, call Sri Lanka, our home.
We Sri Lankan muslims aren't
Arab Indian/ Pakistani; in looks, we resemble the rest of sri Lankans.
There isn’t a racial copyright on being a
muslim; any person can become a muslim
by declaring his faith; thus he can be Sinhala, tamil, burgher,veddah,african
hottentot, anglo saxon etc.
So, why is their general
ignorance about the muslims of sri lanka?
It’s the Muslims fault
really; there was a time when muslims had so integrated with the Sinhalese and
the latter felt so comfortable with muslims, that a Kandyan king gave some muslims, land in
Akurana and possibly wives too, to encourage muslims to live amongst them. Did
you know that muslims from Akurana have their "ge" names?
For a long time, Muslim
traders were trusted and the wealth of Sinhala produce suppliers were in the
safe custody of muslim traders. These monies weren't "rolled over in
business" but kept separately in trust for them.
Today, muslims in Sri Lanka
are perceived to be a rich community. Sadly, we aren't. We do have rich people, but they are few.
We've some big names in business being muslim, but we've always been a trading
community, and to be expected in the same way that some of the larger agricultural
traders are Sinhala. Doesn’t mean we are rich; many Muslims are desperately
poor.
Islam has the perfect
solution to adjust the issues of the poor in terms of the compulsory tax of
2.25% on wealth on the part of wealthy Muslims. It’s a fact that if the tax is
properly paid by Muslims who can afford it, there will be no poverty. Muslim law is one thing; application of it is
entirely another thing.
The fault lies in Muslims becoming perceptibly
less honest and I attribute most of the blame to our embrace of commercial
banking interest, which is expressly forbidden us in Islam. We aren't unique in
being bad and evil people exist in every society and this society must
acknowledge.
Tennant, Colonial Secretary
to the Crown said that, if not for the Portuguese arrival in Lanka, the whole
population would have become Muslim. There is no record of unethical/forced
conversions in our history, so we must have been an exemplary people for sure.
Today, our ethics and morals, despite an increase in our outwardly Islamic
looks, have remained below what is required of a Muslim. Sad.
We need to internalize our
Islamic faith, become better human beings, and live according to the tenets of
Islam.
Muslims have settled all
over the island and in every corner of the land you will find evidence of an
old existence; mosques abound over the island simply because it’s the cornerstone
of a muslims life who is required to pray five times .Social activities,
weddings and funerals are normal functions within a mosque.
Muslims are obviously
different to all others in the island in terms of their religious observances
and this may be one reason that they are a less understood community. But here
again I fault the Muslims who largely still haven’t shared their religion with
other communities.
We need to live in harmony;
understand our differences and live in harmony and understanding of one another
within a democratic environment.
Democracy as a concept isn’t alien to the spirit of Islam and if there
is a lack of democracy in Islamic countries worldwide, this is because of
foreign political compulsions over many years, so welcome the Arab Spring !
What do muslims believe in
and what's their world view? Being a monotheistic religion, muslims believe in
a single Deity; that life is all about accountability for actions and a life
after death, the ultimate condition being dependant on actions on earth.Christians
will have something similar, and Muslims know the Buddhist world views too.
Dhamma isn’t alien to muslim thinking at all.
We do dress differently to
other communities in the island and this is because Islam requires that a man
and woman cover themselves appropriately.
Everyone has their own world
view tempered through their religious views and the point here is that we must live
and give each other space too.
The foregoing is an attempt
at making the "muslim" understood at a simple level; if there are
questions, I shall be happy to answer as best I could.
