[NSC GA] Claim Muslims are overtaking Buddhist Numerically in Sri Lanka Baseless – by M.M Zuhair PC

False rumours and myths continued to be spread that Muslims in Sri Lanka would overtake the Sinhala Buddhist population before the turn of the century though official statistics proved otherwise, former Member of Parliament M.M. Zuhair. PC said at the English Course Awards Day ceremony of GPL Organisation held at Arafa National School in Weligama on Monday.

The former Sri Lankan ambassador to Iran said it was regrettable that in a country blessed with a very high literacy rate there were still people who believed such baseless claims. Due to inadequate publicity to responses on the issue in sections of the media, misunderstandings continued to prevail, he said.

Zuhair noted that on March 18 last year, an official spokesperson of the Department of Census and Statistics had countered the claims that it would be the last century of Buddhist majority in Sri Lanka. But, false rumours were still being spread possibly by persons wanting to create conflicts. He urged the award winners to write to the media in English and Sinhala and educate those spreading malicious falsehood.

A recent study done for the National Shoora Council by statistician Delano Uduman, due to be released shortly, had shown the absurdity of the population related claims, Zuhair said. According to the report the Buddhists of Sri Lanka in 1881 were 1.5 million more in numbers than the then Muslim population. Each successive census showed the Buddhist lead increasing over the Muslims in terms of population, and the gap between the two convincingly widening, leaving the Muslims numerically far behind! The lead of 1,500,300 in 1881 had grown to 12,255,617 in real terms by 2012. There was no question of the Muslims ever catching up with the Buddhists in numbers, he said.

"Muslims had lived in Sri Lanka for over a thousand years. Even after a thousand years we have not reached even 10% of the population. That this 9% minority can never ever overtake the 75% Sinhala majority has been demonstrated beyond any doubt by Delano Uduman’s study."

He said a comparison of the population figures of 2012 with the previous census of 1981 showed that in terms of percentages both the Sinhala and Muslim population had gone up by over 1% each. But, what was not being pointed out was that the increase had resulted from a drop of 2.8% in the country’s Tamil population that occurred due to the war and the attendant overseas migration. The drop had been statistically shared as increases in the population percentages of the Sinhala and Muslims. Those were not increases in real terms as shown in comparative numbers.

He urged the Muslims to interact with the Buddhists and other communities more closely, at the level of Temples, Kovils, Churches and Mosques and explain "ourselves in a transparent manner as misunderstandings has also been caused from the perception that we are restricted to our community".

M. U. Mohamed President of the organisation presided over the well- attended function. Al Haj M. H. Abdul Gaffar, founder, South Lanka Islamic Secretariat, joint organiser of the event, Sheik M. H. M. Faleel, Senior Lecturer at the Jaamia Naleemia of Beruwala and Azmi Junaid, Course Lecturer also addressed the gathering.