Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s statement on what he described as the “emergence of Muslim extremism” has shocked and dismayed the island’s besieged and helpless Muslim community. Addressing a defense seminar at Galadari Hotel on Tuesday 3 September Mr.Gotabaya Rajapaksa stated that the country was faced with an uphill task of tackling Sinhala hardliners as well as Muslim extremists. He added that …

Wednesday marks the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that changed the course of world history and dragged the US into wars in the Middle East which have brought her to the brink of bankruptcy, both financially and morally, and rocked her foundations. The prestigious British  Economist said, in an editorial commenting on the attacks, that the United States and its …

Sri Lanka’s Muslims are at an unprecedented and ominous crossroads. The community there is faced with an existential threat at the hands of an increasingly militant Buddhist minority, while the nation’s Muslim parliamentarians appear to be more powerless and mute than at any time since 1947. This impotence is startling because the current parliament holds the largest number of Muslim …

Colombo, 31 August 2013 Good morning, and thank you for coming. As is customary at the end of official missions such as this, I would like to make some observations concerning the human rights situation in the country. During my seven-day visit, I have held discussions with President Mahinda Rajapaksa, and senior members of the Government. These included the Ministers …

The spread of hate speech and campaign against Muslims is not something novel in history. We have witnessed this happening in our very own Sri Lanka in the recent past, in direct terms as well as in forms of manipulative sugarcoated speech. An important issue that is directed against Muslims is against the dress – Abaya worn by Muslim women. …

Remembering My Shahadah Before Maghrib Prayer, I told my friend Golam, "There's lots of peace in knowing that I only have to worship one God. I don't worship money, wealth, or any of that. I don't have to please the world." Golam nodded. "Recently," he stated, "Look at the Americans. They have all kinds of freedom. You would think everyone …