Local Issues

Forced cremations: Jeevan apologises to Muslim community

Minister of Water Supply and Estate Infrastructure Development Jeevan Thondaman on Tuesday (02) apologised to the Muslim community for the mandatory cremation policy enforced during the COVID-19 pandemic under the previous Government of Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The unexpected apology came during an Ifthar gathering hosted by Minister Thondaman in Hatton. The Minister apologised to the Muslims and acknowledged that the policy …

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President addresses challenges confronting Muslim schools in Colombo

In a concerted effort to tackle the educational hurdles encountered by Muslim schools in the Colombo region, President Ranil Wickremesinghe chaired a formal discussion at the Presidential Secretariat today (02). The meeting, which brought together key stakeholders, including Minister Ali Sabry and representatives of school principals and organizations, addressed a range of pressing issues. Among the challenges discussed were the shortage …

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MMDA: Cultural and religious right for Sri Lankan Muslims but not at the expense of Muslim women’s rights By Sabra Zahid

The Sri Lankan Government needs to move ahead with MMDA reforms before any more delays and scuttling by conservative groups with intentions to suppress Muslim women’s rights in the name of culture or religion   The Sri Lankan Muslim communities have been abuzz with debates about the reform of the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA) lately, with most segments agreeing …

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Reforming MMDA: Muslim Men Want Polygamy By Ameer Ali

Reforming the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA) has become an endless saga of committees and consultations, more to satisfy the political addenda of governments, parliamentarians and Muslim vote-bank managers than to make Muslim matrimonial matters keep pace with changing circumstances of Sri Lanka and its Muslim community. Between the time when Justice Saleem Marsoof Committee (JSMC) submitted its findings and recommendations …

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22% of SL population in need of food assistance- UN Resident Coordinator

UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka Hanaa Singer-Hamdy said 22 per cent of the Sri Lankan population or 4.9 million people live in need of food assistance at the moment. In an interview with Daily Mirror, she said several factors are interacting to put pressure on the current food security situation in Sri Lanka. “We have also seen that low-income …

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Islam text books withdrawn after One-Country-One-Law Task Force raises concern

The Education Ministry with immediate effect has recalled the Islam text books for Grade 6, 7, 10 and 11 after the Presidential Task Force for ‘One Country, One Law,’ raised concerns over the contents of the books. Issuing a directive to principals of National and other schools that have received the text books in Sinhala and Tamil, Educational Publications Department …

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