MUSLIM HISTORY AND INVOLVEMENT IN SRI LANKA
The history of Muslims in Sri Lanka starts with a small groups of Muslim traders arriving from South India for purposes of trade in the late 14th
century or some 700 years ago. However, there is no evidence whatsoever
that Muslims were permanent inhabitants of Sri Lanka at that time.
Being tradesmen, they came got what they wanted and left. It should be
stated emphatically, that there were no Muslim settlements in Sri Lanka
for 1000 years as erroneously claimed by some quarters. The Muslims of
South India were descendents of Arab traders.
Settling down in Sri Lanka of some Muslim merchants from South India took place during the late 14th to early 16th
century period. This was a politically unstable period in Sri Lanka
owing to invasions and atrocities of Tamil speaking South Indian
Dravidians and later by the ruthless Portuguese. It was the period when
the capital city of the traditional Sinhala kingdom – Polonnaruwa, had
to be abandoned owing to insecurity and the capital relocated in
different places such as Yapahuwa, Kurunegala,
Dambadeniya, Ganpola, Kotte and Mahanuwara. This period popularly known
as the period of the “drift to the South west” was largely a time of
political unrest. Muslim presence and influence was rising in South India during this time. It was at this time, especially during the 14th to 16th
century period, that Muslim merchants started to arrive in Sri Lanka.
It happened both before and after the arrival of the Portuguese. Those
who settled along the western coast married Sinhala women. Coming from
South India and being exposed to the Tamil language, some of these
Muslims married Tamil speaking women in Sri Lanka. All of these women
were converted to Islam.
Persecution of Muslims by the Dutch
Muslim merchants were given a hard time by the Portuguese whose primary interest
in Sri Lanka, was also trade and commerce. During the Dutch period of
occupation of our coastal areas the Muslims were ruthlessly persecuted
by the Dutch throughout the 17th century. The Muslims had to run to the Kande-Uda-Rata or the Sinhala Kandyan kingdom for safety among the Sinhala people. King Senerat and King Rajasinghe II took the initiative of settling large numbers of Muslims in predominantly Sinhala areas among the Sinhala people in the hill country and in the Batticaloa area, to work as paddy farmers. Many were
integrated into the Sinhala society. In fact, some of our kings gave Muslims duties in the king’s administration.
Hospitality of the Sinhala Buddhists
There
are several historic records such as those of Robert Knox which report
how the Muslims were received favourably in the Sinhala Kingdom and how
the Sinhala people gifted land to Muslims. Most Muslims adopted Sinhala
ways and mannerisms. In Galagedara there are yet two villages occupied
only by Muslims, surrounded by Sinhala villages, where the lands were
donated to them by the Sinhala king. Present Katupalliya and Meera
Makkam Masjid in Mahanuwara were built on land gifted by the king. The
architecture of the Katupalliya is Sinhala Udarata. Ridi Vihare in
Kurunegala gave part of its land for a Muslim Masjid.
In 1930, Muslim boys of Rambukkhana had their education in Buddhist monasteries. Many studied Sinhala and indigenous medicine. Facilities were provided for the Muslim boys to recite their prayers and attend Quoranic classes, while living in Buddhist temples. Muslims
made voluntary contributions towards the vihara and they participated
in the Esala Perahera. Drummers voluntarily stopped their music when
they passed Muslim mosques. This was the extent of cordiality and
accommodation accorded to Muslims by the Sinhala Buddhist people in
those challenging times with Dutch atrocities.
Dr.
Lorna Devarajah in her in-depth research on Muslim history in Sri Lanka
says “Having adapted to the local conditions in various ways and also
contributing largely to the island’s economic prosperity, the Muslim
community of Sri Lanka, unlike the Hindu Tamils of the Northern
Province, has saved itself from any major clash with the indigenous
Sinhalese population. They have also been able to receive a fair share
in the country’s politics and administration by virtue of their hard
work and also of being an important minority whose support has been
vital to all the political groups in the country. Although it may be
said that the Muslim community was not politically dominant at any
stage, yet, it is certainly true that they maneuvered
their political activity without much noise, unlike the Tamils”.
Post Independence Opportunities
Muslims
continued to benefit from various forms of privileges available to them
after Sri Lanka attained political independence in 1948. Muslims
were given many opportunities to improve their commercial businesses
and socio-economic conditions and quality of life. Sinhala political
leadership accorded Ministerial and high professional opportunities for
Muslims. The Muslim community benefited much by having Muslim
Ministers running the Education Ministry for many years. The education
of Muslims received priority attention during this time. Several well-
equipped exclusively Muslim schools were established in predominantly
Muslim areas during this time. Muslim
children and youth had preferential treatment in the area of education
and admission to universities. It is a well known fact that, Muslims
were accorded preferential treatment in employment when a Muslim
minister was in charge of the Ports Authority and also in Foreign
Affairs. Port employment is known to be lucrative both then and now.
For
whatever reasons – political or other, the several extra privileges,
benefits and opportunities made available to the Muslim community by the
Sinhala political leaders, resulted in a rapid improvement in living
conditions of the Muslim community. In fact, at present, these
privileges coupled with the initiative of the Muslims themselves, have
made their life far better than that of the large majority of the
Sinhala people.
Today,
Muslims more or less dominate the import-export trade, shipping
business, and commercial enterprises such as hardware, timber, clothing,
computer hardware and software, telecommunication equipment, automobile
and related spare parts sales, meat and poultry industry and sales,
foreign employment agencies and related service industry, international
school business, among several others.
Muslims
have the benefit of having ad preferential treatment in employment in
the oil-rich Middle Eastern Muslim countries and thereby have gained
substantially, as compared to our Sinhala housemaids and most other
employees who continue to be grossly exploited by the Middle Eastern
Muslim employers.
Undue Privileges
The
Muslims as a small minority settler community enjoy undue privileges
that are not enjoyed by the large majority of Sinhala people who form
the dominant and indigenous community of the nation. With all the
benefits and preferential privileges, unemployment of Muslims is far
lower as compared to the Sinhala.
Muslims
are well known to be running successful businesses in predominantly
Sinhala majority areas with the Sinhala people as their customers. They
are involved in wealth generating employment connected with tourism and
travel. The household income of Muslims far
exceeds those of ordinary Sinhala people. The per capita income of the
Muslim community is far higher than that of the Sinhala majority
community.
Investments that are of Common Benefit
It
is a well evident fact that Muslim leaders and most Muslim
professionals are focused on furthering the interests of their Muslim
community rather than society as a whole. It is time that Muslims
invested more on hospitals, schools and other national social welfare
activities and contributed tangibly for infrastructure development
activities that benefit everyone and not necessarily the Muslim
community.
It
is time that Muslim establishments refrain from exclusively hiring
Muslims, especially for responsible positions in their establishments. There
have been many instances of Muslim encroachment of places that are of
Buddhist historic value, and the destruction of Buddhist monuments and
items of archeological value in the Eastern Province in particular. This
definitely has to stop. If Muslims are involved in the illicit drug
trade as often reported in the media, this is national crime and has to
stop.
Being an Active Part of the Nation
Muslims
should consider it their duty to participate more actively in national
events such as the National day festivities and other important national
events and international events as Sri Lankans and cheer Sri Lanka and
rejoice in their international attainments in all fields including
cricket and sports in general. The indigenous
cultural norms and values upon which this nation is founded should be
well understood and respected by all citizens of this country,
irrespective of their religious or other affiliations.
Although
forming a mere 7% of the total population of the country, Muslims are
accorded religious holidays as public holidays in our country. They
are represented in the national flag of Sri Lanka with a green belt.
Most importantly, there are no restrictions in Sri Lanka for the
construction of mosques in predominantly Sinhala areas. It is a well known fact that Muslim countries do not permit even the display of a Buddha image, let along building Vihares.
In
activities connected with Muslim mosques, especially in early morning
prayers using load speakers, the Muslims should pay more attention to
the comforts and conveniences of the non-Muslim neighbors.
Gratitude for the Opportunities Afforded
A
good part of buildings and land in most urban areas in the country,
especially in predominantly Sinhala areas are owned today by Muslims. No
comparable minority in any major country in the world have been given
such preposterous benefits, which are not rights but ridiculously high
privileges enjoyed by the Muslims and Tamil settler minorities in our
motherland. Since the privileges of one person can only be had at the
expense of the rights of another, this shows that, in fact, it is the
indigenous Sinhalas, who account for more than 70% of the population, who are discriminated against in Sri Lanka.
After
securing so much from the country, and from the majority Sinhala
community who had all along provided them with hospitality and
generosity, it is disappointing to see many Muslim leaders and Muslim
people of today, especially those living in the Eastern province having
the audacity and ingratitude to claim autonomy for the lands that they
are occupying in predominantly Muslim areas. Do they realize that some
of these lands were given to them by Sinhala kings and governments led
by Sinhala leaders.
Inciting Violence Against Buddhists
It
was not long ago that Islamic fundamentalists and armed Muslim
extremists were inciting violence against legitimate Buddhist activities
in the East - Pottuvil region. Muslims were
forcibly encroaching upon land that rightfully belongs to Buddhist
temples on the southeast coast. They were demolishing some archeological
sites of Buddhist significance in the East. Also, the Sri Lanka Muslims Congress and several Islamic groups of our country had the audacity to
oppose the construction of Buddha’s statues on the island’s southeast coast.
In recent years there have been many incidents that involved disagreements between the Muslim community members and the Sinhala
people. There had been protests by Sinhala Buddhist nationalists urging
the Government to crack down on Islamic groups that are opposing the
construction of Buddha’s statues in some towns and villages on the
island’s southeast coast. Hundreds of Buddhist monks and their lay
supporters demonstrated against “anti Buddhist activities of Muslim
extremists”.
The
Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and several civil society groups have opposed
the construction of Buddha’s statues on the southeast coastal areas
which were predominantly Buddhist areas in the recent past and which
have Buddhist historic monuments and important archeological remains
which are part of the cultural wealth of the nation.
The
protestors claimed in a memorandum submitted to the Buddha Sasana
Ministry that Islamic fundamentalists and armed Muslim extremists were
inciting violence against legitimate Buddhist activities in the Pottuvil
region. According to the Memorandum, the Muslims are forcibly taking land that rightfully belongs to Buddhist temples on the southeast coast.
As
far as the present government is concerned, there appear to be
increased interest in consolidation of national unity. Under the
circumstances, divisive tendencies of any nature should not be
encouraged or tolerated for that matter. With our
massive success in containing Tamil terrorism and our determined
efforts to bring the various communities together as One Nation, it is
important that divisive tendencies in our society be eliminated. This is
especially necessary in the light of a national resurgence that is
clearly noticeable in the country at the present time and increased
interest in fully restoring democratic principles of social
organization.
It is important that we try to prevent polarization of our communities
by all means available and all communities are duty bound to see that
this takes place for the benefit of everyone that calls this their
motherland.
Dr. Daya Hewapathirane
