CEMSL calls upon Government to abolish MMDA and establish only one law for all

MMDA goes against the basic human principles of freedom and equality – Pic by Shehan Gunasekara 

Council of Ex-Muslims of Sri Lanka (CEMSL) celebrated its third anniversary and held the Annual General Meeting on 26 December 2019 in Colombo. CEMSL was founded in 2016. The prime objective of CEMSL is to establish a community, provide emotional and moral support to Sri Lankan Muslims who leave Islam and recognise themselves as non-religious.  

The gathering observed a minute’s silence for the victims of Easter Sunday bombings. A new committee was elected for the year 2020. Rishvin Ismath was appointed as the spokesperson for CEMSL, while closet members were elected for other positions. Rishvin addressed the house in a speech that is made public.

A discussion was conducted in regard to concerns over the safety and security of ex-Muslims in Sri Lanka because ex-Muslims could be among the prime targets of Islamic extremists and terrorists. The issue of discrimination from friends, family, co-workers and the wider Muslim community towards ex-Muslims was also brought up by the members.

Council of Ex-Muslims of Sri Lanka passed the following resolutions at the AGM and urge the Government to act upon the following key points. CEMSL hopes action upon these will make our country safe and better for everyone.

1. Abolishing Muslims Marriage and Divorce Act:

All the citizens should be brought under the civil marriage act. Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA) should be abolished because it harms Muslim women and establishes them as second-grade citizens. It overpowers Muslim men and imposes sanctions/prohibitions on Muslim women resulting in inequality and women inferiority. MMDA goes against the basic human principles of freedom and equality. One law for all should be ensured.

2. School curriculum should be based on secular humanitarian values: 

School syllabus should be amended to incorporate secularism, passages, and chapters that incline towards religious intolerance should be omitted. Secular humanitarian values should be encouraged. Myths and superstitious beliefs should not be indoctrinated to students.

3. Religious and ethnic segregation of schools should be discarded:

The current school system that observes religious and ethnic segregation should be discarded. Students from all races and religions should be allowed to intermingle in order to create a society that rejects racism, religious intolerance, and extremism. Every school should be open to everyone, and schools should observe secularism rather than adhering to customs and norms of a specific race or religion.

4. Ban use of loud speakers to control noise pollution:

Regular use of loudspeakers should be banned at places of worship as it results in unnecessary noise pollution. Large areas around the places of worship are affected by this noise, which causes discomfort and uneasiness for the surrounding populations, especially infants, students and people suffering from different disorders and health conditions are adversely affected.

5. Ban female genital mutilation:

Internationally Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is considered a crime of severe nature, but it is being secretly practiced in Sri Lanka by Muslims for a long time; its prohibition should be legislated so that culprits are brought to justice.