Azwer accuses Government of anti-Muslim attitude

• Says Muslims were deceived, now placed in precarious and pathetic position

A.H.M.Azwer, Secretary General of the Muslim Progressive Front has said that the Muslim MPs and Ministers in this Government have been forced by this “so-called” Yahapalanaya to flee hither and thither as if being stung by a hive of wasps of Sigiriya. 

“They are made to run from pillar to post to make representations to the Government regarding the precarious and pathetic position the Muslim community is facing today as a result of anti-religious and racist elements targeting them and crippling their social and business lives.”

Addressing a media conference recently, Azwer further said that this Government has taken the 21 Muslim members of Parliament for a ride and turning a blind eye without resolving the problems facedby the Muslims throughout the country. As a result they are now ganged together holding group discussions outside Parliament to spotlight their woes.

A.H.M.Azwer 

“It is pathetic to hear from them that when they meet the President to represent matters, they are asked to meet the Prime Minister and, when they meet the Prime Minister, they are in turn asked to meet the President.  What a pathetic situation when one realises the fact that 98% of the Muslim voters, the Government claims, had voted for this UNP-SLFP Yahapalanaya to  come to power.This is now transformed into a Boru-Palanaya indeed. It was a campaign of utter falsehood and deception at the last presidential election that led the Muslim voter to turn away from Mahinda Rajapaksa.

“The Maithree-Ranil-Fonseka trio scaring the Muslims to believe that Mahinda Rajapaksa, if come to power again, would remove the Fardha of Muslim ladies, break Mosques and cripple Muslim businesses led them to vote for this Government. Now the Muslims realise that they were utterly deceived and misled. Their business have crashed and already 60 instances of attack on mosques in various parts of the island have been identified and documented. To add insult to injury those Muslims who were forced to abandon and flee from their land of birth – Jaffna and Mannar – now face the danger of being driven away from their re-settled lands under the guise of providing sanctuary to animals.”

Azwer said that he is the one who took care of the fleeing Muslims of Jaffna and Mannar and provided temporary accommodation to them in Puttalam areas, as he was the MP appointed by President R. Premadasa to oversee Puttalam electorate, and he spent every cent of his decentralised budget to develop Puttalam.  Consequently, he said he personally knew the area north of Puttalam. 

“The displaced Muslims and others came to their original places to live, and no harm was done to the Wilpattu sanctuary, as claimed by certain racial elements who are merely determined to provoke a communal clash between the Sinhalese and Muslims. The northern Muslims who were driven away by animals (Tigers) should not be evacuated under any circumstances to provide sanctuary to animals. The Muslim Progressive Front demands that, as done by the Task Force headed by Basil Rajapaksa then, be provided proper habitation to the northern IDPs. The Wilpattu Sanctuary should be protected, no doubt. But the Muslims and others resettled outside the sanctuary should not be allowed to jump from the frying pan into the fire,” he said.  

“If the Government still persistswith its anti-Muslim attitude, then the MPF requests all Muslim MPs in the Government to leave the Government and join hands with Mahinda Rajapaksa to form a strong government, which will be in place in the not too distance future, Insha Allah, ensuring the safety and future wellbeing of the community.”

Abdul Sathar, national organiser, Moulavi Abdul Majeed Mubarak and Asif Caffoor also addressed this media conference.