Every Muslim minister in Sri Lanka resigns following crackdown

[Kailash Kumar]

Every Muslim minister in Sri Lanka resigns following crackdown

Qadijah Irshad

3 JUNE 2019

Rauff Hakeem, leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress announcing to the media the decision by all Muslim ministers to stand down

All Muslim ministers in Sri Lanka resigned on Monday evening calling on the government to end the “hate culture” that has developed in the wake of the Easter Sunday attacks claimed by Islamic State group last month.

Ten ministers, including four powerful cabinet ministers, five state ministers and one deputy minister, announced their resignation.

“Innocent people should not be punished. Innocent Muslims are now victims,” said Rauff Hakeem, minister of higher education, referring to the hundreds of arrests made daily under the emergency laws that give sweeping powers to the police to arrest and detain civilians without a warrant.

“We have suffered immensely. We have suffered severe harassment. There are several who are languishing in remands for minor trivial issues,” said Mr Hakeem, addressing a media briefing after several hours of discussion with the prime minister.

The government and military have come under fire by rights activists for unfair arrests over the past five weeks.

Tensions were high on Monday in several parts of the country as extremist Buddhist monks warned of "severe repercussions" if three men, the minister of trade and commerce, and two Muslim governors did not resign.

A prominent monk started a “fast to death” campaign demanding the removal of the three Muslim politicians, claiming they had connections with the terrorists who were responsible for last month's attacks that killed 248 people and left over 500 injured.

While the Muslim politicians have denied the claims, Mr Hakeem told the media that the ministers collectively tendered their resignations so that the authorities can investigate any of them “thoroughly and expeditiously”.

The Muslim ministers gave the government one month to expedite all inquiries, calling an end to “hate culture”.

“We will continue to serve the government as backbenchers... until we will feel confident to serve again - once the hate culture and culture of impunity is removed from our country,” said Mr Hakeem.

Thousands of people took to the streets in several parts of the country on Monday in support of the fast to death campaign with businesses and banks closing at noon.

Despite public rallies and hate speech being prohibited under emergency laws, no arrests were made.

Another extremist monk, Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara, who was released from prison on a presidential pardon a week after an anti Muslim riots in which over a thousand Muslim homes were destroyed and burnt said he was “active once more... Nirvana can wait.”

“There is a hidden political agenda behind all this,” MHM Haleem, minister of Muslim Affairs, who also resigned, told The Telegraph. “Besides where is the democracy? Tomorrow they can ask the prime minister to resign, and the day after the president... this hate propaganda is unhealthy for our entire nation.” ends

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/20...nister-sri-lanka-resigns-following-crackdown/

 

[Pan-Islamic-Pakistan]

They need to get out of this suicidal Buddhist radical state in the making. @Itachi

SL Muslims are just scapegoats for several years now, and population eats it all up.

 

[YeBeWarned]

Sri Lankan Govt needs to do the right thing , common Sri Lankan Muslim has nothing to do with Attacks , you can blame the whole community for the mistakes of few , Take America as example , despite 9/11 they still have many Muslims working and serving in their Govt positions and despite now Trump is in power a Radical Islamophobe, they elected 2 Muslim women to congress .

 

[Cthulhu]

ISIS a$$holes got what they wanted.

 

[xyxmt]

ISIS a$$holes got what they wanted.

there is no such thing as ISIS, its the title used by many governments for their purpose. In Sri Lanka case it was Indian Govt....This is why Al-Quaida just all of sudden disappeared and appeared new concept of multipurpose org called ISIS.

 

[Isotope]

Modus Operandi. Get any Muslim typically from a poor back ground, who is struggling to survive or even a Muslim look alike, brain wash or pay him real well to commit a suicide attack against a high profile place of Christians or any other religion or sometimes even their own worshiping place and after the attack, send out a tweet by some Islamic organization accepting the responsibility and voila, sit back, relax and watch the world go up in arms against one religion and after gaining sympathy around the world, start killing Muslims massively with impunity, as no one will say anything, everyone is angry. How may times will this be repeated?

 

[American Pakistani]

It could be India who used some terrorists that unfortunately happened to identify themselves as Muslims. Remember India was the first country who declared Muslims were responsible for the bombings. With a radical govt in power in N delhi, India is trying hard to make countries fight Muslims. In China India is carrying with their propaganda, in Pakistan they have unleashed several terrorist organization, in Srilanka maybe it's them too to alienate the Muslim population, most likely in Burma too.

 

[Clutch]

Sri Lankan Mulsim should start an independence movement. 1/3 of Sri Lanka.

 

[Vikki]

Yaaaawwnnnn....typical whining of Muslims...kill innocents first and when govts start taking action,play victim card...the world has got fed up with it and doesnt heed to their complaints anymore....its muslims own doing

 

[Pan-Islamic-Pakistan]

Buddhist countries like Burma and Sri Lanka are no strangers to mob violence like their Hindu cousins.

The fact is the hate against muslims was always there, Church bombings were only a spark.

 

[hussain0216]

Yaaaawwnnnn....typical whining of Muslims...kill innocents first and when govts start taking action,play victim card...the world has got fed up with it and doesnt heed to their complaints anymore....its muslims own doing

We don't care about the world

Islam was far far too successful and our numbers spread to all corners of the world

So we have minority populations in numerous countries which we must defend against idiot's who couldn't take on Muslim armies in the past but who are now acting big against unarmed populations

 

[Armchair]

Pakistan should have a counter strategy to the Indian designs.

 

[Clutch]

Yaaaawwnnnn....typical whining of Muslims...kill innocents first and when govts start taking action,play victim card...the world has got fed up with it and doesnt heed to their complaints anymore....its muslims own doing

Did all the muslims conduct the attacks?... Did all the tamils blow up or just the tamil tigers... Lol

 

[suresh1773]

Buddhist countries like Burma and Sri Lanka are no strangers to mob violence like their Hindu cousins.

The fact is the hate against muslims was always there, Church bombings were only a spark.

What about the mob violence in yr backward. Are you short sighted. Last time a poor christain was charged with Blasphmey. Some hundred houses and many shops belonging to poor Christains were burnt in Lahore, your hometown
https://www.dawn.com/news/791408

 

[Vikki]

We don't care about the world

Islam was far far too successful and our numbers spread to all corners of the world

So we have minority populations in numerous countries which we must defend against idiot's who couldn't take on Muslim armies in the past but who are now acting big against unarmed populations

The spread of Islam in places like Sri Lanka and Kerala was through traders...the locals there didnt have any friction with muslims for hundreds of years as muslims co existed peacefully with people of different religions by assimilating into native cultures...but globalisation and oil money in gulf countries spread a form of islam which is not inclusive or liberal...muslims started dressing in a different way...stopped participating in local festivals....distanced themselves by setting up muslims schools ,colleges etc etc...started behaving intolerantly for every trivial thing..started burning non muslims places of worship and indulged in violence...all this caused a distance between muslims and non muslims even in those countries where islam spread peacefully..in this 21st century you cant have harmony with people around you when you start hating them and looking yourselves as some blessed souls who are the sole people who have right for heaven.

Isnt it ironic Mohammad disliked jews for the very reasons muslims are being hated now?(except that jews didnt kill non jews mercilessly )