Page 254 - The Winter of Islam and the Spring to Come

THE WINTER OF ISLAM AND THE SPRING TO COME
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The Tamil Tiger separatist issue has brought about much hardship
and torment to many Muslims living in the affected areas of the
North and the East. Of late a small sector of the Sinhalese commu-
nity has also taken up arms against Muslims, attacking our busi-
nesses, mosques, and personal lives.

We are a minority community that seeks to live and let live and main-
tain a peaceful co-existence between all other communities, ensuring
that we are allowed to practice our religion and maintain our social
standing in the way it has been throughout history... We are not a
community that is interested in separatism and terrorism like the
Tamils. We do not seek to antagonize and shower hatred between the
various communities... All we seek is a decent life where we can live
peacefully and comfortably, continue our worship of the Almighty,
carry out our businesses and professions, and educate and raise our
children honorably. 66
The above extracts are a statement of the strong Islamic awareness
of the Sri Lankan Muslims. Yet for many years they have been unable to

find the peace and security they have sought. In the latest attacks, for
instance, racist Sri Lankan Buddhists gathered up copies of the Qur'an
and other Islamic writings, including a number of rare, centuries-old
texts, and burned them all in front of a mosque. Two mosques were
burned down and more than 90 Muslim-owned buildings were de-
stroyed.
Ali Sahir Moulana, a Muslim opposition parliamentarian, says
that three mosques, 60 houses, 80 shops and two gas stations all belong-
ing to Muslims were burned by the mobs. He also claims that the at-
tacks were carried out in order to inflict economic damage on the
Muslims of Mawanella.

PATANI
Inhumane Violence Meted Out to

Muslims by the Thai Government
The mountainous and forested region of Patani is the richest in