News

News

Two Ameens clash over name of Muslim body
You could ask what's in a name? Quite a lot it would seem for two Muslim organisations engaged in an exchange of words over the similarity in the names of their organisations.

The Council of Muslims of Sri Lanka (CMSL) says the recent creation of an organisation called the Muslim Council of Sri Lanka (MCSL) has caused confusion and had called upon the latter to change the name of that organisation forthwith without creating unnecessary problems. There has been an exchange of letters between the two organisations regarding the dispute that has come to a head with the MCSL being in the forefront when former Malaysian Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad visited Sri Lanka. The MCSL presented the former Premier with an award called the Adam's Peak award for his contribution to the Muslim community.

The CMSL says the names of the two organisations are identical when written in Tamil and when the function was held to felicitate the former Malaysian Premier, the president of the new organisation frequently used the phrase "The Council of Muslims of Sri Lanka."

However MCSL said adequate publicity was given to the formation of the new council in April this year but CMSL members did not attend any meetings of the Muslim civil society organisation which was responsible for setting up the Muslim Council to present a unified voice which would address problems such as equitable distribution of aid, following the December tsunami.

"Had you been there (at the meetings), this situation could have been avoided. The need of the hour is unity," the Chairman, Steering Committee of the Muslim Council N.M. Ameen said in his letter in response to the one sent to him by the President of the CMSL A.H.G. Ameen.

However the CMSL President in his letter has warned that unless action was taken to change the name, the Muslim Council will be held responsible for all the consequences that will be caused as a result of its inaction.

Top

Back to News