Pandemic causes double whammy for Sri Lankan Muslims

In the realm of Sri Lankan politics, Muslim leaders have immensely contributed to the progress of the nation. Yesteryear Muslim leaders, along with the other national leaders, strived hard to shape the political contours of Sri Lanka. Honest and devoid of vested interests, they earned the respect of others and stood up for what was right.

They raised concerns over national issues and issues related to the Muslim community. In this respect, the late leaders like Dr T B Jayah, Badiudin Mahmood, M H Mohamed, Abdul Bakeer Markar, A C S Hameed and M H M Ashraff, just to mention a few, played a prominent role in parliament. Most of them lived a simple life.

The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress Founder M H M Ashraff championed the Muslim cause for unity and envisioned the importance of bringing all Muslim groups under one umbrella. Tragically, after his demise in 2000, his party stalwarts could not continue with his good work due to infighting and lack of foresight and leadership quality, resulting in the emergence of splinter groups.

Their leaders represent various political parties and constituencies. Each party has its own rules and agendas, while some are more focused on the voter base of their constituency rather than the interest of Sri Lankan Muslims at large. Some have joined hands with mainstream political parties. That said, many new entrants appear to be naive turncoats, who try to cling on to any government that comes into power and kowtow to them through political horse trading.

Many of the present day Muslim leaders are good at pulling wool over voters’ eyes, while some pay lip service. Some play to the gallery and speak eloquently with their tongues in cheek and a handful seem to be lacking in their spoken Sinhala skills.  Few other MPs are in name only and found to be passive in parliament. Some are in politics for financial gains, perks and comforts. They put their self-interests before the issues of the common man, let alone the rumours swirling around a few other MPs on various issues, who are said to be having skeletons in their cupboards.

Their attitudes and conduct leave the Sinhala community a bad taste in the mouth, not to mention, earning their wrath, and may be the underlying reasons for others to stigmatise the Muslims as shrewd and untrustworthy tricksters.

Meanwhile, the Covid-19 pandemic is wreaking havoc and has taken a heavy toll on human lives. The Government, in its effort to curb the spread of virus, has categorically ordered to cremate the bodies of those succumbing to Covid-19, although the WHO has recommended burial or cremation, in keeping with the cultural and religious rites of a community. Even so, the Sri Lankan health authorities are hell bent on sticking to the cremation only policy. Appeals to rescind the cremation order have not  been realised, and the community sees this as a slap in the face. The issue has created a furore in the Muslim community. This Hobson’s Choice has gripped the Muslims in macabre fear and trepidation. Ensuing events have deeply shaken the Muslim community in Sri Lanka and shocked the Islamic world. Hence, for good reasons, the Muslim community sees the current pandemic as a “double whammy”.

The standoff between Muslim leaders and the Government remains a deadlock. In any event, ironing out the problem at hand appears to be a Herculean Task in view of the Government’s firm stand on the issue. Nevertheless, the onus is on the Muslim leaders to focus on the issue and raise concerns on behalf of their community, without losing sight of the problem.

What’s worse, the majority of the commoners are on a knife's edge and could hardly make ends meet, as against the few affluent folks. Tragically, the voiceless commoners in the community appear to have fallen from the frying pan to the fire. In this backdrop, perhaps the dithering Muslim leaders are seen by the miffed commoners as lame ducks as opposed to the leaders of yesteryear. The trials and tribulations of the commoners are gathering steam, with leaders distancing themselves from the burning issues or turning a blind eye.

The Muslim leaders today are in a quagmire, sans any political clout and most of them are losing credibility among their retinue of supporters and community at large. In the meantime, Tamil National Alliance Parliamentarian Shanakiyan Rasamanickam, who is eloquent in Tamil, Sinhala and English languages, recently stole the show, outsmarting the Muslim MPs, when he, making a speech in parliament, vociferously raised issues related to Muslims and other minority communities. His speech really hit the nail on the head and obviously would have been a wakeup call to all lame duck politicians.

Today, the Sri Lankan Muslim community is at a crossroads. Indeed, it’s high time for the Muslim leaders to get out of their slumber as the clock is ticking. In short, the task ahead, won’t be a cakewalk for the Muslim leaders but a tight rope walk. This means, they may have to reorganise themselves to find a consensus on the issue. Importantly, they need to draft a roadmap to go the extra mile at Warp Speed with regard to the burning issue of cremation.