Ep 15: Colombo, The Moors, & The Portuguese - [Sin/Tamil Subtitles] History of Muslims of Sri Lanka

[@AaminaMuhsin]

Apologies to Tamil Readers, we are having a few small issues with uploading the Tamil Language Subtitles, and are looking into fixing the problem.

[@ihsanmohamed2407]

Assalamu Alaikum Sister Aamina and brother Imtiaz. We much appreciate these videos. A common theme in your videos has been the cordial relationship that Moors have historically enjoyed with the Sinhalese Kings and community. My question is, what has changed? What has tainted the friendly, cooperative relationship that the Kings of old used to have with the Moors since prehistoric times? What has lead to the current state of affairs where groups like the BBS have gained prominence? Is it emboldenment of nationalist parties in the region, such as Modi's BJP? Was it the seeds of factionalism, sown in the colonial era, that continue to divide the nation? Or the global war on terror narrative, post-9/11, that has otherised Muslims across the globe? Or has it been fringe separatists, such as the Easter attackers, who have brought the ire of the nation on our community? Or are these ethnic tensions, along with the previous civil war, just the growing pains of a young state which has only recently emerged from 400 years of colonialism, and is trying to shepherd its many diverse groups under a renewed national identity? All of the above - or more? Or has the view which has been presented in this series focussed primarily on examples of harmony, while minimising the opposite? Is the rosy picture that has been presented in fact a somewhat sugar-coated version of the historical reality? One counter-example that comes to mind would be the incidents of 1915 in Kandy and surrounding areas. Or has it been mostly harmonious, with isolated blips of unrest? Please educate us, we would be highly grateful for your response. I believe this is a key question that is the natural consequence of watching your video series. It is also an essential question to the future of race relations in Sri Lanka. Jazakum Allahu Khayran. Wassalamu Alaikum.

[@imtiazmuhsin1663]

Wa Alaiykum Salaam Brother Ihsan, It was a pleasure to read your question. You have worded it very well. I like to attempt to give you my views on the topic. Please give me a few days to do the necessary research and to collect my thoughts. Wishing you and your family all the very best Wa Salaams Imtiaz Muhsin

[@imtiazmuhsin1663]

Dear Brother Ihsan, Assalamu Alaiykum and my apologies for taking so long to reply. The way I hoped to answer your rather important and stimulating question was to first describe the cordial relationship and the rather exalted social status that the Muslims and / or Arab traders enjoyed with the Kings, before the advent of the Colonial Powers, that is pre 1505 or pre 16th century. Thereafter I wanted to describe the changing position of the Muslim and / or Arab traders during the era of the Portuguese in Sri Lanka (from 1505 to 1656) and similarly to describe the continuous changing position of the Muslim and / or Arab traders during the Dutch era (1656 to 1796) and the British era from 1796 to 1948. I also wanted to then describe the continuously changing positions for the Muslims of Sri Lanka during the last 74 years (1948 to 2022) or the period that we refer to as ‘independence’. There was so much material, that I suddenly realized that I am not writing out a simple answer, but I was writing what could be described as a small book! I also realized that if anyone wanted to enlighten themselves about the history of Muslims of Sri Lanka over the last 2,000 + years, I would recommend that they visit the Heritage Museum at Kathankudy and read the well-arranged panels on the 3rd Floor of the Museum, outlining this history. You could also follow the videos that Aamina is creating from each one of the panels (of the history of the Muslims of Sri Lanka) displayed at this Museum as short video narrations on You Tube. You have in fact asked your well-worded question from the comments section of the 15th such video on this series. Sri Lanka is what we describe as a democracy. This means that every few years people go to the polls to elect representatives of their choice to form the National or Provincial or the Local Government. If we were to study any democracy we could find out what the politicians have identified as problems in that particular country and how they hope to solve these problems through their Party Election Manifestoes. The name of the Party generally gives you an indication as to the ‘theme of the Party’ In Sri Lanka, (unfortunately) politicians have realized that by providing a communal element to the name of their Party, they have a ready-made block of voters. So, there are a number of Parties that appeal to the Sinhala Voters, there is another set of Political Parties that appeal to the Tamil Voters and also Political Parties that appeal to the Muslim voters. The only way the politicians of these Parties can appeal to their voters is to make their voter base feel insecure or threatened by the other communities. This is the plight Sri Lank is in. According to how things are developing, I will not be surprised if very soon a Party claiming to represent the interests of the Christian voters would form very soon. Their grouse would be seeking justice for the families who lost their loved ones during the Eater Bomb attacks as well as to make that Christians are not intimidated or deprived of their rights. I must mention here that the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress was formed by the Late MHM Ashraff who in his final days was stating that we must not have community-based Parties and he was in the process of dismantling the SLMC and forming a National Party under the name National Unity Alliance. I do hope that I have provided you a satisfactory answer to your question. Wa Salaams Imtiaz Muhsin