Enter TitleMassacre in Sri Lanka

Hundreds of Muslims Murdered as 40,000 others flee for safety

Within the first few days of August, eye witnesses report intensified conflict between the Liberation Tamil Tiger of Ealam (LTTE) group and the government of Sri Lanka. LTTE has massacred hundreds of Muslims as they fled from their homes in the city of Muttur, Sri Lanka. This town, which is predominantly Muslim, has been the focus of this latest and most unpredicted violence.

As the assault on the city began, Muslims attempted to flee. Eyewitness reports stated that as they left their homes that the Tamil Tigers stopped the refugees and began forcing families to separate. They murdered men on the spot and left many women as widows and children as orphans. As others saw this action they attempted to flee but could not outrun the sadistically fired bullets of the Tamil Tigers.

Today, the refugees are living in a very difficult situation. As of now there are approximately 20 refugee shelters that have been established. Within these shelters there are now almost 40,000 people surviving within. The Zakat Foundation extends its hand as it has in the past to the suffering of Sri Lanka. Through our local partners we have already delivered some of the most urgently needed supplies such as food, clean water, powdered milk and personal hygiene products.

The Zakat Foundation has pledged $10,000 to help support the refugees, but this is not enough. Please help us to help our brothers and sisters in Sri Lanka in this most difficult of times. Bear in mind that these are the same peoples whom the Tsunami devastated by the thousands in December 2004, and they have not yet fully recovered from that disaster.

	Welfare Centers	Total of Displaced persons	No. of families	pregnant mothers	Injured	Feeding Mothers	Windows in Iddha
Kante	07	27,894	7,654	208	709	848	09
Thampolakamam Molhipothana	10	8,263	2,073	80	80	257	01
Kinniya	04	1,421	378	-	3	2	-
Total	21	37,578	10,105	288	815	1,107	10

Conflict of Sri Lanka: The Muslim Dimension

Sri Lanka Muslim Congress

No lasting solution can be found to the conflict in the Northern and Eastern Provinces without establishing peace and reconciliation among the Tamils and Muslims, as the demographic presence of the Muslims in the Eastern Province is greater than that of the Tamils. Of the three districts, the Muslims are the majority community in the districts of Ampara and Trincomalee.

The Policy makers as well as analysts and facilitators, continue to describe the conflict in the Northern and Eastern Provinces as one between the State and the Tamil community represented by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, completely ignoring and or failing to understand the Muslim dimension, resulting from the merger of the two provinces.

The specialists in conflict resolution are failing to address the question of two nationalisms. Muslim Nationalism in the Northern and Eastern Provinces is qualitatively different from the conventional Muslim politics in the predominantly Sinhala areas. In the Eastern and in the Northern Province as well, Muslim nationalism has evolved itself in opposition to militant Tamil nationalism. There are very complex ground realities which are too numerous to elaborate, that have made this volatile.

The conflict in the Northern and Eastern Provinces is tripartite, and the sooner it is accepted, the faster would be its resolution.

After the advent of Tamil Militancy and the emergence of a Muslim political identity, the Tamil - Muslim relationship has been a sensitive issue in almost all attempts at resolving the conflict. It has been there in the issue of merger of the Northern and Eastern Provinces, the unit of devolution, the demarcation of Divisional, District and Provincial boundaries for the Eastern Province and the question of power sharing at the periphery.

It has resurfaced again in relation to the Cease-Fire Agreement and the Provisional Interim Administration.

Tamil nationalists try to subsume the Muslim issue under the homogenizing concept of “Tamil speaking people”, which creates much apprehension among the Muslims that the LTTE is planning to totally dominate and monopolize them.

There is justifiable and wide spread fear among the Muslims, concerning any form of Provisional Interim administration or provisional mechanism dominated by the LTTE. The LTTE’s continued refusal to renounce violence and give up arms and their aversion to political pluralism , their disregard for observance of Human rights have contributed towards this fear.

There is also the possibility of the LTTE, transforming the Provisional Interim Administration, aided by its coercive military apparatus, to suit its long term political objectives. Nothing substantive has been offered to date, which could allay this well founded concern. No issue in the peace talks could conceivably be identified as not having implications for the Muslims.

How will the International Community guarantee an administration dominated by the LTTE to respect Human rights, political pluralism, democracy, and accountability? In this context how will the International community allay the fears of the Muslim community and ensure their realization of their aspirations?

However the Muslims and the Muslim leadership in Sri Lanka welcomed the initiatives taken by the UNF Government and wholeheartedly supported and participated at the pre-negotiation phase not withstanding opposition from some quarters. This was amply demonstrated by the historic visit to the Vanni by the leader of the SLMC Hon.Rauf Hakeem .M.P., where he met Mr.Vellupillai Pirabhakaran and issued a joint statement wherein several agreements were reached in a spirit of cordiality and co-operation.

But the harassment in the form of extortion, abduction, ethnic cleansing, and systematic destruction of assets and business interests of Muslims continued. LTTE terror tactics still remains the cause of constructive displacement of Muslims. Since the signing of the Ceasefire agreement, there have been no less than three instances of organized violence against the Muslim community, in the East resulting in large scale displacement.

In the face of grave provocation the Leadership of the SLMC acted with sagacity and restraint and managed to keep the situation under control. The Government and the LTTE recognized the Leader of the SLMC as the representative of the Muslim community at the peace talks. The Leader of the SLMC participated in all sessions of the first round of the peace talks in spite of opposition differences of opinions within his own ranks. This was done to ensure that the Muslim dimension of the issue is addressed.

The sudden decision of the LTTE to keep away from participating in the peace negotiations and their continued insistence of establishing an Interim Administrative Structure for the North and East dominated by them with wide powers, has placed the Muslim community in a precarious position.

The events after the signing of the Ceasefire Agreement have created a justifiable apprehension in the minds of the Muslims that an Interim Mechanism dominated by the LTTE would not safeguard and protect their interests.

The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress has been able to obtain an assurance from the government to participate as an equal partner in the deliberations regarding the establishment of a Provisional Interim Structure and place its own proposals for discussion and to continue participating actively and directly at all stages of the peace talks.

In this context we wish to place before you the following salient facts which form the backdrop of the Muslim case;

The area of conflict is the Northern and Eastern Provinces.
The Northern and Eastern provinces are the areas of historical habitation of the Tamils and the Muslims.
The Tamils constitute the majority in the Northern Province, whereas they constitute only 33.2% of the Eastern Province. The Muslims constitute 39.6% of the Eastern province. (Divisional Secretariat Statistics 2000/Census of 2001)
Like the Tamils, the Tamil speaking Muslims in the North and East faced problems due to state aided colonization and discrimination on the grounds of language. This was a project undermining our future interests, as it took away state land in our areas for alienation to the Sinhalese from outside, and reducing our electoral clout.
Tamil ethno –nationalism became progressively communalist over the years and it turned violently anti-Muslim in the mid 80s.The myths of Tamil heroism and martial exploits made Tamil ethno-nationalism as reconstituted by the LTTE and other militant groups to serve the ideological needs of the armed struggle even more exclusivist.
The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress was founded to safeguard the interest of the community against the injustices caused to it by the warring factions.
The Indo Lanka accord completely ignored the aspirations of the Muslims and sought to place the Muslims at odds with the Tamil community.
The United National Party Government of the day, ignoring the sentiments of the majority Muslims of the Eastern Province, merged the Northern and Eastern Provinces to appease the Tamils, while promising a referendum to decide its permanent status...
The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress contested the election to the merged Provincial Council and proved the status of the Muslims, by securing 17 seats of the 35 seats in the Eastern Province
With the collapse of the North East Provincial Council, and resumption of hostilities, the Muslim community’s democratic attempts to win its legitimate rights, continued to be ignored by the Majority.
The ethnic cleansing campaign of the LTTE took brutal forms which culminated in the massacre of 150 Muslims in prayer at two mosques in the East and the expulsion of the Muslims from traditional homes In the North in October 1990.
Such acts of the Tamil militant groups gave strong impetus to communalization of the Muslim people and strengthened the SLMC’s institutionalization as the party to represent the interest of the Muslims of the North and East.
Although creating conditions of normalcy is being bandied about nothing is being done to address concerns of about 100, 000 Muslims of the North, who continue to languish in abject conditions outside the North, unable to return to their places of origin.
The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress in its attempts at bringing about a resolution to the conflict has entered into electoral agreements with successive governments, which campaigned to usher peace to the country.
Presently the SLMC with its 12 Members of Parliament provides stability to the UNF Government in its pursuit towards a negotiated settlement.
Though the SLMC had reservations with regard to some of the covenants of the Ceasefire Agreement, it co-operated with the Government to pursue same with the objective of bringing the LTTE to the negotiating table and bring about a cessation of hostilities.
The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) has repeatedly received the mandate of the Muslims of the North and East as their accredited representative.
Successive Governments in their power sharing arrangements with the SLMC have acknowledged that the SLMC is the sole representative of the Muslims of the North and East.
The Electoral Agreement signed between the United National Party and the SLMC at the Parliamentary Elections of 2001, too affirms this position.

Muslims have never gone against the reasonable aspirations of the Tamil people. However the LTTE must be made to realize that while the Tamils, constituting only a 12% of the country’s population are demanding for equal status from the Majority, they should not deny the Muslims, who are a 39.6% of the population of the Eastern Province from demanding for same.

The legitimate right of the Muslims of the North and East, to have a separate Administrative arrangement of their own for their area of historical habitation can be substantiated from the following;

In the extended franchise election held in May/June 1931 for the First State Council, only the Muslims of the Eastern Province (Batticaloa South Electorate) were able to elect Mr.M.Macan Markar a former Legislative Councilor, to represent the entire Muslim community in Sri Lanka.
In the first Parliamentary Election in 1947, on the eve of independence, Muslim Representatives were elected to 04 of the 07 electorates of the Eastern Province.
In the Parliamentary Election of 1977, 05 of the 10 seats in the Eastern Province were represented by Muslims.
In the dissolved NE provincial council, Muslims elected 18 members to the 35 seats available in the Eastern Province.
In the Parliamentary Election of 2001, 08 out of 16 seats in the Eastern Province are represented by the Muslims.

From time to time the parties representing the Tamil people have recognized the need for a separate administrative arrangement for the Muslims;

On July 26th ,1957 in a Joint Statement issued by the Prime Minister S.W.R.D.Bandaranaike and representatives of the Federal Party on Regional Councils, it was declared that while the Northern Province is to form a regional area ,the eastern Province is to be divided into two or more regional areas. (The Bandaranaike –Chelvanayagam Pact)
In 1959 a resolution was passed at the Federal Party Convention, declaring that a Special Power Sharing unit should be created for the Muslims of the North and East.
The Tamil United Liberation Front in its Constitution adopted on 24th June 1978 and amended as at 9th November 1980 has declared as one of its Founding Principles;
“3.2 A Self Governing Province will be established in the regions within the Tamil Eelam, where the Muslims live as the majority, with the right to secede based on their right of Self determination.”
In its proposal to the All Party Conference in September 1987 the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) has recognized the separate identity of the Muslims in the North and East.
The LTTE in its Joint Statement with the Muslim United Liberation Front issued on 21st April 1988, declared;
1. Although the Muslims speak the Tamil Language, we consider them as a distinct ethnic group, we aver that the area composed of the Northern and eastern provinces which constitute the traditional homeland of the rest of the Tamil speaking people, is also the traditional homeland of the Muslim people.
2. It was conceded that a resolution to the Tamil question should run parallel to the resolution of the Muslim question.
3. Further the LTTE has agreed that appropriate political, administrative and development units should be created in areas in the Northern and Eastern Provinces where there is a predominant Muslim population to enable the Muslim people to enjoy their rightful share in the spheres of political, administrative and development affairs
In 1989, the Presidential Election manifesto of the Democratic Peoples Alliance has also acknowledged the creation of a separate power sharing unit for the Muslims of the North and East.
On 13th April 2002, in a joint Statement signed by the Leaders of the LTTE and the SLMC in the Vanni, it was also agreed by the LTTE, that the Muslims should be separately represented in the peace process by the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress. This was also emphasized by the Government in its opening statement of the peace Talks at Sathahip, Thailand.
On September 3rd 2002, a Norwegian press release following a meeting of the Leader of the SLMC Mr.Rauf Hakeem with the Chief Negotiator of the LTTE Mr.Anton Balasingham in London announced;
“It was agreed that Mr.Hakeem will participate in the first round of talks as a member of the government delegation, in his capacity as being the leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress .It was further agreed that Mr.Hakeem will participate in future rounds of talks as the leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress as well as the head of a Muslim delegation representing the Muslim community”.
At the conference on Reconstruction and Development of Sri Lanka held in Tokyo on 9-10 June 2003, the International Community had endorsed as an objective of the peace process, the participation of a Muslim delegation in the peace talks.
The Government’s proposals to the LTTE on a Provisional Administrative Council did not meet the aspirations of the Muslims of Eastern and Northern Provinces.
The LTTE’s counter proposals for an Interim Self Governing Authority completely ignored the aspirations of the Muslims of the area proposed to be covered by the ISGA.

Therefore a Provisional Administrative Arrangement for the Muslims in the Northern and Eastern Provinces should be based on the following principles:

The separate and distinct identity of the Muslims and the areas of historical habitation of the Muslims should be preserved and protected.
The Law and order in the areas of historical habitation of the Muslims should be in the hands of the Muslims.
The Muslims in the North and East will be vested with authority to decide on matters relating to their development and economic and social advancement.
Institutional arrangements should be worked out to link the Muslim majority Divisional Secretariat Divisions in the rest of the North and East with the South East, comprising the Kalmunai, Pothuvil and Sammanthurai Electorates in such a manner as to constitute separate administrative and political units within the region.

The whole approach to the peace process should be envisioned on the basis of a road-map and the intent of progression. The ultimate objective of any peace process should be to establish lasting peace and reconciliation.

Any exercise intended to keep out a people from participating in a process, which could affect their identity, political status and collective life, will only create conditions conducive for their reasserting in a manner not in the best interest of peace and unity.

Sri Lanka Muslim Congress

23rd Octover 2006

A brief history of the Muslims of Sri Lanka

Introduction

Sri Lanka, known to the ancients as Ceylon, has been recorded in history books as a country that has had many visitations from foreign travelers throughout the ages. The people are mainly Buddhist, with a complex mixture of Hindus, Muslims, Roman Catholics and other Christian denominations. The main race is the Singhalese while the Tamils, Muslims and Burghers (Anglo-Sri Lankans) form the remaining. The Muslims of Sri Lanka are a very small minority amounting to approximately 10% of a total population of 16 Million people. They claim descendancy from the Arab traders, who made Sri Lanka their home even before the advent of Islam. The Tamils comprise around 25% of the population.

Sri Lankan Muslims can be categorized into two distinct sub groups, the Moors and the Malays. The former is the name given to them by the Portuguese colonial rulers who used the word Moros to identify Arabs in general. The Malays are a group of Muslims who originated from Java and the Malaysian Peninsula. They differed from the Moors, both, in their physical appearance as well as in the language they spoke which was a mixture of Malay and local dialects.

The Muslims of Sri Lanka have a colorful history behind them punctuated by a long spell of hardship suffered during the Portuguese and Dutch occupation of the Island. It is much to their credit that they withstood the onslaught of economic constraints, political intrigues and religious persecution to stay behind and survive. Most other peoples may have packed their bags and left for good. They not only saved their religion from the Christian enemies but also rebuilt the economy, slowly and steadily, by the 18th century when the British took over control of the island from the Dutch.

Being geographically isolated from the main centers of Islamic culture and civilization the Muslims of Sri Lanka were forced to interact closely with their neighbours, the Muslims of South India, in order to preserve their identity. Had they been denied this slender link, it is possible that, they may have lost their distinct Islamic character completely. However, it must be observed that this link has also caused many Indian (Hindu) traditions and rituals to creep into their culture and life style, some of which, even though vehemently anti-Islamic, are still practised to date. Lack of a correct understanding of the teachings of Islam has been the main cause of this sad situation.

Having adapted to the local conditions in various ways and also contributing largely to the Island’s economic prosperity, the Muslim community of Sri Lanka, unlike the Hindu Tamils of the Northern Province, has saved itself from any major clash with the indigenous Sinhalese population. They have also been able to receive a fair share in the country’s Politics and Administration by virtue of their hard work and also of being an important minority whose support has been vital to all the political groups in the country. Although it may be said that the Muslim community was not politically dominant at any stage, yet, it is certainly true that they manouvered their political activity without much noise, unlike the Tamils.

This work attempts to present a brief history of the Muslims of Sri Lanka from their early Arab trader beginnings to the present day minority community that is fully integrated into the Sri Lankan society.

Historical Background

Sri Lanka (previously known as Ceylon) lies of the south-east of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The pear shaped island, often referred to as “the pearl of the east” is separated from mainland India by a narrow strip of water called the Palk Straits.

Being in such close proximity to and having such easy access from India, it might be expected that Sri Lanka received a large number of migrants from its neighbour from pre-historic times. The original inhabitants of the island are believed to be an aboriginal tribe called the Veddahs. The Sinhalese, presently the majority community, are supposed to be the descendants of the colonists, led by Vijaya, from the valley of the Ganges who settled in the island around the 6th century B.C. Sinhala, the language of the Sinhalese, is an Aryan language, closely related to Pali. Buddhism was introduced to Sri Lanka during the reign of King Devanampiya Tissa during the period 307-267 B.C.

Trade relations between India and Sri Lanka are traced to the 3rd century B.C. Historians have not been able to pin-point the actual date of establishment of Tamil settlements in Sri Lanka. However, during the 3rd century B.C. a Tamil General, Elara, set up a Tamil Kingdom at Anuradhapura, in the North Central Province, and ruled there for 44 years. He earned a reputation for his just and impartial administration among the Sinhalese and Tamils and was thus called “Elara the Just”.

The strategic location of the island, in the Indian Ocean, together with some of the coveted goods it produced, resulted in a fair degree of foreign trade even from ancient times. The Romans discovered the commercial value of Sri Lanka in the first century A.D. and Greeks, Romans, Persians, Arabs, and Chinese traders visited the island. Sri Lanka’s trade offering included Cinnamon, which grew wild in the forests of the wet zone, precious stones, pearls, elephants and ivory.

While most of the traders were only visitors to the island, who made their fortunes and left, it was the Arabs who settled down, making Ceylon their home. Furthermore as the Muslims of Sri lanka claim their desecndancy from the Arabs it is imprtant to look at the information available on the advent of the Arabs to the island.

The Arabs:

The Tamils of Sri Lanka, throughout history, have attempted to categorize the Sri Lankan Muslims as belonging to the Tamil race. This has been mainly for selfish reasons in a bid to eliminate the minority Muslim community from having its own unique identity. The Government of Sri Lanka, however, treats the Muslims as of Arab origin and as a distinct ethnic group from the Tamils.

Fr. S.G. Perera in his book “History of Ceylon for Schools Vol. 1. The Portuguese and Dutch Periods, (1505-1796)”, Colombo (1955), The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd., p 16, writes,

“The first mention of Arabs in Ceylon appears to be in the Mahavansa (Ancient Sri Lankan history) account of the reign of the King Pandukabhaya, where it is stated that this king set apart land for the Yonas (Muslims) at Anuradhapura”

With the decline of the Roman Empire in the 3rd century A.D., Roman trade also died out and the Arabs and Persians filled up the vacuum; engaging in a rapidly growing inter-coastal trade. After the conquest of Persia (Iran), Syria and Egypt, the Arabs controlled all the important ports and trading stations between East and West. It is estimated that the Arabs had settled in Sri Lanka and Sumatra by the 1st century A.D. K.M. De Silvas, “Historical Survey, Sri Lanka - A Survey”, London (1977), C. Hurst & Co. Ltd., p 50, states,

“by about the 8th century A.D., the Arabs had formed colonies at the important ports of India, Ceylon and the East Indies. The presence of the Arabs at the ports of Ceylon is attested to by at least three inscriptions discovered at Colombo, Trincomalee and the island of Puliantivu”

The manner in which Islam developed in Sri lanka is very closely similar to that on the Malabar coast of India. Tradition has recorded that Arabs who had settled down on the Malabar coast used to travel from the port of Cranganore to Sri lanka on piligrimage to pay homage to the foot-print of Adam on the top of a montain, which, until today, is called Adams Peak.

Ibn Batuta, the famous 14th. century Arab traveller, has recorded many facets about early Arab influence in Sri lanka in his travelogues.

Before the end of the 7th. century, a colony of Muslim merchants had established themselves in Ceylon. Fascinated by the scenic splendour and captivated by the traditions associated with Adams Peak, Muslim merchants arrived in large numbers and some of them decided to settle in the island encouraged by the cordial treatement they received by the local rulers. Most of them lived along the coastal areas in peace and prosperity, maintaining contacts, both cultural and commercial, with Baghdad and other Islamic cities.

According to Tikiri Abeyasinghe in his “Portuguese Rule in Ceylon, 1594-1612”, Colombo (1966), Lake House Investments Ltd., p 192, tradition has it that,

“the first Mohammadans of Ceylon were a portion of those Arabs of the House of Hashim, who were driven from Arabia in the early part of the 8th. century by the tyranny of the Caliph, Abdel Malik bin Marwan, and who proceeding from the Euphrates southwards made settlements in the concan in the southern parts of the peninsula of India, on the island of Ceylon and Malacca. The division of them which came to Ceylon formed eight considerable settlements along the North-East, North and Western coast of that island; viz., one at Trincomalee, one at Jaffna, one at Colombo, one at barbareen, and one at Point de Galle.”

It is perhaps reasonable, therefore, to assume that the Arabs, professing the religion of Islam, arrived in Sri Lanka around the 7th./8th. century A.D. even though there was a settled community of Arabs in Ceylon in pre-Islamic times.

The circumstances that helped the growth of Muslim settlements were varied. The Sinhalese were not interested in trade and were content in tilling the soil and growing cattle. Trade was thus wide open to the Muslims. the Sinhalese Kings considered the Muslim settlements favorably on account of the revenue that they brought them through their contacts overseas both in trade and in politics. The religious tolerance of the local population was also another vital factor in the development of Muslim settlements in Ceylon.

The early Muslim settlements were set up, mainly, around ports on account of the nature of their trade. It is also assumed that many of the Arab traders may not have brought their womenfolk along with them when they settled in Ceylon. Hence they would have been compelled to marry the Sinhalese and Tamil women of the island after converting them to Islam. The fact that a large number of Muslims in Sri Lanka speak the Tamil language can be attributed to the possibility that they were trading partners with the Tamils of South India and had to learn Tamil to successfully transact their business. The integration with the Muslims of Tamil Nadu, in South India, may have also contributed to this. It is also possible that the Arabs who had already migrated to Ceylon, prior to Islam, had adopted the Tamil language as a medium of communication in their intercourse with the Tamil speaking Muslims of South India. The Muslims were very skilful traders who gradually builtup a very lucrative trading post in Ceylon. A whole colony of Muslims is said to have landed at Beruwela (South Western coast) in the Kalutara District in 1024 A.D.

The Muslims did not indulge in propagating Islam amongst the natives of ceylon even though many of the women they married did convert. Islam did attract the less privileged low caste members of the Tamil community who found the factor of equality a blessing for their status and well-being.

There is also a report in the history of Sri Lanka of a Muslim Ruler, Vathimi Raja, who reigned at Kurunegala (North Central Province) in the 14th. century. This factor cannot be found in history books due to their omission, for reasons unknown, by modern authors. Vathimi Raja was the son of King Bhuvaneka Bahu I, by a Muslim spouse, the daughter of one of the chiefs. The Sinhalese son of King Bhuvaneka Bahu I, Parakrama Bahu III, the real heir to the throne was crowned at Dambadeniya under the name of Pandita Parakrama Bahu III. In order to be rid of his step brother, Vathimi Raja, he ordered that his eyes be gouged out. It is held that the author of the Mahavansa (ancient history of Ceylon) had suppressed the recording of this disgraceful incident. the British transaletor, Mudaliyar Wijesinghe states that original Ola (leaf script) was bodily removed from the writings and fiction inserted instead. The blinded Vathimi Raja (Bhuvaneka Bahu II or Al-Konar, abbreviated from Al-Langar-Konar, meaning Chief of Lanka of Alakeshwara) was seen by the Arab traveller Ibn Batuta during his visit to the island in 1344. His son named Parakrama Bahu II (Alakeshwara II) was also a Muslim. The lineage of Alakeshwara kings (of Muslim origin) ended in 1410. Although all the kings during this reign may not have been Muslims, the absence of the prefix “Shri Sangha Bodhi” (pertaining to the disciples of the Buddha) to the name of these kings on the rock inscriptions during this hundred year period may be considered as an indicator that they were not Buddhists. Further during Ibn batuta’s visit a Muslim ruler called Jalasthi is reported to have been holding Colombo, maintaining his hold over the town with a garrison of about 500 Abyssinians.

In spite of this the Mulsims have always been maintaining very cordial relationships with the Sinhalese Royalty and the local population. There is evidence that they were more closer to the Sinhalese than they were to the Tamils. The Muslims relationship with the Sinhalese kings grew stronger and in the 14th. century they even fought with them against the expanding Tamil kingdom and its maritime influence.

By the beginning of the 16th. century, the Muslims of Sri Lanka, the descendants of the original Arab traders, had settled down comfortably in the island. They were evry successful in trade and commerce and integrated socially with the customs of the local people. They had become an inseparable, and even more, an indispensable part of the society. This period was one of ascendancy in peace and prosperity for the Sri Lankan Muslims.

The Malays:

Sri Lankan Muslims include the Malays although they form a separate group by themselves. Even the earliest census of Sri Lanka (1881) lists the Muslims as Moors and Malays separately. Malays too, follow the Islamic religion just like the Moors.

The real beginning of the Malays in Sri Lanka dates back to the 13th. century. Husseinmiya writes,

“The definite arrival of Malays in Sri Lanka took place in the 13th. century. Chandra Bhanu, the Malay King of Nakhon Sri Dhammarat in the Isthmus of Kra on the Malay Peninsula invaded Sri Lanka in A.D. 1247, with Malay soldiers. He was determined to possess the relics of the Buddha from the Sinhalese kingdom. In a second invasion he brought soldiers from India”.

Chandra Bhanu’s 50 year rule of northern Ceylon in the 13th. century is remembered by such place names as Java Patnam (Jaffna), Java Kachcheri (Chavakachcheri), Hambantota etc. Most authors have , yet, linked the origin of the Malays in Ceylon to the period when the uisland was ruled by the Dutch. Murad Jayah in “The plight of the Ceylon Malays today”, MICH Silver Jubilee Souvenir, 1944-1969, Colombo (1970), p 70, writes,

“In 1709 Susana Mangkurat Mas, king of Java, was exiled to Sri Lanka by the Dutch with his entire retinue. 44 Javanese princes and noble men who surrendered at the battle of Batavia and exiled to this country with their families followed him in 1723. These familes formed the nucleus from which the Malay community grew”.

“The Dutch continued to bring more “Java Minissu” (Malay people) as exiles, and employed them to fill the ranks of the army, the police force, the fire brigade, the prison staff and other services. They formed the bulk of the servicemen during the Dutch occupation and the early British times. The British too imported Malay families for settlement in Ceylon with the idea of raising a regiment. The King’s colors were awarded in 1801 to the Ceylon Malay Regiment, the first Asian to receive that Honor”.

The unsuccessful attempts of the British to attract more Malays from overseas, the meagre salaries paid to the malay soldiers coupled with more avenues for lucrative employment in the plantation industry, resulted in the disbandment of the malay Regiment in 1873. The Malays released from the army were absorbed into the police and the fire brigade services.

The mother tongue of Malays is Malay (Bahasa Melayu). Murad Jayah writes,

“Bahasa Melayu has been preserved in this country for over 250 years due to the fact that the original exiles from Indonesia were accompanied by their womenfolk and it was not necessary for them to find wives among Sinhalese and Tamil women, unlike the Arab ancestors of the Ceylon Moors”.