SRI LANKA MUSLIM
Congress (SLMC) leaderand
formerMinisterof CityPlanning,
WaterSupplyandHigher Educa-
tionRauffHakeemhasa track
recordof makingdealsto keephis
communitysafe.Beforethe 2002
accordbetweentheSriLankan
stateandthe LiberationTigers of
TamilEelam(LTTE), Hakeem
strucka dealfor the Muslim com-
munity withthe LTTE.
Whenpeacetalks,facilitated
by theNorwegian government,
startedin 2002betweentheSri
Lankan government and the
LTTE,Hakeem, thena Cabinet
Minister, represented the
Muslims of Sri Lankaat the negotiatingtable.Thiswas
thefirst timethatSri LankanMuslimswereincluded in
negotiations as a directparty.(“Thereareimplications
for Muslimsin everyissuethatwillfigurein the discus-
sions,”he said.)Politically,theSLMChasa historyof
holding ministerialpositionsin governments, thereby
keeping Musliminterestson the nationalradar.
Following the April 21 explosions, the leaders of the
Muslimcommunityin Sri Lanka facethe biggestprob-
lemin theirpoliticalcareersever. Majoritarianforcesin
Sri Lankahavetargeted Muslims andMinisters fromthe
community.A Buddhistmonk,whowasan MP,begana
fastdemanding the sackingof twoMuslimgovernorsand
a Minister,who, in the viewof the ultra-right,hadeither
protectedor werein leaguewiththe perpetratorsof the
attacks.Therewasno evidence to supportthe allegation.
Hakeem,themostseniorMinisterfromtheMuslim
community,wasof theviewthatsuchdivisivepolitics,
aimedat making an entirecommunityresponsiblefor a
despicableact of violence,woulddestroy the country. He
spoketoFrontlineon June3, hoursbefore resigning as
Minister.
Whathas changedfor the Sri
LankanMuslimcommunity
afterthe April21 attacks,which
killedover 250 peopleacross
Sri Lanka?
Asa community Muslims
havebeenequallyshockedand
dismayedaboutthe existenceof
sucha dangerousterrorist outfit
withinourcommunity.We have
expressedoutrageandcondem-
nationin no smallmeasureand
havealsosincerely sought to en-
gagein a serious introspection
on howsucha deviantideology
could have nestled within a
close-knit communitylikeours.
Thefactremainsthatthere
havebeenmanylapseson thepartof thepeoplein
authoritywhenit comesto security andintelligence.
Whenalarmbellswererungby thecommunityitself—
responsible leadersin thecommunitytookit up re-
peatedly—aboutthe conductof the leaderof thisgroup,
particularly afterthediscovery of a smallgroup in
Mawanella whichstartedvandalisingBuddhiststatues
[inDecember 2018],it wasclearto all of us thatthis
group wasoutto harmtheMuslimcommunitymore
thananybodyelse,thatit wasactingas theagentof an
outsideforceto createcommunaldisharmony in the
countryandperhapsalsohadothermotives, though we
didn’tat all imaginethatit couldunleashsucha terrible
terroristcarnage.
Rightnow,though, we are confident thatthisculthas
beenidentified andall thoseinvolvedhavebeentaken
intocustodyandthe investigationsare continuing. Some
of the xenophobic forceshavenowtakenit uponthem-
selves to keepthe pot boilingandmakethe entireMuslim
communityvictims.Isn’t the demonisationof Muslimsalreadyhappening?‘We cannot be
pushed too much’
InterviewwithRauffHakeem, SriLankaMuslimCongress leaderand
formerMinister.BYR.K.RADHAKRISHNANINCOLOMBO
K.V.SRINIVASANCOVER STORY