The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) has warned that sections of the media, mainly sections of the electronic media, are attempting to accuse Muslims for the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem said that following the April 2019 Easter Sunday bomb attack Muslims were looked upon with suspicion and virtually the entire community was categorised as terrorists by sections of the media, posing a threat to their political future.
“Now again sections of the media, mainly sections of the electronic media, are trying to point an accusing finger at the Muslims for the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Claiming that proper investigations and inquiries were not conducted by the Special Presidential Commission in respect of the Muslims purportedly involved, they insist on ‘ proper re-investigations and re-inquiries’ on them and these are some of the challenges and threats faced by the Muslims,” Hakeem said.
He said that conspiracies are in the offing to side line experienced and outspoken Muslim political leaders so that some could achieve their goals without any protests.
Hakeem also said that the concept that the politics of Muslims’ self-identity has to remain confined only to the North and East and not outside the region is a wrong concept because the bargaining power of a party is determined by the number of parliamentarians it represents.
As a well-contemplated strategy to achieve this, Hakeem said the SLMC is, this time around, contesting under three different symbols and at different electoral districts.
Courtesy: Colombo Gazette
