Saturday 27 August 2022
Saturday 24 February 2018
Amnesty International Report 2017/2018
Amnesty international Annual Resport-2017/2018
M. R. Mohamed’s Free Resource Bank-free download from here;
Tuesday 10 January 2017
When A Central Bank Governor Speaks Like A Governor
When a Governor speaks frankly, the market responds positively: When a Governor of a central bank speaks like a Governor, he is sure
to receive two types of response. His candid speech will build private
citizens’ confidence in central bank actions which in turn helps the
Government in power to attain its growth objectives. But it could also
anger his political masters if they are just concerned with short-term
political gains and not about long-term sustainable economic
achievements. Read more>>>
Wednesday 2 November 2016
Northern Muslim Expulsion & Tamil Leadership
An event on October 30, 2016: Last Sunday, October 30, 2016, a commemoration event was organised in
Colombo by the newly formed group “North Muslim Civil Society” on the
theme of “A necessary Solution for Northern Muslims”. I was struck by
the fact that the chief guest and guest of honor were the prominent
political leaders of the Sri Lankan Tamil community, and leaders of the
opposition. These leaders are spokespersons of the rights of Tamils of
Sri Lanka. I decided to travel to Colombo from Kandy, to participate in
the event even though I had not received a formal invitation. Read more>>>
Thursday 27 October 2016
Wednesday 21 September 2016
Muslim Law Reform Group Says Muslim Marriage And Divorce Act-1956 Violates Women’s Rights
Muslim women’s groups have been advocating for reforms of the MMDA for
over 25 years and there have been at least four official committees set
up since 1970’s with no progress on reforms. The current 16-member
Muslim Personal Law (MPL) Reforms Committee headed by Justice Saleem
Marsoof was set up in 2009, by the then Minister of Justice Milinda
Moragoda in view that “certain reforms to the Muslim personal law was
urgently needed”. Seven years later, the report is still pending. Read more>>>
Maithripala Sirisena’s Speech At United Nations General Assembly-2016
Sri Lanka is a Buddhist country, where Theravada Buddhism is practiced.
There are solutions in Buddhist teachings to most of the problems faced
by the people in this world. Similarly, those who follow other religions
like Hinduism, Islam and Christianity too can find answers to these
problems by these great religious philosophies. Read more>>>
Monday 5 September 2016
China’s Brutal war on Islam and Uighur Muslims
As it happened to Palestine and Kashmir, the
world has ignored the plight of persecuted Uighur Muslims in China’s Xingjian
region where the people started their struggle to win back their political,
economic, religious and cultural rights ever since Red Army occupied the area
in 1949. Read more>>>
Monday 29 August 2016
Embracing Globalisation: The Case Of Sri Lanka
Some of the new economic initiatives announced by the Sri Lankan government about integrating the economy with the wider world, initially acquiring land to create special
economic zones where large scale investment projects from India and
China are to be invited to locate, are a refreshing departure from an
economically dysfunctional post-independence mindset of nationalist
pre-conception of the national interest as a zero sum game with the
world beyond: their gain is our loss and our gain is their loss. Sri
Lanka at the time of independence boasted an economy more prosperous, a
population that was better educated and a society which was largely free
of the worst dysfunctional aspects of religion which characterize the
neighbouring countries of the sub-continent. Yet the country became
ensnared by angst over identity and suspicious of opening up the economy
to the world at a time when development was fueled by trade. The
changed mindset informing recent economic initiatives holds out
prospects for greater prosperity. Read more>>>
Monday 22 August 2016
WAN Says Muslim Marriage And Divorce Act Treats Women As Second Class Citizens, Calls For Rectification
The Women Action Network (WAN) has called for the rectification of the Muslim Marriage and
Divorce Act (MMDA) of 1951 citing that the Act renders Muslim women as
second class citizens and does not guarantee them equal protection under
the law. The Network has also called on authorities to ensure that the
new Constitution rectifies this which will ensure Muslim women will have
equal rights in the eyes of the law. Read more>>>
Muslim Political & Religious Clerical Leadership Crisis in Sri Lanka
Who represent the Muslim community in the government? The shocking answer is “NONE”.
One may ask “how could the Muslims complain as there are several
Muslim ministers and deputy ministers in the government”. Yes there are
many Muslim ministers, but they do not represent the community as most
of them entered into deals and got into the government. For example the presence of Sri Lanka Muslim Congresses, SLMC, in the government is deceptive as they contested in UNP tickets and entered the government. Read more>>>
Monday 15 August 2016
The future of Sri Lanka’s economy
A new era has dawned in Sri Lanka. Peace has been consolidated
after a bloody 30-year civil conflict. The country’s 67-year old
democracy has been reinforced after a dramatic, peaceful and people-led
political transition in January 2015.We’re prioritizing business-friendly policies so that we can take advantage of today’s peace to build a thriving economy. Read more>>>
Tuesday 9 August 2016
Industrial Development Policy in the Islamic view point
Whilst the Western world has managed to achieve phenomenal development
since the industrial revolution the Muslim world on the other hand lags
far behind. The Muslim world is represented by an underdeveloped
infrastructure, poverty, unemployment and nothing in the way of
technological development. At the same time the Muslim world possesses
some of the worlds largest reserves of key mineral resources. The Muslim
world single handedly possesses 74% of the world’s oil reserves – the
world’s most important commodity. Read more>>>
The Manufacturing Policy and Building an Industrial State from the Viewpoint of Islam
Since the time Allah has created man and put him on earth, man tries to
satisfy his needs with materials created in the universe around him, as
well as trying to maintain his security, sovereignty and survival
whether in case of attack or defense by using the raw materials around
him. Read more>>>
Thursday 4 August 2016
World Islamic Economic Forum - 2016 in Indonesiya
The World Islamic Economic Forum started off from a modest beginning as
the OIC Business Forum, which was held on 15th October 2003, in
conjunction with the tenth OIC Summit in Putrajaya, Malaysia.The inaugural OIC Business Forum sought to create a business ‘face’ of
the OIC. The Forum brought together government leaders, captains of
industries, academic scholars, regional experts, professionals and
corporate managers to discuss opportunities for business partnerships in
the Muslim world. The second OIC Business Forum was convened in Kuala
Lumpur in 2004, a momentous event that brought about the birth of the
World Islamic Economic Forum and the subsequent convening of the 1st
WIEF in Kuala Lumpur in 2005. Read more>>>
Tuesday 2 August 2016
Muslim Women, Shariyah & Modernity
A Review of the book – Women Claiming Rights and
Spaces: Activism to Reform Muslim Personal Law in Sri Lanka, Published
by Muslim Women Research and Action Forum.
Muslim Personal Law (MPL) in Sri Lanka that governs the family
affairs of the Muslims which specifically includes marriage, divorce and
inheritance and exclusively applicable to the Muslims is supplementary
to the general law of the country. There are such supplementary family
laws like Kandyan Law and Thesavalamai Law that governs the family affairs of Kandyan Sinhalese and Jaffna Tamils respectively. Read more>>>
Sunday 10 July 2016
What the Chilcot Inquiry doesn’t address
Since 2003 (excluding the murderous sanctions regime of the years
before), the people of Iraq have been subjected to a brutal occupation.
Hundreds of thousands of civilians have been killed and many Iraqis have
witnessed first hand the West’s empty promises of freedom when detained
and tortured at Basra, Camp Nama and Abu Ghraib. The Iraqi regime –
discredited by sectarianism, corruption and deals with brutal militias
-continues to be propped up by their allies in London and Washington.
There is no economic development. Despite aid pledges of billions, there
is little evidence of the promised rebuilding of Iraq. Read more>>>
Thursday 7 July 2016
Reforming Sri Lankan Islam: Where Should One Start?
Reform in reality is not a one off event to be accomplished by
introducing a new or revised document or an itemised agenda but an
ongoing process that keeps a phenomenon updated and relevant to meet the
growing challenges of an ever growing stock of human knowledge and
civilization. In that sense the history of Islamic thought bears ample
testimony to the fact that Islam had been reforming quite intrusively
and extensively during the first six centuries of its introduction and
superficially and restrictively thereafter. Read more>>>
Tuesday 14 June 2016
Would Sri Lanka Elect A Tamil Or Muslim President?
The Western World, particularly the United States of America (USA) and Western Europe, can well afford to boast about human rights
and their vehement protection on international platforms and fora.
Especially in the United States, the first ten amendments (also known as
the Bill of Rights) to their Constitution talk volumes for the
safeguard of the rights of an individual. What is most significant about
the US Constitution is, it has been crafted to safeguard the individual
from the government and its potential threats to the individual.
Tuesday 19 January 2016
Deporting Buddha Tattoos: Economics And Embracing Emotionalism
Max Weber, the late 19th century German philosopher, later expanded the
frontiers of the subject by analysing the relationship between economics
and religion and cultural disenchantment which the modernity had
brought to society in the current era. In a path-breaking book titled
‘The Protestant Ethic and Spirit of Capitalism’ and published in German
in 1905 and in English in 1930, Weber argued that modern capitalism and
its entrepreneurship were born after individuals were freed from the
crutches of the church and secularism was propagated in society. Read more>>>
Thursday 1 October 2015
Don’t Re-Traumatise The War-Traumatised: Dons
A group of Sri Lankan university academics who took different
positions during the war fought between the Sri Lankan armed forces and
the LTTE have called upon the Sri Lankan government, all political
parties, the UN and other international bodies and sponsors of the UNHRC
resolution to place the needs and concerns of those who suffered during
the war at the forefront of any mechanisms that will be put in place in
the future. Read more>>>
Wednesday 9 September 2015
A Global Crisis Comes To Sri Lanka
The radical extremists in ISIS the Islamic militant group is wreaking
havoc in Syria along with Assad’s minority Alawite Shia regime. Between
the two of them, they have killed more Arab Muslims than any other
group(as Sunni dictator Saddam did during his disastrous 9 year war with
Iran and his suppression of Kurds and Shias). The Wahabi Salafist
radicals hate Shia Arabs. The want to force everyone to abide by their
twisted version of Islam: which is by far a peaceful religion. Turkey
too is suffering; while Turkey is a predominantly Muslim nation it is
not a religious theocracy. Read more>>>
Minorities – The Problem Of The Twenty First Century
The great black American ideologue W.E.B. Du Bois wrote “The problem of
the twentieth century is the problem of the color line”. I hold that the
problem of the twenty first century is the problem of minorities. Let
me first clarify what Du Bois had in mind in making his famous
statement. He was universalist in his outlook, not tribalist or narrowly
nationalist. By the colored he had in mind not only black Americans or
black Africans but also the colored peoples of Afro-Asia and of the rest
of the world.Read more>>>
Monday 7 September 2015
Policy Statement Delivered By President Sirisena on 01/09/2015
It is my great pleasure to offer you the congratulations of the
people of Sri Lanka and welcome you to the new parliament. You are the
democratically elected representatives of the people and you have been
elected in the most peaceful election held in the history of our
country. As a person political experience of more than five decades, including
26 years as a Member of Parliament, I take this opportunity extend my
thanks to the brotherly people in this country, those who voted for and
against me at the Presidential Election on January 08, which I won as
the Common Candidate of the opposition. Read more>>>
Wednesday 19 August 2015
Identity Politics and State-Building in Sri Lanka: by Sisira Pinnawala
In 2011 the Pathfinder Foundation (PF) and the Institute for
the Study of Human Rights (ISHR) of Columbia University initiated a joint
Project entitled “Historical Memory as a Tool for Conflict Resolution” with the
objective of engaging scholarly and intellectual participation in the country’s
post conflict peace building and reconciliation effort. The specific task
identified by the Project was to get the scholars and intellectuals with
different perspectives to work together in collaborative work to produce,
through research, public debate and discussion, shared narratives of the
conflict which would provide a strong and dependable basis for mutual
understanding between the two main protagonists leading to sustainable peace
and reconciliation. The formal work of the Project commenced with a workshop
jointly organized by the PF and ISHR in Colombo in July 2011, facilitated by
Dr. Elazar Barkan, Professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia
University and Director of Columbia’s ISHR. The participants of the civil
society representing academics and researchers from the Universities and other
stakeholder groups, were invited to this workshop. A consensus that emerged
from the workshop was that the lack of agreement on the nature of the
postcolonial Sri Lanka state was one of the root causes of the conflict. Therefore
it was decided to conduct a collaborative research project and produce a
scholarly volume on the Sri Lanka state as focusing on Identities and
State-Building with particular attention to the postcolonial state. A Working Group (WG) consisting of university
academics/ researchers and civil society intellectuals was formed to carry out
the above activity. The Working Group (WG) on State-Building. Read more>>>
Sunday 16 August 2015
Ugly Muslim Politics in Sri Lanka
The most important factor here in selecting a candidate is seeing
through distortion techniques. All the candidates are trying to sell
themselves to the voters. In many cases, they use the languages that
they are so skilfully crafted that they distort the truth in a way that
is difficult even for the most careful observer to detect. They attack
opponents based on characteristics that may not be true. They also make
references to region, for example. The region of a leader where he comes
from will not affect his performance. At the last minute, the opposite
candidates may also spread rumours about withdrawals or supporting the
opponent. This is not a factor at all they should consider in electing a
candidate as their representative in the parliament. Read more>>>
Thursday 13 August 2015
Sri Lanka Between Elections
A half year after Maithripala Sirisena’s stunning defeat of President
Mahinda Rajapaksa raised hopes for democratic renaissance, the
complexities of partisan politics, and Rajapaksa himself, have returned
to centre stage. Sirisena’s initial months with a minority government
led by the United National Party (UNP) have opened important political
space: robust debate and criticism have replaced the fear under
Rajapaksa, and important governance reforms have been made, but much
remains undone. By initial steps on reconciliation, the government set a
more accommodating tone on the legacy of the civil war and the ethnic
conflict that drove it. But divisions within government and Sirisena’s
failure to take control of his Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) prevented
deeper reform and allowed Rajapaksa and his supporters to mount a
comeback. With Sirisena opposing Rajapaksa’s return, the 17 August
parliamentary elections will test the continued appeal of the
ex-president’s hardline Sinhala nationalism and give a chance for the
fresh start that lasting solutions to the country’s social divisions
require.Read more>>>
Social Market Economy Vs. Social Market Socialism
Social Market Economy
may be a familiar term or concept but the other concept might be new.
As I perceive it, both concepts have very similar economic components
but there is one significant difference. What is it? Social Market Economy will continue to link the distribution of
distributable output significantly to the ownership of means of
production. On the contrary “Social Market Socialism”
will separate the distribution of distributable output significantly
from the ownership of means of production. This difference is not just
theoretical; instead it has very far reaching practical impact. The
impact is related to the efficiency of the economy. Let us discuss this
matter further.Read more>>>
Thursday 30 July 2015
Muslims seek Solutions to their Problems; Not Ministerial Portfolios
Over
the years today the SLMC ‘s selfish and short sighted politics has
isolated the Muslims, especially those living in the predominantly
Sinhalese areas, and had caused tremendous damage to Muslims who now
feel ignored and orphaned. Muslims
feel that this state of affairs cannot continue anymore and thus demand
an end to racist politics to reestablish their harmonious ties with the
majority community. This is the reason why Muslims, especially the
educated lot and the civil society is keen that Muslims abandon the SLMC
in the forthcoming elections and join national political parties. Read more>>>
The international significance of the Sri Lankan general election
The current election campaign takes place under conditions of acute
political crisis in Colombo and deep fractures within the ruling elite.
The two contenders in the January presidential election are both members
of the opposition Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), and Sirisena, by
virtue of being the country’s president, is also nominal party head.
However, rising public hostility towards the government has emboldened
Rajapakse and his supporters to take control of the party’s election
campaign and promote the ousted president as the next prime minister Read more>>>
Thursday 23 July 2015
The Greek Tragedy
Tragedy is etched into the Greek psyche, whether it’s the fall of Troy,
Macedonia, Thrace or Thessaly, throughout Greek history tragedy has been
a constant feature. Located on the edge Europe, Greece came to dominate
the ‘known Western world’ for a good portion of Europe’s ancient
history. In the ancient era, Greece became a maritime city-state and
invented a culture oriented towards commerce. Greece was the West’s
first advanced civilization (Athens) and produced its first empire
(ancient Macedon). Read more>>>
Tuesday 30 June 2015
Gold Standard: The future for a stable global currency
With
the European sovereign debt crisis threatening to dissolve the Eurozone
and the US with record budget and trade deficits the world is facing a
monetary crisis.
Central
to the sovereign debt, housing and financial derivatives bubbles has
been the provision of cheap and abundant credit. Money that has been
simply manufactured from the keyboards or printing presses of Central
bankers. As long as the financial system allows the effective
counterfeiting of paper currency to meet ever increasing central
spending – inflation and instability will ensue. Read more>>>
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)