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MCSL Letter to the Secretary of Defense

06th September 2013

PRESS RELEASE

The Muslim Council of Sri Lanka vehemently refutes the blatant lies and canard spread against the Muslim Community by the Bodu Bala Sena at their press conference held on the 3rd September 2013.

Alcohol, narcotics or any form of intoxicants are totally prohibited in Islam and Muslims cannot engage in any activity related to them. Any Muslim involved in these activities cannot be considered to be following the teachings of Islam. We urge the enforcement authorities to take the strictest possible recourse and punish with the full force of the law any persons involved in destroying the social fabric of society by indulging in trafficking, distributing or trading in any form of narcotics irrespective of their religious belief.

The recent detection of a large haul of Heroin at the Colombo Port has been confirmed by the relevant authorities to be a consignment imported by International drug traffickers and Sri Lanka has been used only as a transit point. Leveling charges against the Muslim community of being part of this criminal act tantamount to inciting hate which can lead to violence against the Muslim community.

Further, a number of other allegations in this press conference including forced contraception of Sinhala women, aborting unborn children, killing children etc. are serious criminal charges, which carry severe penalties. We urge the relevant authorities to conduct an impartial inquiry immediately on these allegations. Meanwhile, we also urge the government and law enforcement authorities to take action against the Bodu Bala Sena for this hate mongering.......

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The first group of Sri Lankan Haj pilgrims will arrive at the Haj Terminal in Jeddah on Sept. 13.

The country’s Consul General Adam Bawa Uthumalebbe told Arab News on Wednesday that 2,240 Sri Lankan pilgrims would perform Haj this year. “Last year we had 3,200 pilgrims but the quota was reduced this year by 20 percent because of the ongoing development work in the holy city of Makkah,” he said.

SriLankan airlines and Saudi Arabian Airlines are transporting the pilgrims this year, he said.

“Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has given special instructions to the Sri Lankan missions in the Kingdom to offer the best facilities and services to the Lankan pilgrims,” Uthumalebbe said

He said the consulate would deploy a team at the Haj Terminal to welcome the pilgrims. The officials would offer refreshments and attend to the needs of the pilgrims until they leave for the holy cities.

He said his mission had formed three teams in Makkah, Jeddah, Mina and Madinah to assist the pilgrims. In addition to the mission’s staff, volunteers have also been brought in to help. A medical team is accompanying the pilgrims.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry has sent two diplomats to the Saudi Embassy in Colombo to issue Haj visas. According to an official from the Saudi Embassy in Colombo, work on issuing visas is taking place smoothly.....

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Islamic university offers scholarships

JEDDAH: HABIB SHAIKH

Published — Monday 2 September 2013

Last Update 2 September 2013 12:37 am

The International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), an OIC affiliate university, is offering a range of undergraduate, post-graduate and Ph.D. scholarships to students from OIC member states under the Educational Exchange Program (EEP). The university is also offering placement in its post-doctoral program, where students can engage in research and other activities.

The participation of the IIUM in the OIC–EEP bodes well for promoting greater cooperation in higher education and strengthening academic links between the OIC member states, which is imperative for the advancement of knowledge in the Muslim world.

The OIC Educational Exchange Program, entitled “Solidarity through Academia in the Muslim World,” is drawing increasing interest and participation from member states and their public and private sector universities. A significant number of students are currently benefiting from higher education scholarships offered under the program.

The IIUM is also ready for short-term and long-term arrangements for faculty exchange, whereby higher education institutions in both the public and private sectors of OIC member-states are encouraged to engage in faculty exchange to varying extents.

OIC member-states are also encouraged to send lecturers and researchers to the IIUM for training courses and specialized projects to cater to the specific needs of member states. Such specialized requests can be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

Details of the IIUM offer are being shared with OIC member states by the OIC General Secretariat through official diplomatic channels. Students, researchers and faculty members can also directly access these details on the OIC website at http://www.oic-oci.orgunder the tab “Educational Exchange Program.”

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It took 60 years for the Central Intelligence Agency to admit this week that it was behind the coup that took place in Teheran in 1953 – and it may be years or decades before we come to know who played what role in the Egyptian coup that ousted President Mohammed Morsi, the country’s first democratically elected leader.

The July 3 Egyptian coup is not exclusively homemade. Like the 1953 Iranian coup that ousted the democratically elected Mohammed Mossadeq and reinstalled the Shah, a US puppet, the Egyptian coup had its foreign elements. As post-coup Egypt witnessed an unprecedented bloody crackdown of anti-coup protesters comprising largely the conservative segment of society and the poor, the blood stained hands of some regional countries also became evident. By being the first to openly back the military coup and the bloody crackdown in which more than 2,000 people were killed, Saudi Arabia made little effort to hide its role in the coup.....