TRIBUTE

S.H.M. Jameel:- a rare genius

"Jameel Sir has passed away today." This was the text message I received from a friend in Doha on April 28.While I was saying "To God we belong and to Him shall we all return," my mind spontaneously embarked on a journey to the past, reviewing the few occasions when I had the opportunity to sit with Hon. Jameel and discuss concerns we both had about the Muslims of Sri Lanka.

I only knew him from afar, when he became the principal of Kalmunai Zahira College and later as principal of the Addalaichenai Teachers Training College. I vividly remember of having heard of him at that time as an accomplished administrator and successful and disciplined principal which he undoubtedly was.

My first encounter with him was in November 1988, after I returned having graduated from Egypt. I received an offer as a lecturer at the Department of Cultural Studies at the Eastern University of Sri Lanka. The decision to appoint me was taken, as I later came to know, by the University Senate and I was asked by one of the members to hand over my documents to Mr. Jameel, then the Registrar of the University.

I went to his residence without an appointment and was warmly welcomed. He was ecstatic about my achievement; being the first Sri Lankan to have received a doctorate from the Al-Azhar University in Egypt. Even as I handed him my documents, he had kicked off a conversation about some of the problems Sri Lankan Muslim faced, particularly those relating to higher education. I was taken aback.

As the discussion continued, I realized that I was talking to a person who had internalized those concerns of the Muslim community.

He was a towering educationist, a theorist and a visionary whose recommendations suggested that he had put in several years of careful reflection to the educational dilemma of the Muslims of Sri Lanka. Even his wife, who later joined our discussions, spoke at length of their visit to Iraq, their appreciation of its history, formidable tradition and legacy and the maintenance and preservation of the oldest known civilization of the world.(Two years later Uncle Sam's invasion of Iraq would convert all that to ruin).

Aesthetic sense

I vividly remember that we also deliberated on the necessity of inculcating an aesthetic sense in our students from an early age thus creating a sound and upright society. Although senior to me by many years, I found him listening to me with humility and appreciation.

Our meeting was not long and when I came out carrying some of his writings on the educational contributions and services of some of our leaders and forefathers, I knew I had met a man who was an embodiment of rare qualities. We agreed to continue our discussions later, since I would be working there we would have instances to meet.

We resumed contact during a national Milad celebration at Addalaichenai which was overseen by my very dear friend and our late leader, Ashraf. Unaware that we were acquainted, Ashraf introduced us and was pleasantly surprised to know that we had met earlier and enjoyed mutual respect for each other. He later told me, "If you want to write a convincing report on any issue in English you will not find a better person, at least in our area other than Mr. Jamil in his eloquence, articulation and linguistic beauty." I knew he was right.

After that, I met Jameel several times, the last of which was at his residence at Dehiwela. All these meetings only reinforced my first impression of Jameel. He was a wonderful human being and a son of the soil, genuinely concerned about the well-being of his own community, country and particularly that of the people of the East. It was not surprising then to see him involved in many projects that highlighted and brought to light various aspects of the cultural life of the Eastern Muslims in a wider sense.

In my opinion, the Muslim community of our country,especially that of the Eastern Province has lost a genius and a man of great wisdom, an exceptional educationist and an administrator who exuded discipline. During his career, he rose to being Secretary in the Ministry of Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs, a position he well deserved. He had almost single-handedly prepared a formidable archive of Muslim parliamentarians and politicians over the past 200 years of Sri Lankan history. Much of his life of course was guided by his upbringing in a multi-cultural ambience and that was what he dearly promoted all his life as well.

It is my sincere desire that his pupils, numbering in the thousands and occupying significant positions in society and the country will introduce their mentor's legacy to the country and thus add to the book of the 'History of Muslims of Sri Lanka', the wanting chapter on Hon. Mr.Jameel.

May Allah accept Jameel among His pious faithful ones and reward him Jennathul Firdous. Ameen

Prof. Dheen Mohamed