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by M. I. M. Mohideen

M. I. M. Mohideen is founder Secretary-General of the Muslim United Liberation Front and later served as National Co-ordinating Secretary of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress under the Leadership of the late M.H.M. Ashraff.

A peculiar phenomenon in the Eastern Province is that a Muslim village is interspersed with Tamil villages and vice versa. Substantial share of the private lands owned by the Muslims and adjacent to the Tamil villages. Due to increase of population, Muslims and Tamils are facing acute shortage of lands for expansion. As scarcity of land become acute, tension between the two communities increased, mainly because of fears of expansion and absorption.

As a result of this particular socio-economic factor, new rules and regulations evolved in both communicates which forbade members of either ethnic group to sell to the other ethnic community. This is indicative of a desire by both ethnic communities to maintain their separate identities in a situation where they had co-existed for centuries.

However, the Muslims were buying lands off the Tamils offering higher prices by virtue of their economic position, whereas the Tamils unlawfully occupied thousands of acres of private lands belonging to the Muslims with the help of the Militants, for example the lands of Rasool Estates in Komari, Thirukkovil, Eravur, Thampalakamam, Trincomalee etc.

The occupation of the earlier generation of the Eastern and Northern Provinces Muslims were, related to cultivation, and to a lesser extent fishing and trading. However, after the introduction of Free Education and Guaranteed Price for Paddy, in Sri Lanka, the educational and economic status of the Muslims has risen considerably. A large number of doctors, engineers, accountants, lawyers, technicians and university graduates of the Muslim community have emerged from the Eastern Province. In short, the Muslim intelligentsia has already shifted to the Eastern Province.

Contrary to popular claims from various quarters of peace, amity and sense of co-existence among the Muslims and Tamils of the Eastern and Northern provinces, resentment and antipathy among the Tamils have been growing towards the Muslims for the last half a century, particularly after the independence to Sri Lanka in 1948. In fact they feel that the Muslims were better placed economically than the Tamils. Muslim youths were advancing in education and out-pacing the Tamils in higher education at the Universities and Technical institutions. Muslims were able to obtain more government and private sector jobs thus pushing the Tamil youths into the cadre of unemployment.

Muslims were more favourably placed with the Government in power on the strength of their leaders disclaiming separatist policies, while the Tamils caught in the web of "Eelam" activities, were left in the lurch and thus alienated from the Government with the onset of struggle for a Separate State for the Tamils. Muslims were unsympathetic towards their Separate State demand and therefore constituted a danger in their midst.

Owing to the geographical location and economic interdependence of the two communities - Tamils and Muslims in the Northern and the Eastern Provinces, there have been intermittent clashes over the years over comparatively trivial issues such as Muslim farmers being harassed by Tamils when they pass through Tamil areas, waylaying of vehicles, and robbing of paddy and heads of cattle belonging to the Muslims. These conflicts in general were minor and were quickly resolved before they could escalate into serious clashes.

However, after the 1983 ethnic violence in Sri Lanka, it was found that the Tamils in the Northern and the Eastern provinces, have been openly giving expressions to their feelings of resentments and antipathy towards the Muslims by verbal insinuations, deprecations and even insults regarding the position of the Muslims as "Usurpers" of their lands "Exploiters" and Technical education and Employment. Tamils began to harass the Muslims, waylay and rob them whenever Muslims traversed the Tamil areas on their way and back home from their paddy fields.

Administrative denial of civic amenities to Muslim villages situated within the ambit of the Local Government of Tamils, extorting money, jewelleries, motor vehicles and agricultural implements from Muslims and abducting Muslim youths in order to force them to collaborate with the separatist movements became the order of the day.

This volatile atmosphere gave rise to suspicion and made the Muslims in the Northern and Eastern provinces realise that the prospect of sharing political and economic powers with the Tamils in the event of a separate state becoming a reality, are remote.

With the increased activities of the separatists, in the early part of 1985, the animosity and resentment of the Tamils towards the Muslims took a more acrimonious turn. Consequent to it, numerous incidents of extortions of money, jewellery, motorcycles and other valuables at gun point, threats for co-operations with the separatist movements took place. When such atrocities escalated, the Muslims tried to assuage the situation not by open warfare but by humane methods as prescribed by the Laws of Islam. National flag

The breaking point of the Muslims came when the Tamil separatists tried, in the course of robbing a rich Muslim Trader, to take his daughter as hostage in Akkaraipattu, a predominant Muslim town, 14 miles down South of Kalmunai, in the Amaprai District. Angered by this, the Muslims registered their protest by peaceful hartal in Akkaraipattu, from 8th to 12th April 1985. All the shops reopened for business on the 13th of April 1985. Simultaneously, the National Flag was hoisted in the bazaar, declaring the solidarity of the Muslims with the Government and its policy of Unitary State and also their rejection of the Division of the country.

On the 14th of April, 1985, at 9.00 a.m. thirteen Tamil separatists sped into Akkaraipattu by a jeep from Karithuivu, a Tamil village 10 miles North of Akkaraipattu. They were fully armed and were firing, the first shot being fired in the vicinity of the town mosque of Akkaraipattu. They then raced towards the junction in the main market place. Due to high speed, they were unable to negotiate the turn and the jeep toppled. Most of them died on the spot and the rest were shot by the Police.

With this unfortunate incident, the Tamil, Muslim ethnic violence started and swiftly spread to Kalmunai, Eravur, Ottamawadi, Valaichcenai, Muttur and Kinniya. Hundreds of Muslims were killed by the armed Tamil Separatists and many billions of rupees worth of properties belonging to both the Tamils and Muslims were burnt and destroyed. It is during the April 1985 riots, that the Tamils and Muslims fought each other as separate communities for the first time in the Eastern province.

During the massive anti-terrorist operation by the Sri Lanka Armed Forces, in Muthur in May 1985, only a month after the Tamil - Muslim clashes in the Eastern Province, Tamils suffered very badly. It was the Muslims who gave the Tamils a helping hand during those difficult days. Unfortunately, this did not in any way changed the anti Muslim attitude of the Tamils Separatists.

Tamil Separatists brutally murdered Mr. Habeeb Mohamed the Assistant Government Agent of Muthur on the 3rd of September 1987, which led to widespread protest-demonstrations by the Muslims throughout the Eastern province. Annoyed by this the Tamil Separatists organized a counter demonstration on the 10th of September 1987 in Kalmunai which resulted in the Tamils attacking and burning Muslim owned shops, rice mills and houses in the predominant Muslims Town of Kalmunai, in the presence of the IPKF. Properties belonging to the Muslims damaged by the Tamils has been valued at approximately Rupees 67 Millions.

Mr. A. L. Abdul Majeed, a former M.P., and Deputy Minister of Muthur was killed on the 13th of November 1987. Mr. Abdul Majeed was actively involved in the relief operation of the thousands of Muslim Refugees who came from Muthur consequent to Tamil Armed Separatists attack on the Muslims on the 12th of October in the presence of the IPKF.

About 26 Muslims were killed and another 200 were injured when the IPKF shelled Ottamawadi a predominate Muslim village in the Batticaloa District on 02nd December 1987. A number of houses and shops belonging to Muslims were burned and destroyed. Some Muslim women were also reported to have been raped by the IPKF. About 14,000 Muslims became refugees and fled the Eastern province to the North-Central Province, Polonnaruwa.

Kattankudi, the home of nearly 60,000 Muslims, situated 4 miles down South of Batticaloa, was attacked by the armed Tamil Separatists on the 30th of December 1987. In this fierce attack, nearly 60 Muslims were killed and more than 200 were injured. Properties worth 200 millions belonging to the Muslims were burned and destroyed by armed Tamil Separatists. All these happened in the presence of the Indian Peace Keeping Forces-IPKF. Although the attack lasted for two days, Kattankudi was under siege until the 8th of January 1988. During this period all movements in and out of the area were blocked by the armed Tamil Separatists while the IPKF was supposed to be in control of the area.

Because of the attacks launched by the IPKF and armed Tamil Separatists, nearly 65,000 innocent Muslims who have lived for generations in Mannar, Jaffna, Mullaithivu and Vavunia have abandoned their homes and are now living in refugee camps outside their traditional homelands.

Hundreds of Muslim men, women and children have been killed and injured in the Eastern and Northern Provinces of Sri Lnaka by the Tamil Eelam Separatists. Since the signing of the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord on 29th of July 1987, more than 100,000 Muslims have been forced to leave their homes and billions of Rupees worth of properties belonging to the Muslims have been pillaged and destroyed by the Tamils.

Protection

Other communities in Sri Lanka - the Sinhalese and Tamils have also suffered. But the case of the Muslims is quite different. The Government and its armed forces are providing all possible protection and relief for the Sinhalese. Armed Tamil Militants, the Indian government and the international Tamil Community are fully backing the Sri Lnaka Tamils. But the unarmed Sri Lanka Muslims are helpless and caught napping in the unfortunate ethnic conflict.

The Tamil refugees voluntarily left the Northern and Eastern Provinces because of the Tamil Eelam War and went to India and other Western countries. But the Muslims were chased out by the Tamil Militants. The armed Tamil Militants gave only two days for the Muslims in the North to vacate their homes and leave. Muslim refugees had no place to go. None of the Muslim or Arab countries have accepted any Muslim refugee from the Northern and Eastern Provinces of Sri Lanka.

They are undergoing untold hardships in the refugee camps, in the neighboring Provinces. Government Security Forces and Rehabilitation Ministry were prepared to resettle the refugees but the armed Tamil Militants are obstructing the Muslim refugees returning to their homes which are only 20 to 30 miles away from the refugee camps, whereas thousands of Tamil refugees are freely returning to the Northern and Eastern Provinces from India and other Western Countries and unlawfully occupying the properties of the Muslims with the help of the Tamil Militants.

The pattern of attacks that has been unleashed on the Muslims clearly demonstrates that there is a deliberate plan by the Tamil Militants to weaken the economical, political and social strength of the Muslims in the Eastern and Northern Provinces, and to chase the Muslims away and make the Northeast a mono-ethnic Tamil region in order to create the Tamil Eelam one day.

Political aspirations

The Indo-Sri Lanka Accord, the 13th Amendment to the Constitution and the provisions of the Provincial Council Act have failed to meet the legitimate and reasonable demands of the Muslims. They have failed to protect our lives and properties.

They have failed to promote socio-economic interest of our people. They have failed to recognize the different ethnic and political aspirations of the Muslims. This total disregard shown to Muslim sentiments brings to surface one important political truth-that is the Government has little or non concern about the safety and security of the Muslim people in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.

Although patronizing remarks and promises are being made by the Tamil political leaders, in the actual exercise of power, every effort appears to have been made to cripple and destroy the rights and privileges of the Muslims of the Eastern and Northern Provinces. Muslims in the Eastern and Northern provinces should consider more seriously the present trend and take immediate steps to safeguard their legitimate rights in an appropriate manner. If proper safeguards are not secured now, it would amount to be the biggest betrayal of not only the present generation but also those yet to be born in the Eastern and Northern provinces as Muslims in the future.

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