Letter to Muslim MPs to appoint Moulavi teachers in Sri Lanka

(By special correspondent)

             Today we have nearly 18 Muslim members of Parliament in Sri Lanka.  Muslim community dearly needs their service. We hope that these Muslim politicians can make a difference for our community at this crucial juncture in history.  Muslim politicians did a great service for our community in the past. We are still remembering the dedicated service of late Badi Udeen Mahmood for Muslim education in Sri Lanka. He made an educational revolution for Sri Lankan Muslims in late 1960s’. He managed to get the political backing and support from the SLFP to appoint more than 400 hundred Moulavi teachers in Muslim schools. 

              Since then Moulavi teaching appointment were not made regularly in Sri Lanka. We have thousands of Moulavis in Sri Lanka without teaching jobs. Most of the Moulavis who were appointed by late Education Minister Badi Udeen Mahmood have retired from teaching now. No replacement appointments were made by successive governments in Sri Lanka.  

              I’m appealing to our Muslim politicians today to demand this government to   reintroduce Moulavi teaching appointment once again in Sri Lanka. I think above all other issue, Muslim politicians should make this as one of their top priorities in their politics. We hope that this time Muslim politicians listen to the aspiration of Muslim public. 

            There are so many Muslim schools in Sri Lanka without Moulavi teachers. In Non-Muslim schools there are no teachers for Islam subject. This is a big problem in Sinhalese and English medium schools. Can these 18 Muslim MPs collectively do what late Education Minister did individually for Muslim community? Do these politicians have courage and bravery to make this demand in parliament debate? Do they have any voice in Sri Lankan parliament? 

           For the last 8 years they have been maintaining silence in many issues in Sri Lanka. Will they open their mouths this time in Parliament? Will they work collectively in the greater interest of Muslim community?  Have they learned their lessons from the recent incidents in Sri Lanka? Do they have willingness to serve our community with sincerity beyond their personal ambitions? These are some of the questions that Muslim community ask today about our political leaders in Sri Lanka?