Right of reply
With reference to yesterday’s Daily Mirror page one lead story titled Extremist Islamic preachers visited SL even after Easter Sunday attack-, former MP M.m.zuhair PC has sent the following statement.
News reports of well-known Indian Islamic scholars Dr. Zakir Naik and Jainul Abdeen lecturing in Sri Lanka, reportedly on several occasions even after the Easter Sunday attacks of 21/04/19 quoting the Parliamentary Sectoral Oversight Committee on National Security appears to be absolutely false.the two scholars could not have lectured in Sri Lanka, after 21/04 without the Sri Lankans, particularly the Muslims here, coming to know about their visit to the country.
The reports have been carried prominently in sections of the media but do not refer to the post-21/04 dates or places where either of them lectured.the reports do not state whether any verification had been done, from the state institutions responsible for the grant of visa.
The reports released without due verification are likely to mislead the people. It can incite religious hatred and constitute hostility towards the Sri Lankan Muslims based on falsehood.
Such acts may violate the Sri Lankan laws, particularly the provisions of
The reports have been carried prominently in sections of the media but do not refer to the post-21/04 dates or places where either of them lectured
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Act, the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary provisions) Act and the Penal Code. It can expose the authors for criminal proceedings. Earlier reports referred to recommendations to ban face covers and veils as threats to national security.
None of the condemned terrorists of 21/04 wore face covers or veils. They carried the lethal cargo of explosives in back-packs. Banning face covers or back-packs will not eliminate or reduce crime. National security cannot be achieved on an antireligious platform. It can be achieved by respecting, uniting and reconciling the people and their differences.the government ought not to fall a prey for enacting laws that will be perceived as discriminatory, at a time when the Muslim community is addressing these issues. Muslim community as a whole ought not to be allowed to be victimized for the murderous acts of a few terrorists with Muslim names.