Clarification

With reference to our article titled ‘Stigmatised and stereotyped: Everyday realities of SL Muslims’ published on May 13, Country Director of Muslim Aid Sri Lanka Office, a.c. Faizer Khan, has sent the following clarification:

The article states: “According to Muslim Aid Sri Lanka, a Uk-based Islamic charity organisation, nine civilians in the Gampaha and Kurunegala Districts died in the violence.” we would like to clarify that we have not released any such statement or observation implying the above in any of our own publication; nor have we been contacted by Daily Mirror for any such comment on the subject.we would like to explicitly state that no such comment was made by the management or staff of Muslim Aid Sri Lanka. We would appreciate if our name, along with the statement which is factually incorrect, could be retracted from your publication; and the public is informed that Muslim Aid Sri Lanka did not make such statement and it was a mistake by Daily Mirror. Our organisation has not made any such remark and do not wish to be held accountable for these claims that may have dire consequences.

Also note that the Wikipedia page ‘2019 anti-muslim riots in Sri Lanka’ that happens to mention that this statement is categorised as verification needed -- which implies that this statement has to be fact-checked with cited sources. therefore, this statement cannot be taken as true or accurate without contacting and confirming with referred sources.

Writer’s Note: The reports on the number of deaths of civilians during the 2019 anti-muslim riots vary in different sources and news reports. A world renowned news agency has reported that the death toll was as high as 20. However, over the past year, Wikipedia, one of the frequently used information websites, have sourced Muslim Aid with the given figures. For more than a year, Muslim Aid has not contested or denied this public information.