Features
THE AMBIENCE OF MOSQUES
By Ifham Nizam
Asiff Hussein, Vice President- Outreach of the Centre for Islamic Studies Harmony Centre and author of the book ‘Iconic Masjids of Ceylon’ speaks about the role of mosques in the Muslim community and the importance of mosque tours in reaching out to people of other faiths.
Q: The Mosque is often thought to be the centre of the Muslim community. How far is this true?
A: The Mosque is no doubt the centre of the Muslim community. It is here that the faithful gather to pray to God, not once, but five times a day. The prayer which is no doubt the most active form of prayer found anywhere in the world consists of cycles of standing, bowing and prostrating before the Almighty. It is from the all important position of prostration known as Sajdah, where one humbles oneself before the Almighty, placing one’s head on to the ground and utterly surrendering oneself to the Divinity that the mosque takes its name. The Arabic word for mosque Masjidis derived from the word Sajdahor ‘Prostration’ and literally means ‘Place of Prostration’.
In the early days of Islam which were its best days, mosques were the very centre of community life. In the time of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), the mosque served as an assembly for the community and public announcements were often made there. Women too had free access to the mosque but prayed behind the men. In fact the Prophet clearly prohibited women from being denied entry to the mosques, calling them The handmaidens of God. In a hadith he has stated: “Do not bar the handmaidens of God from God’s Places of Worship”. Sadly this command is observed in the breach today except for festival days when women attend for festival prayers. Cultural norms and ideas of ceremonial impurity of women arising from their monthly periods had a lot to do with this attitude, but fortunately it’s changing and there are mosques today that let women attend and conduct prayers.
Q: You have authored a much acclaimed book on the Mosques of Sri Lanka. Can you share with us some of your more interesting findings?
A: A study of local mosques tells us a lot about how Sri Lankan Muslims adopted the architectural features of neighbouring cultures and in the heyday of colonialism in our island even embraced European styles. In fact, it seems time and place mattered a good deal when it came to mosque architecture. Except for a very basic dedicated area to pray, Islam does not lay down any rigid rules or conventions in erecting a mosque. Thus a mosque can lend itself to a variety of architectural styles. This is why you see such beautiful mosques all over the world having such a great diversity of architectural styles.
In our own country we have the centuries old Bakinigahawela Mosque in Uva Province which appears like the house of a Kandyan nobleman with very thick walls and tiled roof. It has no dome. Similarly there were many mosques in the olden days that had no dome, including the historic Abrar Mosque in the Maradana area of Beruwala supposed to have been built as far back as the year 920. Although it today has a small dome topping its front portion, old photographs show it was clearly absent back then.
In fact the incorporation of a large central dome or domes as we see in many mosques today came only after independence though a few had already adopted it earlier like the onion or pomegranate-shaped domes of the beautiful Red Mosque in Pettah. Nowadays we also have very modern-looking mosques like Jamiah Naleemiah’s University Mosque in Beruwala which has been compared to a flying saucer that has just landed.
Another important outcome of the research was that it proved that Muslims have lived in peace and harmony with the neighbouring communities even when it came to building mosques. I found several instances of co-operation between Muslims and the neighbouring Sinhalese and Tamil communities in putting up mosques back in the good old days. This was seen in the case of Porwa Mosque in Godapitiya in Akuressa and the Jaffna Grand Mosque simply known as the Periyapalli or “Great Mosque’.
Yet another interesting finding that emerged is that Muslims have tended to build their places of worship by the main roads, some of which must have emerged from the old caravan paths which they travelled with their pack animals for purposes of trade in the days of the Kandyan kingdom. Else it was near the bazaars as they were a largely mercantile community. This explains why you find mosques on the sides of roads, some of which look very conspicuous. In contrast you will find that the Buddhists have built their temples amidst calm surroundings away from the hustle and bustle of urban life. This of course reflects the concept of an aramaor ‘retreat’ from the worldly life. This explains why mosques seem so conspicuous when one travels in the main roads while temples are hardly seen.
Q: What can you tell us about the Mosque Tour Programme conducted by your organisation?
A: Mosque Tours are a unique interfaith program conducted by the Centre for Islamic Studies Harmony Center though lately we have partnered with the Muslim Women’s Research and Action Forum in conducting these tours. The mosque tours are undertaken in association with the trustees of local mosques.
Ever since we started the program eight years ago we have seen over fifteen mosques in all parts of the country open its doors to people of other faiths. In fact we have had well over 10,000 visitors of other faiths visiting our mosques on special ‘Open Mosque Days’. The concept I must say is quite revolutionarysince it is the only occasion where any religious place of worship has been opened to the public by special open invitation.
To give you an idea, mosque tours are basically cultural tours which seek to give people of other faiths an opportunity to visit a mosque and through it have a better understanding of the Islamic faith and Muslims in general. It often happens that people of other faiths are keen to visit mosques and experience their rich architecture. There is also thiscuriosity to see what’s going on in mosques. This makes it all the more necessary for mosques to welcome and to be seen as welcoming to those of other faiths.
Q: Besides being seen as a cultural tour, another purpose of mosque tours is to reach out to people of other faiths. So why the mosque for this purpose?
A: A very good question. You see, mosques lend themselves well for teaching people what Islam is all about. The concept of Unitarianism or Oneness of God, the essence of Islamic prayer, the idea of equality of the brotherhood among other things are best explained using the mosque.
For example, the absence of idols explains the concept of Islamic monotheism. The saffor prayer rows marked in the ornate carpets explain the Islamic prayer and the concept of brotherhood where the faithful, whether prince or pauper, stand in prayer shoulder to shoulder before the One True God. The mihrabor prayer niche explains the story of the prophets through that great patriarch Abraham and his building of the House of God in Mecca. The prayer postures demonstrated here explain the meaning of Islamic prayer including Soorah Fatiha, the Opening Chapter of the Holy Qur’an which is likened to the Christian Lord’s Prayer and the Sajdah or Prostrationwhich may be compared to Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Q: Besides a tour of the mosque, what else can visitors expect from your typical mosque tour?
A: Our mosque tours are primarily cultural tours that allow people of other faiths to experience the beauty of Islam and see it in action through a spiritual lens. They are conducting by dedicated Mosque Tour Guide (MTG) in all three languages.
Every mosque tour also has its poster walkthrough where large colourful posters placed side by side form a walkthrough to which visitors are directed shortly after the mosque tour proper. The posters tastefully executed with colourful imagery covers everything from the much misunderstood Shariah Law and Conditions of its Application to Religious Tolerance, Co-existence, Human Rights, Women’s Rights and Animal Rights among other things about which little is known among those of other faiths due to prevailing misconceptions.
Indeed it is often here that visitors began asking questions or concerns they have about the faith, stimulated without doubt by the rich information contained in the posters. To many of our visitors, mosque tours have been the first occasion when they have actually visited an Islamic place of worship and the first experience they have of truly interacting with Muslims and asking anything of them, with absolutely no offence taken. As Muslims we have nothing to hide but much to share.
Besides a tour of the mosque, visitors are given an opportunity to experience the rich culture of the community. They are served traditional Muslim foods, given free calligraphy of their names in beautiful Arabic script as souvenirs to take home and gift packs of literature clearing misconceptions of the Islamic faith.
Mosque Pics Courtesy Asiff Hussein
by Dr Gotabhya Ranasinghe
Senior Consultant Cardiologist
National Hospital Sri Lanka
When we sought a meeting with Hon Dr. Ramesh Pathirana, Minister of Health, he graciously cleared his busy schedule to accommodate us. Renowned for his attentive listening and deep understanding, Minister Pathirana is dedicated to advancing the health sector. His openness and transparency exemplify the qualities of an exemplary politician and minister.
Dr. Palitha Mahipala, the current Health Secretary, demonstrates both commendable enthusiasm and unwavering support. This combination of attributes makes him a highly compatible colleague for the esteemed Minister of Health.
Our discussion centered on a project that has been in the works for the past 30 years, one that no other minister had managed to advance.
Minister Pathirana, however, recognized the project’s significance and its potential to revolutionize care for heart patients.
The project involves the construction of a state-of-the-art facility at the premises of the National Hospital Colombo. The project’s location within the premises of the National Hospital underscores its importance and relevance to the healthcare infrastructure of the nation.
This facility will include a cardiology building and a tertiary care center, equipped with the latest technology to handle and treat all types of heart-related conditions and surgeries.
Securing funding was a major milestone for this initiative. Minister Pathirana successfully obtained approval for a $40 billion loan from the Asian Development Bank. With the funding in place, the foundation stone is scheduled to be laid in September this year, and construction will begin in January 2025.
This project guarantees a consistent and uninterrupted supply of stents and related medications for heart patients. As a result, patients will have timely access to essential medical supplies during their treatment and recovery. By securing these critical resources, the project aims to enhance patient outcomes, minimize treatment delays, and maintain the highest standards of cardiac care.
Upon its fruition, this monumental building will serve as a beacon of hope and healing, symbolizing the unwavering dedication to improving patient outcomes and fostering a healthier society.We anticipate a future marked by significant progress and positive outcomes in Sri Lanka’s cardiovascular treatment landscape within the foreseeable timeframe.
by Fr. Emmanuel Fernando, OMI
Jesuit Fr. Aloysius Pieris (affectionately called Fr. Aloy) celebrated his 90th birthday on April 9, 2024 and I, as the editor of our Oblate Journal, THE MISSIONARY OBLATE had gone to press by that time. Immediately I decided to publish an article, appreciating the untiring selfless services he continues to offer for inter-Faith dialogue, the renewal of the Catholic Church, his concern for the poor and the suffering Sri Lankan masses and to me, the present writer.
It was in 1988, when I was appointed Director of the Oblate Scholastics at Ampitiya by the then Oblate Provincial Fr. Anselm Silva, that I came to know Fr. Aloy more closely. Knowing well his expertise in matters spiritual, theological, Indological and pastoral, and with the collaborative spirit of my companion-formators, our Oblate Scholastics were sent to Tulana, the Research and Encounter Centre, Kelaniya, of which he is the Founder-Director, for ‘exposure-programmes’ on matters spiritual, biblical, theological and pastoral. Some of these dimensions according to my view and that of my companion-formators, were not available at the National Seminary, Ampitiya.
Ever since that time, our Oblate formators/ accompaniers at the Oblate Scholasticate, Ampitiya , have continued to send our Oblate Scholastics to Tulana Centre for deepening their insights and convictions regarding matters needed to serve the people in today’s context. Fr. Aloy also had tried very enthusiastically with the Oblate team headed by Frs. Oswald Firth and Clement Waidyasekara to begin a Theologate, directed by the Religious Congregations in Sri Lanka, for the contextual formation/ accompaniment of their members. It should very well be a desired goal of the Leaders / Provincials of the Religious Congregations.
Besides being a formator/accompanier at the Oblate Scholasticate, I was entrusted also with the task of editing and publishing our Oblate journal, ‘The Missionary Oblate’. To maintain the quality of the journal I continue to depend on Fr. Aloy for his thought-provoking and stimulating articles on Biblical Spirituality, Biblical Theology and Ecclesiology. I am very grateful to him for his generous assistance. Of late, his writings on renewal of the Church, initiated by Pope St. John XX111 and continued by Pope Francis through the Synodal path, published in our Oblate journal, enable our readers to focus their attention also on the needed renewal in the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka. Fr. Aloy appreciated very much the Synodal path adopted by the Jesuit Pope Francis for the renewal of the Church, rooted very much on prayerful discernment. In my Religious and presbyteral life, Fr.Aloy continues to be my spiritual animator / guide and ongoing formator / acccompanier.
Fr. Aloysius Pieris, BA Hons (Lond), LPh (SHC, India), STL (PFT, Naples), PhD (SLU/VC), ThD (Tilburg), D.Ltt (KU), has been one of the eminent Asian theologians well recognized internationally and one who has lectured and held visiting chairs in many universities both in the West and in the East. Many members of Religious Congregations from Asian countries have benefited from his lectures and guidance in the East Asian Pastoral Institute (EAPI) in Manila, Philippines. He had been a Theologian consulted by the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences for many years. During his professorship at the Gregorian University in Rome, he was called to be a member of a special group of advisers on other religions consulted by Pope Paul VI.
Fr. Aloy is the author of more than 30 books and well over 500 Research Papers. Some of his books and articles have been translated and published in several countries. Among those books, one can find the following: 1) The Genesis of an Asian Theology of Liberation (An Autobiographical Excursus on the Art of Theologising in Asia, 2) An Asian Theology of Liberation, 3) Providential Timeliness of Vatican 11 (a long-overdue halt to a scandalous millennium, 4) Give Vatican 11 a chance, 5) Leadership in the Church, 6) Relishing our faith in working for justice (Themes for study and discussion), 7) A Message meant mainly, not exclusively for Jesuits (Background information necessary for helping Francis renew the Church), 8) Lent in Lanka (Reflections and Resolutions, 9) Love meets wisdom (A Christian Experience of Buddhism, 10) Fire and Water 11) God’s Reign for God’s poor, 12) Our Unhiddden Agenda (How we Jesuits work, pray and form our men). He is also the Editor of two journals, Vagdevi, Journal of Religious Reflection and Dialogue, New Series.
Fr. Aloy has a BA in Pali and Sanskrit from the University of London and a Ph.D in Buddhist Philosophy from the University of Sri Lankan, Vidyodaya Campus. On Nov. 23, 2019, he was awarded the prestigious honorary Doctorate of Literature (D.Litt) by the Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya, the Most Venerable Welamitiyawe Dharmakirthi Sri Kusala Dhamma Thera.
Fr. Aloy continues to be a promoter of Gospel values and virtues. Justice as a constitutive dimension of love and social concern for the downtrodden masses are very much noted in his life and work. He had very much appreciated the commitment of the late Fr. Joseph (Joe) Fernando, the National Director of the Social and Economic Centre (SEDEC) for the poor.
In Sri Lanka, a few religious Congregations – the Good Shepherd Sisters, the Christian Brothers, the Marist Brothers and the Oblates – have invited him to animate their members especially during their Provincial Congresses, Chapters and International Conferences. The mainline Christian Churches also have sought his advice and followed his seminars. I, for one, regret very much, that the Sri Lankan authorities of the Catholic Church –today’s Hierarchy—- have not sought Fr.
Aloy’s expertise for the renewal of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka and thus have not benefited from the immense store of wisdom and insight that he can offer to our local Church while the Sri Lankan bishops who governed the Catholic church in the immediate aftermath of the Second Vatican Council (Edmund Fernando OMI, Anthony de Saram, Leo Nanayakkara OSB, Frank Marcus Fernando, Paul Perera,) visited him and consulted him on many matters. Among the Tamil Bishops, Bishop Rayappu Joseph was keeping close contact with him and Bishop J. Deogupillai hosted him and his team visiting him after the horrible Black July massacre of Tamils.
Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement
By Gomi Senadhira
senadhiragomi@gmail.com
“You might tell fairy tales, but the progress of a country cannot be achieved through such narratives. A country cannot be developed by making false promises. The country moved backward because of the electoral promises made by political parties throughout time. We have witnessed that the ultimate result of this is the country becoming bankrupt. Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet.” – President Ranil Wickremesinghe, 2024 Budget speech
Any Sri Lankan would agree with the above words of President Wickremesinghe on the false promises our politicians and officials make and the fairy tales they narrate which bankrupted this country. So, to understand this, let’s look at one such fairy tale with lots of false promises; Ranil Wickremesinghe’s greatest achievement in the area of international trade and investment promotion during the Yahapalana period, Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (SLSFTA).
It is appropriate and timely to do it now as Finance Minister Wickremesinghe has just presented to parliament a bill on the National Policy on Economic Transformation which includes the establishment of an Office for International Trade and the Sri Lanka Institute of Economics and International Trade.
Was SLSFTA a “Cleverly negotiated Free Trade Agreement” as stated by the (former) Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade Malik Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate on the SLSFTA in July 2018, or a colossal blunder covered up with lies, false promises, and fairy tales? After SLSFTA was signed there were a number of fairy tales published on this agreement by the Ministry of Development Strategies and International, Institute of Policy Studies, and others.
However, for this article, I would like to limit my comments to the speech by Minister Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate, and the two most important areas in the agreement which were covered up with lies, fairy tales, and false promises, namely: revenue loss for Sri Lanka and Investment from Singapore. On the other important area, “Waste products dumping” I do not want to comment here as I have written extensively on the issue.
1. The revenue loss
During the Parliamentary Debate in July 2018, Minister Samarawickrama stated “…. let me reiterate that this FTA with Singapore has been very cleverly negotiated by us…. The liberalisation programme under this FTA has been carefully designed to have the least impact on domestic industry and revenue collection. We have included all revenue sensitive items in the negative list of items which will not be subject to removal of tariff. Therefore, 97.8% revenue from Customs duty is protected. Our tariff liberalisation will take place over a period of 12-15 years! In fact, the revenue earned through tariffs on goods imported from Singapore last year was Rs. 35 billion.
The revenue loss for over the next 15 years due to the FTA is only Rs. 733 million– which when annualised, on average, is just Rs. 51 million. That is just 0.14% per year! So anyone who claims the Singapore FTA causes revenue loss to the Government cannot do basic arithmetic! Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I call on my fellow members of this House – don’t mislead the public with baseless criticism that is not grounded in facts. Don’t look at petty politics and use these issues for your own political survival.”
I was surprised to read the minister’s speech because an article published in January 2018 in “The Straits Times“, based on information released by the Singaporean Negotiators stated, “…. With the FTA, tariff savings for Singapore exports are estimated to hit $10 million annually“.
As the annual tariff savings (that is the revenue loss for Sri Lanka) calculated by the Singaporean Negotiators, Singaporean $ 10 million (Sri Lankan rupees 1,200 million in 2018) was way above the rupees’ 733 million revenue loss for 15 years estimated by the Sri Lankan negotiators, it was clear to any observer that one of the parties to the agreement had not done the basic arithmetic!
Six years later, according to a report published by “The Morning” newspaper, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) on 7th May 2024, Mr Samarawickrama’s chief trade negotiator K.J. Weerasinghehad had admitted “…. that forecasted revenue loss for the Government of Sri Lanka through the Singapore FTA is Rs. 450 million in 2023 and Rs. 1.3 billion in 2024.”
If these numbers are correct, as tariff liberalisation under the SLSFTA has just started, we will pass Rs 2 billion very soon. Then, the question is how Sri Lanka’s trade negotiators made such a colossal blunder. Didn’t they do their basic arithmetic? If they didn’t know how to do basic arithmetic they should have at least done their basic readings. For example, the headline of the article published in The Straits Times in January 2018 was “Singapore, Sri Lanka sign FTA, annual savings of $10m expected”.
Anyway, as Sri Lanka’s chief negotiator reiterated at the COPF meeting that “…. since 99% of the tariffs in Singapore have zero rates of duty, Sri Lanka has agreed on 80% tariff liberalisation over a period of 15 years while expecting Singapore investments to address the imbalance in trade,” let’s turn towards investment.
Investment from Singapore
In July 2018, speaking during the Parliamentary Debate on the FTA this is what Minister Malik Samarawickrama stated on investment from Singapore, “Already, thanks to this FTA, in just the past two-and-a-half months since the agreement came into effect we have received a proposal from Singapore for investment amounting to $ 14.8 billion in an oil refinery for export of petroleum products. In addition, we have proposals for a steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million), sugar refinery ($ 200 million). This adds up to more than $ 16.05 billion in the pipeline on these projects alone.
And all of these projects will create thousands of more jobs for our people. In principle approval has already been granted by the BOI and the investors are awaiting the release of land the environmental approvals to commence the project.
I request the Opposition and those with vested interests to change their narrow-minded thinking and join us to develop our country. We must always look at what is best for the whole community, not just the few who may oppose. We owe it to our people to courageously take decisions that will change their lives for the better.”
According to the media report I quoted earlier, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) Chief Negotiator Weerasinghe has admitted that Sri Lanka was not happy with overall Singapore investments that have come in the past few years in return for the trade liberalisation under the Singapore-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement. He has added that between 2021 and 2023 the total investment from Singapore had been around $162 million!
What happened to those projects worth $16 billion negotiated, thanks to the SLSFTA, in just the two-and-a-half months after the agreement came into effect and approved by the BOI? I do not know about the steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million) and sugar refinery ($ 200 million).
However, story of the multibillion-dollar investment in the Petroleum Refinery unfolded in a manner that would qualify it as the best fairy tale with false promises presented by our politicians and the officials, prior to 2019 elections.
Though many Sri Lankans got to know, through the media which repeatedly highlighted a plethora of issues surrounding the project and the questionable credentials of the Singaporean investor, the construction work on the Mirrijiwela Oil Refinery along with the cement factory began on the24th of March 2019 with a bang and Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his ministers along with the foreign and local dignitaries laid the foundation stones.
That was few months before the 2019 Presidential elections. Inaugurating the construction work Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the projects will create thousands of job opportunities in the area and surrounding districts.
The oil refinery, which was to be built over 200 acres of land, with the capacity to refine 200,000 barrels of crude oil per day, was to generate US$7 billion of exports and create 1,500 direct and 3,000 indirect jobs. The construction of the refinery was to be completed in 44 months. Four years later, in August 2023 the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by President Ranil Wickremesinghe to cancel the agreement with the investors of the refinery as the project has not been implemented! Can they explain to the country how much money was wasted to produce that fairy tale?
It is obvious that the President, ministers, and officials had made huge blunders and had deliberately misled the public and the parliament on the revenue loss and potential investment from SLSFTA with fairy tales and false promises.
As the president himself said, a country cannot be developed by making false promises or with fairy tales and these false promises and fairy tales had bankrupted the country. “Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet”.
(The writer, a specialist and an activist on trade and development issues . )
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