Salley brothers troubled by extremists on both sides

April 29, 2012, 10:16 pm

by Lal Gunasekera

Islamic Solidarity Front (ISF) has called for the resignation of Prime Minister D. M. Jayaratne as Minister of Religious Affairs and his spokesman for issuing misleading statements that senior Muslim SLFP parliamentarian attended a discussion presided by the Prime Minister Regarding the mosque in Dambulla.
President of the ISF Reyaz Salley told The Island that the problem regarding the Dambulla mosque would not have arisen if it had been nipped in the bud by the authorities concerned.
He said that the Muslim community was perturbed by the PM’s statement that Western Province Governor Alavi Moulana and Minister A. H. M. Fowzie had attended a meeting in Gampola and agreed to relocate the mosque. The two politicians vehemently have denied attending this meeting, protesting against the alleged moves to relocate the mosque.

Salley said that the entire Department of Muslim Religious Affairs had to be re-organised. He requested President Mahinda Rajapaksa the problems of the Muslim community. He said he had been verbally abused by a mob at the Dewatagama Mosque on Friday (27), who accused him and his brother Azath of being agents of President Rajapaksa. He said that Police had come to his rescue.

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