மல்கம் ரஞ்சித்திற்கு, றிஸ்வி முப்தி அனுப்பியுள்ள கடிதம்

His Eminence Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, Archbishop's House,

Gnanartha Pradeepa Mawatha, Colombo 08.

Your Eminence,

We were taken aback at the news item which appeared in the issue of “Ceylon Today” of 04th December 2020, containing statements of a disconcerting nature attributed to you pertaining to the Shariah law. The news item in question quoted Your Eminence, as stating that although Sharia Law is of importance to Muslims it could not be interpreted or introduced as the law of the country and enforced on any other community or used to intimidate or influence other communities.

The news item also attributed to Your Eminence, a statement that investigations conducted so far in regard to the brutal Easter Sunday attack have shown that as Shariah Law and institutions that promote/preach Sharia Law have played a major role in the attack.

We are conscious of the compassion, tolerance and brotherhood that Your Eminence so amply demonstrated in the aftermath of the horrendous attacks that took place on Easter Sunday directed primarily against on our Christian brothers and sisters, when they were at prayer. We are therefore inclined to believe that you have been misquoted or that your comments have been taken out of context. However, we value your empathy and our interaction with you, and we hasten to write to you, with the greatest respect, to correct any misinformation or misconceptions that you may have, since Islam perhaps is the most misquoted and misunderstood religion today.

We are thankful for your kind acknowledgment that Muslims regard Shariah Law as important. In fact it regulates the lives of nearly 2 Billion people across the globe and its reach is not only legal but also moral. There is hardly any aspect of a man’s life which it

does not touch. It is a source of guidance, which promotes notions of sharing, caring, trusteeship of property, social accountability, and human rights. The Holy Quran explicitly exhorts us in the following terms- “let there be no compulsion in religion, truth stands our clearly from error (Quran 2:256). This is one of many Quranic texts which emphasizes that religious compulsion is un-Islamic. Tolerance not compulsion is the teaching of Islam. The faith recognizes diversity and promotes inclusiveness. There is another compelling passage in the Holy Quran which declares as follows to “For each of you We have made a law and a method. Had Allah willed, He would have made a single community of people,...” (Quran 5:48).

To our knowledge there has been no request from any quarter that Shariah should be the law of the country or imposed on members of other communities. Such a request would not be countenanced by our faith.

We are not privy to any information or investigations which suggests that Shariah law has played a major part in the attacks as described in the news item. We too grieve and pray for all affected by the dastardly attacks of the 21st of April 2019. We are conscious of the pain and suffering inflicted by those misguided men. Indeed, they are manifestly, in breach of the Shariah, which expressly forbids suicide, and the taking of life. Such persons and their acts are outside the pale of Islam. Your Eminence, would no doubt recognize that such bigoted men, are unfortunately not uncommon in all faiths.

We hope that, Your Eminence, would not take it amiss that we have respectfully sought to correct the misconceptions that you may have about Sharia Law. We assure you of our high esteem and respect. We look forward to, acting in unison with you and leaders of other faiths, which we in Sri Lanka are heirs to. Let us, as often urged by Your Eminence, come together and focus on our shared values rather than on the factors that divide us, particularly, in the light of the present difficulties faced in meeting the common threat of the corona virus pandemic. Let us ensure that all Sri Lankans have the right to live peacefully and be treated with dignity in life and in death.

Mufti M.I.M. Rizwe

President - ACJU