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By Dharisha Bastians-February 9, 2013
Remaining silent in the wake of the massive anti-Muslim campaign that is sweeping across the country is a great betrayal of the innocent Muslim people by Muslim Ministers holding office in the Government, Mayor of Colombo A.J.M. Muzammil charged yesterday.

The Colombo Mayor said that while the Leader of the Opposition Ranil Wickremesinghe had made a special statement in Parliament about the extremists threatening religious and communal harmony in the country, Muslim Ministers in the Government had not uttered a word.
“These Muslim Ministers took Muslim people’s votes. They are enjoying titles and privileges in the Government. Today they don’t have a backbone to speak up for the Muslims against whom this extremism is spreading,” Muzammil told a media conference yesterday.
He said that submissions had been made to Wickremesinghe to hold a disciplinary inquiry into the conduct of SLMC MPs who are with the Government and not speaking about this issue, having entered Parliament through the UNP Muslim vote.
The Mayor of Colombo said that the Government had responded inadequately to the growing concerns of the Muslims about the culture of intolerance ever since the Anuradhapura mosque attack of 2011.
“Today it has become far more serious. National unity and communal harmony cannot be restricted to words only. The Government must act,” Muzammil asserted.
Mayor…
He said that it was deeply shameful that Muslim Ministers, including Sri Lanka Muslim Congress Leader and Minister of Justice Rauff Hakeem, were silent on these issues. “There are only two explanations: either he won’t speak up, or he is speaking and the Government is refusing to listen,” the Mayor charged.
Mayor Muzammil said that Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva had maintained there were no major incidents and Minister Hakeem had merely agreed.
The Government has a responsibility to protect every citizen of this country and protect every citizen’s religious rights, he said.