Communal amity is a must in developing a nation and it fosters a sense of security among its citizens, said President’s Counsel Ali Sabry who is the legal advisor to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Sabry was speaking as a special guest at the Nawamani newspaper’s annual awards ceremony held at the AMYS headquarters in Colombo on Friday.
Sabry said that President Rajapaksa’s primary objective is to strengthen the security of the country. “To achieve such a goal, we as a minority community should fall into the mainstream to lead a happier and peaceful life,” he said.
Tracing the history of the Muslim community in the country, he recalled that the early Arab traders who came to Sri Lanka formed settlements after marrying women from the local community. Muslims have a rich culture guided by their religion and they should learn to coexist peacefully with other communities. They should be ready to change their political culture for the betterment of the community, he said.
He admitted that the Easter Sunday bomb attacks were a major setback and a blow to the Muslim community because of the dastardly actions of a few Muslim extremists. He said all perpetrators of the blasts should be punished according to the laws of the country.
Sabry said that the new presidency of Gotabaya Rajapaksa has proved that all communities can live peacefully under his regime. “Even high court judges are chosen from the Muslim community now,” he said, stressing that the right people will get the right positions irrespective of racial differences.
He advised the members of the Muslim community to strengthen unity among themselves and learn to live happily and peacefully forgetting petty differences. “We should learn to practise unity in diversity,” he stressed, adding that they should fall into the mainstream by working shoulder to shoulder with other communities towards nation building.
He also stressed that the Muslim community should focus on educating their children and an educated Muslim community can be an invaluable asset and a good partner in the process of a developing the nation.
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