Thread by @alizmoulana

This week, while we observe the 11th anniversary of the end of the Civil War in Sri Lanka, as someone who very nearly paid the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of bringing peace to my country; it pains me to witness how we have fallen back in time, and not moved forward.

1/15

My actions & painstaking efforts were not to bring peace to a particular ethnicity or a community, but for all my fellow Sri Lankans.

That resulted in enormous personal risk among which I covertly went “blindly into the tiger’s lair” not once, twice but several times.

2/15

On my final visit, when I personally brought the defecting Colonel Karuna - the LTTE’s top military leader & strategist at the time, and his top lieutenants to Colombo, it was reported that we had narrowly missed being attacked by advancing LTTE infantry by mere minutes.

3/15

Over the years of having represented war-torn Batticaloa for decades, and having witnessed first-hand the ravages and debacles of war, I have lived by the Quranic verse: “to save a life, it is as if you have saved all of mankind.”

4/15

When my role was revealed, a very dark period followed:

My two children were almost kidnapped by terrorists.

It was reported that I was at the top of the LTTE assassination hit list.

Political leaders on all sides of the divide distanced themselves from me to save face. 5/15

I was left exposed with no choice but to resign my seat in Parliament and flee, all for the sake of doing what I thought was best for my country.

I did all of that with no expectation of reward or accolade.

I saw an opportunity for my country, and I took it.

6/15

When I fled Sri Lanka, I never expected to return. But I found comfort in hope, that my actions would somehow bring about a major change towards establishing a lasting peace in our country.

We all know now, that it became one of the pivotal turning points in the war.

7/15

Like me, there were countless other Muslims who have sacrificed tremendously and patriotically to preserve and protect the sovereignty of Mother Lanka. They served in our military, police and civil service, and gallantly answered their call to duty when it was most needed.

8/15

Thousands of Muslim civilians have laid down their lives for their country, as victims of harsh brutality, at the hands of terrorism.

We stood by our nation, we fought for, bled for and defended its sovereignty with all our might, alongside our fellow patriotic citizens.

9/15

Having done so much for our nation and overcome it all together, it is truly saddening now to witness the continued polarization and stigmatization of minorities in Sri Lanka, particularly the Muslim community for the mere sake of political advantage and superiority.

10/15

Those innocent civilians who were once held hostage by barbed wire, machine gun fire and lost loved ones, are today victims to a hateful discourse which continues to immortalize the undesirable political agendas of the past.

11/15

We are reliving presently a prelude to what we as a country faced in the early ‘80s.

Where it shall take us creates a deep sense of dread, as we witness a vicious cycle in the works.

It is unto us individually to question the politics & malicious intent behind it all.

12/15

Moreover, it is vital for us all to remember that we can ONLY triumph as a nation, if we do it TOGETHER.

Be it terrorism, a pandemic, economic self-sustenance and sustainable growth, there is no brighter future for our Sri Lanka if we do not strive for it in unison.

13/15

Therefore this week, while we honour and remember the fallen, let us work proactively forward.

Let us reflect on our nation’s past, and build a stable, peaceful and prosperous future.

14/15

Let us work fervently to reconcile our differences, uphold justice, and unite harmoniously with pride in our equality and diversity, as citizens of a singular, sovereign and free Sri Lanka!

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