Jaffna Muslims are side-lined in Indian housing scheme

(Dr)

Indian government initiated a housing scheme in the north for the people who are displaced due to thirty years of war. This housing scheme is designed to help resettlement process. It is reported that some Tamil officials are deliberately ignoring Muslims people in this housing scheme. Same like Tamils Muslims have been victimised in this ethic war for thirty years. Muslims were chased out from North within 24 hours by LTTE and still many of them are languishing in refugee camps in many parts of Island.

 Neither Sri Lankan government nor international organisations helped Jaffna Muslim in their resettlement process.  Yet, when Indian government come forward to help displaced people in North some of our Tamil Brethren do not like it. Many complaints have been made about this in recent time. Muslims are willing to go back to Jaffna feared that they would be discriminated by Tamil officials in Jaffna.

 Why is this discrimination? We know well Tamil people have been discriminated by successive Sri Lankan governments.  This is indeed an injustice. Yet, why do some Tamil officials still do same injustice for Muslims in North?  Why do they  deny resettlement rights of Muslims in -North? You know well Northern Muslims have been victimised for the last thirty years.

Indian government gave these houses for all communities in the North and yet, some Tamil officials play with racists’ card in allocating these houses. This is indeed a gross injustice. One minority tries to subjugate another minority. As minorities we should all stand for justice and equality in this Island rather than discriminating each other. We hope that justice will be done in this case for Jaffna Muslims who are waiting for housing.