Dr.Jayasinghe: The Doyen of the Palestinian Community

                                                                       

     Sunday 17 June, 2012

Dr. Jayasinghe: The Doyen of the Palestinian Community

Hameed Abdul Karim

On one day of our visit to Palestine we were stuck without transport and so we called Dr. Jayasinghe, our representative in Palestine, and explained our situation. He told us not to worry and that he will ‘do something’. A while later he called us and said someone will come to pick us up in about fifteen minutes. 

That ‘someone’ turned out to be the landlord of the house in which the Sri Lankan embassy is situated. He happens to be quite a wealthy man with considerable clout. On the way he told us he had visited Sri Lanka on one occasion and was quite taken up by the hospitality of her people. Talking about Dr. Jayasinghe he told us that he would do anything for him even if he called him in the middle of the night.  “I love the man like a father’ he said. Such is the high esteem in which Dr. Jayasinghe is held in the Palestinian community.

IF BRADLEY MANNING WERE CHINESE

Friday 15 June, 2012

If Bradley Manning Were Chinese…..

Hameed Abdul Karim

For weeks on end the international media was full of sentimental stories of Chinese ‘dissident’ Chen Guancheng. His escape from house arrest was dramatised to make it look like it was a scene from the Hollywood blockbuster ‘The Great Escape’. Cheng was our new Steve McQueen. But unlike McQueen, who had to go back to jail, Cheng had a happy ending. He is now in the US studying law.

That was not all. There were stories of his family members and how they were running scared of the terrible Chinese government. Their lives were in danger and at any moment any one of them could be shot dead. Suspense hung in the air like a floppy hat.

RESPONDING TO 'PAK HINDUS' PLIGHT CAUSES CONCERN IN US'

Saturday 19 May 2012

Responding to ‘Pak Hindus’ Plight Causes Concern in US’

Hameed Abdul Karim

Forcible conversions to any faith are tantamount to oppression. More so in Islam, because the Qur’an says ‘there is no compulsion in religion and that truth is clear from error’. So when Muslims anywhere in the world read Manzoor Ahmed’s piece in Ceylon Today (Sat. 5^th May 2012) titled ‘Pak Hindus’ Plight Causes Concern in US’ they were sure to be embarrassed and ashamed of their co-religionists’ conduct in Pakistan where Ahmed alleges that a Hindu girl by the name of Rinkel Kumari was abducted and forcibly converted to Islam.

But when you check up the controversy you will find that Manzoor Ahmed has exaggerated the story to suit his agenda of Pakistan bashing based as he is in New Delhi and following the line of attack set out by the ruling Brahmins of India. You see that all the time on Indian TV channels like NDTV.