Asian tsunami: Tsunami aid snub upsets Sri Lankan Muslims

Brother, can you spare a rupee?

With the creation of the Tsunami Relief Council, a tentative agreement has been reached in Sri Lanka to distribuite an estimated $3 billion in internationally donated tsunami aid among representatives of Sri Lanka’s three main ethnic and religious groups – the 70% majority Sinhalese, the northern Tamils (three decades of armed conflict with the Sri Lankan government ended in 2002) and the 7% Muslim population, primarily in the south. Earlier, representatives of Sri Lanka’s 1.5 million Muslims threatened to strike in protest at what they felt was unfair representation (and politicisation) of aid efforts. The resulting deal creating the Council was between Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratungaalso and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE, or Tamil Tigers) and marked the first time that the two have worked in an administrative structure together – with the formal exclusion of Muslim signatories coming at the insistence of the Tamils. “They are looking at us as bystanders and this is not acceptable,” said Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) leader Rauf Hakim, who demanded that his organisation be a formal signatory to the agreement. “What we want is not just representation, but recognition as a key stakeholder.” Critics contend that the LTTE, which already controls parts of the northern and eastern areas of the island, could use some of the money add to its weapons arsenal (the LTTE has committed over five times the amount of suicide bombings than all similar organisations combined, though many in Iraq are trying to catch up). Notably, the US (and UN coordinator Bill Clinton) has supported these efforts at cooperation, despite the exclusion of similar groups in the Muslim world (*cough* Palestine) from political processes. “We hope the experience the two sides will gain by working together will help to build confidence and lead to progress in the broader peace process,” said U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack. But with tsunami aid rebuilding efforts in Muslim areas stalled until the dust settles, many Muslims feel they have no choice but to acquiesce. “The further the government delays signing the mechanism, the further we get delayed in receiving funds,” said a villager from the south. “We do not care who opposes or favours the joint mechanism as long as we get what we deserve.”

Zahed Amanullah is associate editor of altmuslim.com. He is based in London, England.