While the proposed burqa ban threatens to take away the fundamental rights of some Muslim women, the true victim of this debate has been women’s rights activists. By actively supporting this ban it has become obvious that these activists are hypocrites whose sole purpose is to oppress non-western women, and impose foreign sensibilities on them through any means possible, even if that means becoming a hypocrite to the very principles of freedom that they so passionately keep blabbing about in the media.

By actively supporting this ban it has become obvious that these [women's rights] activists are hypocrites whose sole purpose is to oppress non-western women...

Excuses such as difficulty in communicating, and security concerns are weak at best, and the Covid-19 pandemic with its compulsory face mask requirement has further shown that the reasons presented to ban the burqa are without a shred of merit. It is no wonder that many believe the pandemic is an act of God, that has rendered the case against the burqa, completely void. Many non-Muslims have now come to the conclusion that face coverings of any kind are not the “great barrier” that these women’s rights activists claim it to be. The article that appears here, discusses this to great merit.

...the Covid-19 pandemic with its compulsory face mask requirement has further shown that the reasons presented to ban the burqa are without a shred of merit.

The burqa maybe worn by only a few women, but defending their right to do so is the responsibility of our entire community and the greater country. If we fail to secure the rights of these women, the threat to our rights in the future will be overwhelming. In addition, we must consider the threat posed to women by these women’s rights groups, and ensure that these groups respect the opinion of the women they claim to represent without allowing them to hijack the voice of the women folk to further their agenda.

If we fail to secure the rights of these women, the threat to our rights in the future will be overwhelming.

The ICCPR, is an agreement by all members of the United Nations, about a civilian's right to political opinion. This agreement puts in place multiple safeguards to ensure that citizens are not persecuted due to their political opinions or beliefs. Along with granting civilians their rights to freedom of expression, there are also some important restrictions that this covenant puts in place.

The first of these restrictions appear in Article 19, which states that free speech is only allowed as long as it -

1. respects the rights or reputations of others, 
2. protects national security or of public order (ordre public), or of public health or morals. 

Article 20 explicitly prohibits -

1. any propaganda for war
2. advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence.

If any of your social media posts contains any of the above, you are liable for arrest and prosecution by law enforcement. As a matter of fact, the ICCPR has been cited in several arrests in recent time of people who have made inappropriate social media posts.

Therefore, before you post anything online or on social media, ask yourself, whether your message contains any of the above. If it does, remove it immediately. 

Young adults and teenagers are extremely prone to outbursts on social media, and therefore you should educate them about the restrictions in the ICCPR and advise them that political discussions on social media are best avoided.

You can read the text of the covenant here.

The COVID-19 pandemic is receding, and as the world emerges from their homes, they will face a new, and possibly an even more difficult challenge, and that is the economy. The economies of many countries are in shreds, more so countries like Sri Lanka, where a large part of the national income is based on tourism and exports. Therefore, we must be alert and take economic precautions to make sure we are safe from financial difficulties.

Tourism is unlikely to bounce back to its former glory anytime soon. PCR/Antigen tests are very uncomfortable, and they are likely to be made compulsory for any traveler in the future. This is enough to change the mind of anyone considering a holiday in Sri Lanka. A single trip may require more than one PCR test. One test when you are departing your home country, and one test when you land at your destination. Travelers are bound to think twice before booking flights solely due to this.

As developed nations begin to spend on vaccines and medical research, their budget for third world economies will shrink. This will reduce the number of tax concessions, and reduction in export volumes for a little while, causing big deficits in our earnings. Exports are the primary source of foreign exchange for our nation, and without the dollars rolling in, everything will go up in price.

Therefore, 2021 is a bad year for luxury purchases. Lock-downs have not completely gone away, and you may be unlucky enough to face one yourself. So, be thrifty with your funds, and retain as much as you can to take care of important expenses. If you have children this is a good time to talk about this with them.  

Sri Lanka imports almost all of its Turmeric from India. It’s a spice that is high in demand in the country. In 2019 the Sri Lankan government temporarily halted import of Turmeric, to allow local agricultural development. Since this spice is widely used in the country, it seems sensible to try and produce it locally. 

However, Sri Lankan Turmeric production still falls short of island-wide demand. Without Indian imports to make up for the deficit, Turmeric is now increasing in price within the market. These high prices are good for farmers who are starting to grow Turmeric. Early income will allow them to develop their crop and increase their supply.

High demand for Turmeric not only attracts farmers, it also attracting smugglers. High market price has made smuggling Turmeric into the country very profitable. Therefore, quite unsurprisingly criminal organizations, and ambitious importers have risked getting caught by law enforcement to smuggle this spice into the country. Poverty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is also pushing people into these illegal and risky ventures.

Turmeric has ready demand in Sri Lanka. It is a spice used in every Sri Lankan kitchen. It is used as an anti-microbial in preparing food items. The Tamil community have several traditional uses for this spice apart from food preparation. It is widely used in cleansing the home and the body and as such this community is a large consumer of Turmeric.

If you are interested in starting Turmeric production of your own, visit this page from the Department of Export Agriculture for some helpful information about the crop.

 The entirety of 2020 was spent with confusion and uncertainty. Some of us felt it more than others. Many of us are trying to forget that awful year and are eager to get back to the "old normal". Doing so is a huge gamble and is best avoided. Instead, let us take a hint from the experts who have dubbed the current situation the "new normal", and embrace it for what it is.

One thing that should change immediately is how we spend our free time. Avoid attending crowded places, such as public parks and recreation spaces. These places are under the watchful eye of the Public Health Units (PHU) and quite possibly the military. Random checks can be carried out, and the resulting inconvenience may not be worth it. This is obviously a secondary concern to contracting COVID-19 yourself. The PHU’s random testing at Galle Face in Colombo should serve as a stark warning.

Continuing the theme of avoiding large gatherings, please refrain from hosting any functions at your home that involves a large number of people, such that the crowd is visible from the outside. Weddings and Walimas are best conducted discreetly, with a minimum number of people attending the function. Contact tracing is real, and should a person that attended the function test positive for COVID-19 the family and the couple may also be inconvenienced.

Finally, there has never been a better time to take a good hard look at your finances. If you are a salaried person, remember the golden rule of having three month’s salary in the bank and one month’s salary in the hand. COVID-19 has a friend, and that friend is called poverty. This last one is probably the trickiest. It is unfortunate that many of our people live from a salary out of pocket. But if there was ever a good time to change, that would be now.

This article only speaks of the precautions above because they are the most likely to be forgotten. Obviously, all other precautions such as washing your hands and so on, must be adhered to. 2020 took us all by surprise, so let’s be a little restrained in 2021 until we see how things unfold.

Its been a year since Sri Lankans lost their ability to secure the rights of their dead. Many have already been lost to the fire, and still more are given an undignified and uncertain stay inside morgue freezers. As the fundamental rights of our people are being eroded, it is important to note who, from this so-called global Ummah, has came to our assistance. The sad truth is, only a very few. The only people to raise any kind of action have been from a few of our own brethren in Britain and similar countries.

Therefore, seek unity within the community. The Muslim community of our blessed island welcomes diversity, but let not that diversity allow the crows of evil to pick us out individually and destroy us collectively. Being part of a global community or Ummah is a great thing! But it is not the safety net that we thought it was. Mobilizing such a large group is complex, and for a small community like ours, it is too slow to be of use at a time of crisis. 2020 was a great teacher, and it taught us that the term “api wennuwen api”, is not just for the Singhalese.