In early 60’s when he established relationship with the Karachi based Motamar Al Alam Al Islami (World Muslim Congress) and the Rabita Al Alam Al Islami in the Holy City of Mecca, Mohamed took initiative to set up an Islamic Centre in Colombo. The office was operating from Mohamed’s office in Fort, Colombo 1. Mohamed was the Director General with Mr M.B.M.Mahir as the Secretary General. The Islamic Centre of the 60’s and 70’s was active but it faced numerous constraints such as funding, a suitable place for permanent operations, maintain a library facilities etc. Yet, despite such limitations, Mohamed was able to painstakingly mobilize resources to conduct several important religious functions and ceremonies, research seminars and publish Islamic literatures for the benefit of the Muslim Community in the country. According to the biographer of Mohamed, this centre was singularly responsible for a new surge in Islamic religious activities across the country and disseminating Islamic knowledge among the younger generations and introduce a new trend in the celebration of the birthday of Holy Prophet Mohammed (Sal) by organizing a full day seminar in Colombo, in contrast to Kanthooris feasts that are traditionally associated with the celebrations in Sri Lanka for decades
HISTORY
After he became Minister of Labour in the Dudley Senanayake Cabinet in 1965, Mohamed pursued the goal of establishing a full-fledged Islamic Centre in the heart of Colombo, but owing to circumstances beyond his control, he was unsuccessful in his bid. But Al-mighty Allah granted his prayers when he became the Minister of Transport in the Jayewardene Government in 1977. The once marshy and inaccessible Maligawatte was being re-developed for a large scale, self-contained Urban Housing Scheme was implemented by then Prime Minister R.Premadasa who was also Minister of Housing & Construction.
In the year 1978 Mohamed proposed R.Premadasa to allot a piece of land in the re-developed Maligawatte area for the construction of a complex to house the Islamic Centre. Receptive to the proposal, Premadasa immediately granted a substantially large plot of land in an easily assessable place in the Maligawatte National Housing Scheme.
On November 22nd, 1979 Prime Minister R.Premasasa officially handed over a 20-30 perch land to Mohamed in his capacity then as the Chairman of the National Hijra Council, which was set up to organize island wide celebrations to mark the 1500 years of Hijra and a memorial plaque was unveiled to record the historic occasion in the annals of the Sri Lanka Islamic Centre. The original plan envisaged was to construct a five storied sprawling research and cultural complex. But flow of funds was rather slow and had to face many hurdles, but unfortunately the original plan has to toil hard to be revised and a two storey building was put up instead and that too thanks to the tireless efforts made by Mohamed and his colleague working on the project. The dream Mohamed and his colleagues saw the light of the day when President J.R.Jayawardene declared opened the new building.
It was on December 17, 1986 that Sri Lanka Islamic Centre (SLIC) headquarters was ceremonially opened by then President Junius Richard Jayewardene with the Prime Minister; Ranasinghe Premadasa who hosted its first International Conference in association with World Muslim Congress Dr Inamullah Khan Secretary General of the Motamar Al Alam Al-Islami, Karachi and several foreign and local dignitaries in attendance.
On the 18th September 1999, the new wing of the SLIC was ceremonially declared opened by the its Chairman Late Al Haj Hon M.H.Mohamed MP in the presence of the foreign dignitaries Dr Mohamed Hassan Salem and Mohammed Hameduddin of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Abdullah Hersi, Director Islamic Solidarity Fund, Jeddah, Abdul Rahman Bin Abdullah Al-Zaid, Assistant Secretary General, Muslim World League, Saudi Arabia and Raja Muhammed Zafarul Haq, Minister of Muslim Religious Affairs of Pakistan and Secretary, World Muslim Congress. The new wing of the SLIC was constructed with the assistance of the Islamic Development Bank and the Islamic Solidarity Fund, Jeddah. These valuable donations were used to purchase the land for the building to construct a five storey building and purchase the necessary furniture and fittings.
Present:
Its present Chairman Al Haj M.Hussain Mohamed (former Mayor of Colombo and Sri Lankan Ambassador to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) took in charge of the centre after the demise of Hon Al Haj M.H.Mohamed. The centre consists of 21 Board Members who are leading Ullamas, Lawyers, Medical professional and Intellectuals involved in its day to day activities of the centre.
THE FOUNDER
Founder of Sri Lanka Islamic Centre
The distinguishing founding father is Late Mr. Mohamed Haniffa Mohamed, born in 15th June 1921 and left us on 26th April 2016.He belongs to a rare breed of politicians who strived to advance the cause of Sri Lanka in national and international politics without caring too much about their own community identity, status or caste.
M .H. Mohamed an old boy of Wesley College, Colombo. After completing his schooling, he joined Cargills Ltd., where he became active in trade union activities. Later he joined the family shipping firm, Nagoor Meera and Sons. Mohamed entered politics having been elected to the Colombo Municipal Council from the Maligawatte Ward as early as 1947. Later he served as Mayor of Colombo from 1960 until he decide to enter parliamentary politics. He contested the Borella electorate in 1965 general elections, beating the fiery Samasajist Viviene Goonewardena, earning him a place in Dudley Senanayake’s Cabinet as Minister of Labor, Employment and Housing. But he lost his Borella seat to LSSP candidate Kusala Abhayavardhana in 1970. However in 1977, he was re-elected to the same seat and J.R.Jayawardena appointed him to the Cabinet as Minister of Transport. He would retain his seat until 2010 in the consecutive elections that followed. In 1989 Mohamed was elected as the Speaker of the 9th Parliament of Sri Lanka by R. Premadasa Government and he was the third Muslim to be elected for this post.
One of the major contributions with far – reaching beneficiary effects for the Muslim Community of Sri Lanka Mohamed was the establishing of an independent Department of Muslims Religious Cultural affair in 1981 during J.R J’s government. As the Minister in Charge of Muslim Religious Affairs, Mohamed efficiently addressed the issues of the Haj pilgrimage of Sri Lankan Muslims.
For the first time, a Waqf Tribunal, an appellate body, was created in addition to the Waqf Board. He associated himself with the Rabitat al-Alam Al-Islami (Muslim World League) ,MWL, in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, and was its founder member of the Sri Lankan Chapter of the organization and became the founder member of its Constituent Council as well.
He was instrumental in securing financial and material assistance from Muslim World League,(MWL) and Islamic development Bank (IDB) to help the needy.
He left behind a legacy, the Islamic Centre, at Maligawattte, that would continue to serve the Muslim community in various avenues, including helping the education of Muslims. The Muslim prayer facility constructed in Katunayake, in honor of the Indonesian Hajis who died in the air crash, was also an initiative by Mohamed, which will remain as monuments to his eternal memory.
Above all, Mohamed had felt the urgency to bring communities together in a spirit of ‘live and let live’ and perhaps create in this country a thirst for a country focused approach above narrow communal interests where Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim leaders will work towards national reconciliation, the ‘sine quo non’ for national progress, resembling the mood of the first post-independence government.
