Performance Report – 2003

          DEPARTMENT OF MUSLIM RELIGIOUS & CULTURAL AFFAIRS

Mission Statement: 
“Promotion and Preservation of Muslim Religious and cultural Activities in Sri Lanka”

Objectives and Functions:
The main objective of the Department of Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs, which comes under the Ministry of Eastern Development and Muslim Religious Affairs is to foster and promote Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs and to implement the Mosque and Muslim Charitable Trusts or Wakf Act. No 51 of 1956 as amended by the Mosques and Muslim Charitable Trusts or Wakf (Amendment) Act No. 21 of 1962 and Act No. 33 of 1982.
In pursuit of the above objectives, the Department undertakes the following functions:-
a) Dealing with all matters pertaining to Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs such as arrangements for the Holy Ramazan, organising the Hajj activities, conducting Meelad Celebration at national level, awareness religious programmes to mark the Islamic important days, publication & encouragements of Muslim Religious and Cultural Books, and financial assistance & guidance to deserving Religious and Cultural Organizations, Mosques, Madrasas and Arabic Schools.

b) Implementing the Mosques and Muslim Charitable Trusts or Wakf Act and attending to all matters provided for in the Act (such as Registration of Mosques and Muslim Shrines, appointment, suspension and removal of trustees, scrutinizing of Mosques account and administering the Muslim Charities Fund).

Activities in 2003
01. Ramazan Arrangements:

Ramzan fasting started on 27 October 2003, this year 400 metric tons of dates were received from the Royal Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for free distribution among Muslims and other affected families in the island. 100 MT were handed over to the Minister of Rehabilitation and Resettlement for distribution among affected families. The balance 300 MT was distributed among the Muslims through the mosques in the island. As in the past, two Qaries (Religious Dignitaries) from Egypt visited to various districts to recite and explain Holy Quran during this period. 

A meeting was held at the Ministry of Eastern Development and Muslim Religious Affairs to ensure the uninterrupted supply of water, electricity, essential goods at Sathosa centres, etc. during this holy month. As usual, the moon sight to decide the days of starting the Ramazan fasting as well as the end of the fasting was coordinated by the Department with the Colombo Grant Mosque, Jammiyathul Ulama, members of Hilal committee, and religious leaders without any problem.

02. Hajj Activities: 
Nearly 5,500 pilgrims visited this year to Mecca, Medina and the holy cites in K.S.A to perform Hajj. The following arrangements were made.
a. 62 Travel Operators were registered with the department for taking pilgrims.

b. A special passport counter was opened for a period of two weeks at the Department of Immigration and Emigration to help the pilgrims to get their passport without much difficulty. 

c. Necessary arrangements were made with the Embassy of K.S.A to obtain visas for the pilgrims and free movement visas for the travel operators.

d. Necessary arrangements were made with the airline authorities to get the required numbers of seats at lower rates.

e. As in the past, officers were sent to assist the airport authorities during the departure and arrivals of pilgrims at Katunayake International Airport.

f. A team of officers including the Director and the asst. visited to look after the welfare of the pilgrims and the travel operators in K.S.A.
g. A medical team also was sent to K.S.A. to treat the Sri Lankan pilgrims during the Hajj.

h. An amount of Rs. 300,000.00 was also sent to the Consular General’s Office expenses during the Hajj.

Hajj Act has also been drafted to regularise the activities and expected to be presented in parliament in a near future.

03. Independence Day:
Religious observance was held with the participation of Hon. Ministers and Deputy Ministers and Muslim Parliamentarians at Zahira College Mosque, in Colombo. More than 200 participants attended the function. The function was organised in collaboration with the members of the board of trustees of Zahira Mosque.

04. National Meelad Un-Nabi Celebration:
It has been scheduled that the National Meelad to be celebrated at Eravur in the Batticaloa District on the 26 December 2003. As in the past the development work at the cost of nearly 50 Million, for the rehabilitation of school buildings, roads, religious institutions and infrastructure facilities to cover the entire district has already been commenced.

To mark this national event competitions were conducted on national and district level on essays of general knowledge and Islamic knowledge in all three languages, Islamic calligraphy contests, Holy Quran recital contests were also held, and 85 competitors have been selected to award certificates and cash prizes from nearly 2000 participants, the competitions were held in the Districts of Colombo, Kandy and Batticaloa.

20 Muazins and Katheebs are also to be honoured with certificates and cash awards, selection process is underway to select them from various Districts, one week training programme on the theme of Islamic self employment was also conducted in Oddamavadi, Eravur and Kattankudy, the training for the teachers of Islamic Preschool is also to be completed shortly in those areas. One day seminar on Seeraththun Nabi was also conducted at Kattankudy.

Arrangements are being made to release the book of Batticaloa District Muslims, containing the information of their history, education, culture and art, employment etc. it is expected to be released on the Meelad day. Further, the cultural event including an Islamic oriented drama is also to be staged in the night.

05. Information Centre and Website:
It is felt that establishing an information centre is vital for the community and for the development of the Department, hence, action has already been taken to collect all necessary information regarding the Muslims in Sri Lanka, the job of establishing an Information Centre and Website is fully entrusted with one of our senior officer as a priority job.
As for the website, it is already opened at the domain name of www.muslimaffairs.gov.lk, now the test page is underway, it is also expected to be officially opened before the end of December 2003.

06. International Contests & Scholarships:
Contest was held on 02nd and 03rd of August 2003 in Colombo to select the candidates for the International Contests on Holy Quran and Qiraath, the selected competitors were sent to the following countries:
a. Dubai – one competitor

b. Egypt – one competitor

c. Iran – three competitors

d. Malaysia – two competitors
Applications were called from Arabic colleges for the scholarships to study at the Al Ashar University, Egypt and on the basis of the final interview held at the Embassy of Egypt, ten applicants have been nominated to study in Islamic subjects.

07. Quran Madrasa: 
20 new Madrasas were registered with the Department this year. 100 needy Madrasas are offered grants as an on going programme, which is amounting to Rs. 360,000.00, each Madrasa is offered Rs. 3,600.00 per year to cover the administrative cost of their Madrasas. 05 Quran Madrasas are were also offered Rs. 10,000.00 each to purchase their requirement during this year. 
A common Syllabus for the Quran Madrasa have been completed and it is expected to be distributed among the Quran Madrasas before the end of December 2003, which would help to maintain a common standard between Madrasas.

08. Pre-Schools and Associations:
1 new Islamic pre-school was registered with the Department to provide Islamic pre-education. 
11 new Islamic associations were registered this year.

09. Encouragement to Writers:
As an encouragement to Islamic Writers 15 variety of books have been purchased for Rs. 65,000.00 this year.

10. Special Identity Cards for Islamic Clergies: 
Special Identity Cards for Islamic Clergies in collaboration with the Department of Registration of Persons has been issued, out of 1,500 applications, which were forwarded to the Department of Registration of Persons, 1,100 were completed and issued to Moulavies up to now.

11. Arabic Colleges: 
The total number of Arabic Colleges are 116, this year 06 new Arabic colleges were registered with the Department.

12. Hilful Quran Madrasas: 
The total number of Hilful Quran Madrasas is 59, this year 06 new Madrasas registered with the Department.

13. Ahadiya Schools:
A syllabus for the Ahadiya Schools (Daham School) has been completed to maintain a standard to enable the students to obtain concession in their university entrance. It is expected to release before the end of December 2003. The central Ahadiya, the federations of all Ahathiya schools was offered Rs. 50,000.00 as an ongoing grant to meet their administrative cost of its branch Ahadiya Schools.

14. Wakf House Construction:
The construction of Wakf House at D.R.Wijewardene Mw., was approved by the then cabinet to complete at the cost of Rs. 70. Million, the revised estimate of this project is Rs. 255 Million. An amount of Rs. 6.5 Million allocated for the year 2002 for a partial construction of the Muslim Cultural Complex has been completed by the Department of Buildings. The second part of the construction work of the nine-storied complex has been entrusted with the State Engineering Cooperation of Sri Lanka to complete the initial architectural design and soil testing before the end of December 2003.

15. Wakf Board:
14 new mosques have been registered, 105 appointment of trustees were made, 24 cases were referred to inquiry, 04 cases for financial assistance from Muslim Charities Fund to Mosques from affected areas such as Northern and Southern provinces were approved, 13 cases were referred to the Wakf Tribunal, at the end of December 2002 cases pending at Wakf Board was 04, and now it is 11, which is to be heard during the next sittings.
One workshop for the senior mosque administrators, on the theme of streamlining the Mosque administration was held on 26 April 2003 at the Hotel Ranmuththu, Colombo. One-day seminar for the trustees of the mosques in the Anuradhapura District was also organised in September 2003.

16. Wakf Tribunal:
13 cases were referred to the Wakf Tribunal, orders were made to 08 cases, and 05 cases are partly heard.

17. Pension Scheme for Imam and Muazins:
A committee has been appointed to study the possibilities of introducing a pension scheme for the benefit of Imam and Muazins of Mosques. The matter is under consideration and expected to be finalised next year.