Why Muharram Still Matters: A Call to Unity, Truth, and Dignity in Sri Lanka

By Jihan Hameed
Founder, National Alliance of Muslim Communities (NAMC)

As the sacred month of Muharram begins, Muslims around the world are reminded of the extraordinary moral legacy of Imam Hussain (RA). But for me, as a Sri Lankan Muslim and founder of the National Alliance of Muslim Communities (NAMC), Muharram is not only a time of remembrance. It is a call - a call to return to truth, to dignity, and to unity.

Imam Hussain’s stand at Karbala was not a political rebellion. It was a moral refusal. When asked to endorse an unjust ruler, he chose martyrdom instead. He gave his life, not for control, but to protect the integrity of the faith. That is why he continues to inspire both Shia and Sunni Muslims across the world  not as a sectarian symbol, but as a standard of unshakable principle.

Here in Sri Lanka, that message is more urgent than ever. Our Muslim communities are facing ideological confusion, social pressure, and quiet attempts to erase our voice in national life. We are told to conform, to remain silent, to trade dignity for tolerance. But Muharram reminds us that silence in the face of falsehood is betrayal -and that faith is not just ritual, but resistance.

The 10th of Muharram, Ashura, is observed by Muslims in different ways. Shia communities mourn Imam Hussain’s martyrdom with deep ritual. Sunni Muslims fast and reflect on the trials of Prophets before us. But at its heart, the message of this month is shared: we do not surrender when truth is on the line.

This year, NAMC urges all Sri Lankan Muslims to go deeper. Beyond sermons and slogans. Teach our children what Karbala really means. Don’t allow foreign ideologies or sectarian agendas to divide us. We are one ummah — and the lesson of Imam Hussain belongs to us all.

Let this Muharram be the start of a renewed Muslim consciousness in Sri Lanka. One that is intelligent, united, and fearless. One that speaks up - peacefully, but unapologetically - for the values that define us.

We must reclaim not just our history, but our future.

Correct the Narrative: Sri Lanka’s Elephants Are Not the Enemy

By Jihan Hameed
THE NATIONALIST 🇱🇰

On 19 June 2025, the Sri Lanka Army’s Eastern Command alongside 7 SLA, 12 GW, 3(V) VIR, and officers of the Wildlife Department and Mahaweli Authority conducted a joint operation to drive 26 wild elephants from Mivithapura to Nuwaragala. The official statement describes this as a success in “preventing crop damage.”

This is not a misunderstanding. It is a systemic failure.
The elephants are not the threat.

The real threat is the destruction of their habitat by humans.

What the government calls a “human elephant conflict” is the inevitable result of long-term environmental mismanagement, deforestation, commercial land grabs, and encroachments on ancient elephant migration corridors. These elephants are not “straying” into villages. They are being pushed out of their last remaining territory forced into survival patterns we then punish them for.

This is not a crop issue. This is a conservation collapse.
Elephants are a sacred species in Sri Lanka majestic, intelligent, and deeply symbolic. They are globally endangered. Their numbers are in sharp decline, and the forests they once roamed are now fragmented by highways, fences, illegal development, and so-called “economic zones.”

Every time we militarize a response to these animals, we risk sending the wrong signal: that elephants are a threat to national security.

While Sri Lanka’s military is globally respected for its humanitarian operations, disaster response, and logistical excellence, wildlife conservation must be guided by environmental science not security logic. The armed forces have a vital role to play—but that role must be supportive, not dominant, and always coordinated within a civilian-led national strategy.
Where is that strategy?

• Where is the elephant conservation master plan?

• Where are the protected corridors, the reforestation programs, and the long-term habitat policies?

We must stop applauding reactive operations and start demanding real ecological reform.

This is not just a battle between villagers and elephants.
It’s a failure of statecraft that endangers both.

The rural poor live in fear. The elephants live in hunger. The only ones safe are the policymakers in air-conditioned rooms with no conservation vision and no accountability.
This is not just about preserving elephants.
It is about preserving the soul of Sri Lanka.

Our Demands:

1. A National Elephant Habitat Recovery Plan backed by science and budget
2. Immediate halt to deforestation and land development in known elephant corridors
3. A coordinated role for the military under a science-led national wildlife strategy
4. Community education and buffer zone strategies for coexistence
5. Restoration of dignity in how we speak about our animals not as pests, but as sacred life forms tied to our identity

We call on the Government of Sri Lanka to correct its narrative, correct its strategy, and correct its duty. This is not conservation. This is containment. And the world is watching.

The question is not: How do we chase the elephants away?

The question is: Why have we left them nowhere else to go?

THE NATIONALIST 🇱🇰

Hameed Steps Away from Party Politics, Jihan Cites Doctrinal Clarity and Nationalist Reorientation

After more than 15 years of deep political involvement, respected political strategist and nationalist commentator Jihan Hameed has officially announced her exit from all forms of party politics. The move comes amidst growing ideological confusion within mainstream party platforms and what she describes as a critical need for sovereign clarity in Sri Lanka’s national discourse.

Hameed was long associated with the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and worked closely within the political network surrounding Namal Rajapaksa. While she retains respect for the individuals she once worked alongside, she states that the collapse of internal discipline and the rise of mixed ideological currents have made it impossible to advance coherent nationalist policy through traditional political structures.

 

“Despite my influence, I could not contribute to internal party reform through policy. I had to use legal mechanisms, including Supreme Court interventions, to uphold what I believed was constitutionally right,” Hameed noted in her statement.

She emphasized that her departure is neither emotional nor reactive, but strategic:

 

“The platform has changed. I wish the party well as it continues building around Namal Rajapaksa, but I will not return. I now stand entirely with the nationalist doctrine- independent, public, and uncompromised.”

In recent months, Hameed has emerged as a leading voice in Sri Lanka’s digital resistance movement—issuing legal challenges, publishing analytical briefings, and driving large-scale public conversation on sovereignty, foreign influence, and cultural preservation. She describes her new role as that of a “civilian intelligence architect” operating outside the constraints of party politics to reintroduce doctrinal clarity into public life.

“I will continue to monitor every political party. But when sovereignty is at risk, I will speak. I have left politics, not the battlefield,” she stated.

Hameed’s exit reflects a wider pattern in Sri Lanka’s political landscape where disenchantment with traditional institutions is giving rise to decentralized, doctrine-driven movements led by individuals operating beyond conventional party lines.

Who will be the next Colombo Mayor? Decision tomorrow

The newly elected Colombo Municipal Council, following the conduct of the Local Government (LG) election on May 6, is scheduled to convene for its inaugural sitting tomorrow (16).

The gazette extraordinary in this regard was issued by the Commissioner of the Department of Local Government of the Western Province, Sarangika Jayasundara.

According to the gazette issued by the Commissioner, the inaugural sitting will commence at 9:30 a.m.

During the meeting scheduled to be held at the Town Hall, the election of the new Mayor and the Deputy Mayor will take place as the first order of business.

No party obtained an outright majority following the conduct of the LG election and therefore both the National People’s Power (NPP) and the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) have announced in recent days that they have secured the backing of other political factions to elect a Mayor.

According to the LG election results, the National People’s Power (NPP) secured 48 seats, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) obtained 29 seats, the United National Party (UNP) won 13 seats, and the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) gained 5 seats.

Additionally, the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress received 4 seats, Independent Group No. 03 obtained three seats, the Sarvajana Balaya received two seats, and the United Peace Alliance also secured two seats according to the election results.

Independent Groups No. 04 and 05 received two seats each.

Furthermore, the United Republic Front, the National People’s Party, the National Freedom Front, the Podujana United Front, the Democratic National Alliance, Independent Group No. 01, and Independent Group No. 02 each received one seat.

However, to establish power in the Colombo Municipal Council, which consists of 117 seats, a party must secure at least 59 seats.

Accordingly, following the vote scheduled to be held tomorrow, the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of the Colombo Municipal Council will be appointed.

Decapitation strike: Israel’s silent war to dismantle State sovereignty

 

We are witnessing a new form of state conquest: not physical invasion, but intellectual destruction. By eliminating national brainpower, a state becomes paralysed, its institutions fragmented, and its sovereignty hollowed from within. Israel has mastered this doctrine earlier than most. Unlike old colonial models requiring troops, this model needs only intelligence superiority, targeted assassination capability, international legal immunity, and media control to shape global narratives. The world is being conditioned to accept such strikes as self-defence, while ignoring the strategic violations they represent

 

• Beyond Iran: The rise of clean warfare, intellectual targeting, and the new global architecture of control

 The world awoke to news of Israeli airstrikes targeting Iran. On the surface, it appeared to be another escalation in an already volatile Middle East. But for those observing the deep structure of global power, these were not ordinary attacks. Israel has crossed into a far more sophisticated form of warfare, one not focused on territory, but on systematically dismantling the intellectual and leadership architecture of its adversaries. This was not a general bombardment. This was a decapitation strike.

The reported deaths include not only military officers but senior members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), advanced nuclear scientists, and high-level strategic planners. 

These were the minds who formulated Iran’s defense posture, retaliation strategy, and long-term geopolitical alliances. Their removal sends Iran into operational paralysis. Historically, warfare aimed to capture land, destroy armies, and occupy capitals. But in the 21st century, real power lies in controlling how states think, plan, and respond. The removal of Iran’s key individuals is part of a broader strategy of disabling sovereign decision-making structures. When a state loses its brain centre, even temporarily, its ability to retaliate, negotiate, or maintain internal stability is compromised. Weapons without leadership are ineffective. Diplomatic channels without intellectual depth become hollow.

Silent consent

Israel has applied this doctrine before. The assassination of General Qassem Soleimani in 2020 (in coordination with the United States), and the killing of top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, followed the same model: eliminate the architects and disarm the system. The United States officially distanced itself from this most recent strike. But US personnel were evacuated from sensitive Middle East locations days before the operation. US satellites and regional intelligence almost certainly monitored and likely enabled the strikes. The removal of US troops prior to Israeli action is not the behaviour of a disinterested party. This is silent consent. The US-Israel military alliance operates on multiple levels: intelligence cooperation, weapons transfers, and strategic coordination. Public denials serve diplomatic theatre, while operational coordination remains intact.

What is perhaps most revealing is that neither Israel nor the United States express concern about international legal consequences. The United Nations remains silent. The International Criminal Court, despite issuing warrants against weaker states, takes no practical action. The global legal system, once designed to restrain state violence, has collapsed entirely when applied to Western allies and Zionist operations. This is not arrogance. This is calculated immunity. Israel operates with full confidence that no global tribunal will prosecute its leadership. The rules-based order applies selectively, to adversaries, not to allies.

Far more dangerous war

The consequences for Iran extend far beyond the loss of personnel. The removal of its top strategists creates multiple layers of vulnerability. With key commanders eliminated, coordinated decision-making is severely disrupted. High-level negotiations become weaker without experienced intellectual leadership. Leadership vacuums risk factionalism within Iran’s political structures. Israel’s timing creates a period where Iran is unable to respond decisively, allowing global narratives to normalize the strike. Iran now faces a far more dangerous war, not of weapons, but of leadership continuity and intellectual survivability.

This is not merely an Israel-Iran conflict. It is part of a long-term containment strategy where the ultimate target remains China. Iran’s role as a sovereign energy and strategic corridor to China’s Belt and Road Initiative has made it a permanent obstacle to Western and Zionist interests.

Neutralizing Iran weakens China’s western flank. The same strategy has unfolded through Syria’s destabilization, Lebanon’s economic collapse, and pressure on Russia’s partners. Independent power centers aligned with China are being systematically isolated through proxy conflicts, sanctions, regime change operations, or surgical eliminations of leadership. The strike on Iran fits directly into this multi-front preparation for confrontation between US-led alliances and emerging Eurasian blocs.

We are witnessing a new form of state conquest: not physical invasion, but intellectual destruction. By eliminating national brainpower, a state becomes paralyzed, its institutions fragmented, and its sovereignty hollowed from within. Israel has mastered this doctrine earlier than most. Unlike old colonial models requiring troops, this model needs only intelligence superiority, targeted assassination capability, international legal immunity, and media control to shape global narratives.

The world is being conditioned to accept such strikes as self-defense, while ignoring the strategic violations they represent.

Critical warning

For smaller states like Sri Lanka, these events offer a critical warning. Sovereignty is no longer defended only by borders and armies. It is protected by the survival of national intellect, independent leadership, and resistance to external ideological infiltration. Sri Lanka has faced its own forms of destabilization: regime changes, constitutional manipulations, economic coercion, and foreign policy interference. The Zionist doctrine applied to Iran is an extreme version of the same principle: neutralize leadership, and the state collapses quietly. As the global system moves into a more ruthless phase, small nations must strengthen their intellectual defenses alongside military preparedness. Survival depends not only on resisting invasions, but on preserving the state’s capacity to think independently.

Israel’s strike on Iran signals a dangerous evolution. We are witnessing the rise of clean warfare, no invasions, no occupations, but selective elimination of individuals carrying the strategic DNA of sovereign states. Iran is not defeated, but it has been strategically paralysed. Its ability to respond is crippled not by lack of weapons, but by absence of leadership to direct them. The world is moving toward open confrontation between global systems no longer governed by the old rules. The deeper question for all nations is simple: when the intellectual class is targeted, who remains to defend the state?

(The writer is a civilian intelligence architect and nationalist doctrine strategist, known for her analytical work on state sovereignty, global power structures, and strategic legal frameworks. Her writings offer deep investigations into the mechanisms of geopolitical influence, legal-state manipulation, and civilizational defense. She can be reached via email at jihan@jihanhameed.org)

Communist Party of Sri Lanka Condemns Zionist Aggression, Calls ‘Hands Off Iran’

The Communist Party of Sri Lanka (CPSL) has issued a strong statement denouncing Israel’s recent airstrikes on the Islamic Republic of Iran, condemning it as an act of Zionist aggression and imperialist provocation. The CPSL, in its statement titled “Hands Off Iran,” accused Israel of deliberately targeting civilian areas, resulting in the deaths of women, children, and senior Iranian military and scientific leaders, including IRGC commander Major General Hossein Salami and nuclear scientists.

The CPSL further asserted that the United States had advance knowledge of the attack, as American personnel were evacuated prior to the strikes, despite Washington’s official denial of involvement. The party emphasized that Israel’s actions are part of a long-term imperialist strategy, using conflicts against sovereign states like Iran to destabilize the region and indirectly target larger global powers such as China.

The statement urged the Government of Sri Lanka to condemn the attacks, sever all ties with Israel, and ensure the safety of Sri Lankan workers residing in West Asia. The CPSL called on all peace-loving forces to resist what it describes as the combined aggression of Zionism and global imperialism.

The statement was issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Sri Lanka on June 13, 2025.

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රු. 3690/-කට ලිට්රෝ තියෙද්දී, ගෑස් වලට ඇයි රු 4100/- ගෙවන්නේ?

එල්.පී.ජී ගෑස් අවශ්‍යතාවයෙන් 80% අධික කොටසක් සපයන ලිට්රෝ ගෑස් සමාගම රාජ්‍ය සමාගමක් වශයෙන් තම වගකීම ඉටුකරමින්  ජනතවට එල්.පී ගෑස් සහන මිලට සැපයීමට කටයුතු කරනු ලබයි. ලෝක ගෑස් මිල උච්චාවචනය වුවද, ජනතාවට සහන සලසමින් ලිට්රෝ ගෘහස්ත 12.5Kg ගෑස් සිලින්ඩරයක මිල රු.3690/-ක මුදලකට  පසුගිය මාස 8 පුරාවටම නොකඩවා පවත්වාගෙන යන ලදි. 

නමුත් ලාෆ් ගෑස් 12.5Kg ගෑස් සිලින්ඩරයේ මිල රු 410කින් ඉහළ නංවා 12.5Kg සිලින්ඩරය 4100/- මුදලකට අලෙවිකරුණු ලබද්දීද, ලිට්රෝ ගෑස් ලංකා සමාගම රජයේ සමාගමක් වශයෙන් පාරිභෝගිකයන් හට එල්.පී ගෑස් අවශතාවය  සපුරාලමින් කාර්යක්ෂම සේවාවක් ලබා දෙමින් රටේ ආර්ථික වාර්ධනයෙහිලා කැපී පෙනෙන කාර්ය භාරයක් නිසි වගකීමෙන් යුතුව ඉටුකරනු ලබයි.