Just came across this interview of Ameena Hussain by Sanjana Hattotuwa on groundviews and I have to say that I was amazed at the fact that Ms. Hussain has absolutely no clue of what her supposed ‘culture’ and ‘community’ is.
She says in to the interview that she wrote an entire novel detailing her ‘community’ which she claims to be Muslim, simply because she thought, or has a fear of, this community being lost in its entirety. This so called ‘community’ that Ms. Hussain is referring to is supposedly the ‘old’ Marakkala society that never required its girls to wear the Hijab. She goes on to say that she wrote this novel because she sees political posters with ‘peace and harmony’ being the themes including pictures of Hijab clad girls being depicted as Muslims.She also claims that she finds girls donning the Hijab to be ‘disturbing‘.
I personally do not find women and girls donning the Hijab to be disturbing even in the least and firmly believe that it is one of the obligations and duties of a Muslim woman to conceal her person according to her respective religious belief. What she does can also be compared indirectly with a Muslim man’s duty of circumcision, maintaining of the entire family, growing of beard, etc, etc.
Just because Ms. Hussain very obviously doesn’t give a hoot as to what her obligations are regarding her supposed ‘religion’ does not give her any right to find anything regarding her supposed ‘culture’ ‘disturbing‘ or to find fault with actual practicing Muslims within the Sri Lankan community.
