Authorities were notified of Zahran Hashim’s extremist teachings that called to kill every non-Muslim, says Moulavi Sahlan of Sufi Muslims’ organization in Kattankudy.

Testifying before the Special Parliament Select Committee yesterday (18), Moulavi Sahlan said, however, no authority had taken any action on the matter.

Pointing out that his faction hails from traditional Muslims who follow Sufism, Moulavi Sahlan said Zahran Hashim had left their organization following the clashes.

Zahran had established the National Thowheed Jama’ath organization in 2011 and later started issuing a magazine named ‘Thowheed’ on a monthly basis in 2013.

From 2013 to 2014, nearly 11 complaints were filed against Zahran attacking the Sufi Muslims through this monthly magazine, Moulavi Sahlan further commented.

The Select Committee member MP Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka went on to ask whom Zahran worked for during the previous presidential election. To this, Moulavi Sahlan responded that Zahran worked against Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa’s election campaign. 

Responding to Parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran’s question, Moulavi Sahlan stated that Shafi Salley, Shibly Farook, M.L.A.M. Hizbullah, A.L.M. Ruby, Abdul Rahman had signed agreements with Zahran Hashim. He added that this agreement was against Sufi Muslims. “Back in 2016, Zahran spoke up against Catholic people and Christmas festival,” Moulavi Sahlan continued.

During three meetings that Zahran had conducted from 2016 and 2017, he had spoken up against Sri Lanka as well, while stressing that non-Muslims should be killed, Moulavi Sahlan revealed.

Zahran had preached that hoisting the national flag was a threat to the Islamic State and that Sri Lanka should be overtaken by Muslims, Moulavi Sahlan stated testifying before the Parliament Select Committee.

“We had submitted a letter on the matter to the Presidential Secretariat, the Office of the Prime Minister, then Minister of Justice Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardene as well as Minister Sagala Ratnayake. We even submitted videos in this regard. We also complained to former DIG Nalaka De Silva,” Moulavi Sahlan said.

The Prime Minister’s Office had responded that the letter would be directed to PM Ranil Wickremesinghe while the Attorney General’s Department had responded that necessary measures would be taken, Moulavi Sahlan said. However, no action concerning the complaints had been taken by the authorities, he added.