Dr. Lorna Dewaraja’s book ‘The Muslims of Sri Lanka’ Muslims’ role in Lankan politics and the magnanimity of Sinhala Kings

The last bastion of independent Buddhism, became a haven for the Muslims in their hour of distress

Being traders, Muslims also had access to the Ports,  links with the outside and therefore were knowledgeable on matters of  the world

Sri Lanka’s history of peaceful relations that had existed  between the Sinhalese and the Muslims, stands as a contrast against the  mass destruction taking place in the Middle East in the name of  ethnicity and religion.   
The late, eminent historian Dr. Lorna Dewaraja,  whose insights of the close bonds that had existed between the two  ethnic groups in Sri Lanka puts to shame the ongoing fighting states in  her book ‘The Muslims of Sri Lanka, Thousand Years of Ethnic Harmony 900-1915’ that  “except for a riot that took place in 1915, caused by political and  economic tension rather than a confrontation between Islam and  Buddhism,” the harmonious relationship that developed between the  indigenous inhabitants and the Muslims, continued uninterrupted and they  lived together peacefully for over a thousand years.   
A Vijitha Yapa Publication, last printed in 2021, the author, encouraged by Sri Lanka’s first Foreign Minister, A.C.S. Hameed,  had dug deep into the roots of Muslims and makes the disclosure that  the Muslim community never showed political ambitions of making  conquests in Sri Lanka. This was “unlike in India, where Islam made its  entry as a conquering, proselytizing force.”   
Circumstances did draw them into the political whirlpool and the author speaking of the roles played by the Muslims in  the island’s political history, discusses the magnanimity of Sri Lankan  Kings who gave them the freedom to pursue their faith and trade which  enabled them to be absorbed into Lankan society.   
The Muslims, enjoyed a monopoly in the jewellery, pearls,  gems and spice trade until the unexpected arrival of the Portuguese in  the island in 1505 that dealt a death blow to the peaceful exchange of  commodities with the Sinhalese. This however, led them ultimately to  participate in Lankan politics.   

Muslims and King of Kotte

“Even at the time of Portuguese landing,” she states “a  number of Muslim ships had been anchored in the Colombo harbour. Sensing  trouble on finding that the Portuguese were erecting a fort, the  Muslims had warned the King of Kotte – Parakramabahu 1X (CE 1489-1513)  of the potential threat.”   
The King’s attempts however, to oust the intruders with the help of the Muslims and the Malabars, had met with little success.   
The Sinhalese, had always been essentially farmers. With  caste prejudices, they were preoccupied with the cultivation of paddy  lands while the Muslims as traders, did not come in the way of their  occupation.   
Problems commenced when the Portuguese who arrived in the  island, discovered that the snag in achieving a monopoly of the  profitable cinnamon trade was the presence of Muslims. This led to cause  the rift between the Muslims and the Europeans.   
The “Vijayaba Kollaya” of 1521 – a turning point in Lankan  history, directly impacted on the trek of the Muslims from the coastal  belt to the interior of the island. The Portuguese, who befriended  Bhuvanekabahu V11 (CE1521-1551,) the new King of Kotte, persuaded him to  expel the Moors from Colombo. Bhuvanekabahu, being afraid of his  ambitious brother – Mayadunna (CE1521-1581,) the new King of Sitavaka  and badly in need of assistance of the Portuguese, complied. The Moors  as a result, taking refuge in the Sitavaka Kingdom, rallied round  Mayadunne, now confirmed as a nationalist leader. And to fight the  Portuguese, they brought the forces of the Zamorin of Calicut which  intensified the Portugese hatred of the Moors. And the bitter rivalry  between the Christian power and the Muslims that prevailed in Europe,  was vigorously pursued on the island.   
Although Mayaduue and his son Rajasinghe 1 (CE1581-1592)  carried on relentless warfare with the Portuguese, the political  developments that followed sent Muslims further into the interior.  Bhuvanekabahu’s successor Dharmapala (CE1551-1597) bequeathed Kotte  Kingdom to the King of Portugal. And with the death of Rajasinghe 1, the  son of Mayadunne, Sitawaka was annexed to the Portuguese territory.   
Having acquired the Kotte and Sitavaka kingdoms and with  only Vimaladharmasuriya 1 (CE 1592-1604) the King of Kandy to deal with,  the Portugese expelled the Moors from Sitawaka. They had also settled  down in the port towns of Negombo, Puttalam, Beruwela and Alutgama.   

Hour of distress 

The attempted extermination of the Muslims by the Portuguese and later by the Dutch, commenced their infiltration to the Kandyan  Kingdom from the Western Province where awaited a hearty welcome by the  upcountry rulers especially that of King Senarat (CE 1604-1635.) Thus,  the last bastion of independent Buddhism, became a haven for the Muslims  in their hour of distress where they were allowed to practice their  religion without hindrance from the Portugese. This commenced the  indigenisation of the Muslims.   
The Kandyan kingdom in turn, being denuded of manpower  following the continuous wars, needed people to develop agriculture and  strengthen the economy. Being traders, Muslims also had access to the  Ports, links with the outside and therefore were knowledgeable on  matters of the world. Muslim villages thus sprang along trade routes to  Kandy and in the interior where Kings had given them grants of land.   
Having encouraged the Muslims to maintain their links with  the Islamic world, the King found them useful informants of  international affairs. A state of harmonious co-existence as a result,  unique in an era of religious persecution and rivalry, developed in Sri  Lanka.   
Arab authors have recorded that the Royal court of Sri  Lanka was particularly noted for its religious tolerance. Idrisi in the  12th century had mentioned of a Council of 16 set up at the Royal Court  consisting of 4 Buddhists, 4 Muslims, 4 Christians and 4 Jews. The  interests of the rulers were closely integrated with those of the  Muslims and hence the latter’s advice was readily accepted. It is also  possible, the author suggests, that the trade missions sent to the Arab  world by the King was a cover to seek an alliance with the Muslim world  to counter the constant threat of invasions from South India.   
Dr. Dewaraja makes the point that the Muslims on their  part, while rendering service, never attempted to arrogate political  power on themselves. They were respectful of state authority and were  sensitive to the susceptibilities of the Sinhalese. Hence, although they  arrived as refugees, they were well received at the Kandyan Court. Queros  writing of Senarath’s action said “in Batticaloa, the idolatrous king,  placed a garrison of four thousand of them, thus showing his mind by  favouring our enemy.”
Senarath’s settling of the Muslims in the fertile lands  around Batticaloa, resulted in the quick recovery of the kingdom  following the invasions of 1628 and 1630. The largest rural Muslim  settlements to this day are in the Batticaloa area and they have earned  the reputation of being some of the best farmers in the country.   
Particularly adroit at diplomacy, the King in turn,  depended on their services with regard to information of foreign  visitors who arrived at the Trincomalee port. With their linguistic  fluency – being able to speak Tamil, some South Indian languages and  even Portugese, they kept the King well informed of trade and power  politics operating globally while acting as virtual ambassadors. The  author’s findings during her research include a few Muslim families in  the Kandyan areas bearing the family name of “Tanapathilage gedera”  (home of the ambassador.)