I kindly welcome all the distinguished gathering consisting of religious leaders, senior political leaders, professionals, members of the media and all other illustrious personalities to this memorable evening.

I thank you all whole-heartedly for accepting our kind invitation made at such a short notice and coming here to grace this occasion.

I wish to highlight here with much glee that this is the first religious event I am hosting at the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission after taking over as the Deputy High Commissioner here. Our motherland Sri Lanka gives freedom and equal importance to the religious observations of all the religions like Buddhism, Hindu, Christianity and Islam in the country. We are functioning on the basis of the vision of our H. E. Mahinda Rajapakse who advocates the practice of treating all the religions in Sri Lanka with equal importance.

It may be noted here that this Mission has been observing the important festivals of all the religions in Sri Lanka in their own traditional ways every year. Accordingly, the Mission celebrates ‘Ifthar’ today. I assure you that this rich tradition will continue.

8% of Sri Lanka’s population practice Islam. Sri Lankan indigenous Muslims, called as Ceylon Moors, have ancestral ties with India, especially Southern India and Kerala. They treat their fellow citizens of Buddhism, Hindu and Christian faiths as brethren and move with them amicably for the development of political, economic, education and community fields in the nation. The Sri Lankan Muslims have indigenous identity in the history of Sri Lanka. They act as a bridge to nurture the healthy bond between the other religions in Sri Lanka. The mother tongue of majority of Sri Lanka-based indigenous Muslims is Tamil.

I am happy to remember the sweet memories of the Ifthar parties organized by me in Bangladesh where I served as the High Commissioner for Sri Lanka before taking over as Deputy High Commissioner here.

Let us pray that the strong bilateral ties on religion, culture and language being maintained between the two countries for the past several decades be strengthened and nurtured further through events like today’s Ifthar party.

I conclude my speech by extending warm gratitude and thanks to each and everyone gathered here for gracing this memorable occasion and I also extend my heartiest and joyful Id Mubarak wishes to all of you in advance.

Sri Lanka Deputy High Commission
Chennai

September 18, 2009