COLOMBO: A mixed response greeted the government’s move last week to form an exclusive Muslim military regiment aimed at protecting Muslims living in the east from LTTE attacks. While bouquets and brickbats were hurled at the proposal, from both Muslim parties and other observers, the military headquarters in Colombo said that the first phase of the recruitment was successful.

“We have so far received a good response to our call for Muslim youth in the east to join us”, Military spokesperson, Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe said. He described the recruitment drive as very successful but did not divulge how many had turned up for the interviews after recruitment began last week in the eastern district of Ampara.

According to military sources the army is looking at recruiting between 500 and 800 Muslim youths.

“This is the first step of encouraging more Muslims to join the military and the setting up of a Muslim regiment is specifically aimed at protecting Muslims in the east. The regiment structure is not yet formed but we hope to include both Sinhala and Tamil military officers as well, ” Brigadier Samarasinghe said as the military’s first step to form a separate battalion on ethnicity sparked off a fiery debate.

He was dismissive about criticism especially by Muslims that a separate regiment for their community would increase the rift between the Tamils and the Muslims in LTTE-dominated north eastern regions.

“Adverse comments regarding the move coming from Muslims themselves would be playing into the hands of the LTTE,” another senior military personnel noted.

Tamil Tigers have criticized the setting up of a Muslim regiment accusing the government of attempting to fuel ethnic unrest in the north and east areas occupied by a majority of Tamils and a large concentration of Muslims.

Some Muslim intellectuals and analysts complain that Muslim leaders have not been consulted before finalizing the proposal for a separate Muslim battalion.

However, Muslim politicians, while taking an overall critical stand have not totally rejected the move.

Hassan Ali, the General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), said the party was not in favour of the idea but did not specify if it would formally protest to the government.

The government-affiliated Muslim political party, the National Unity Alliance (NUA), has already stated that the idea for a separate Muslim battalion did not originate from them. However, the party hierarchy of the NUA said they have not yet discussed the issue in detail.

Javed Yusuf, Muslim peace lobbyist and political analyst, said that the attempt to set up a separate Muslim battalion was a ‘good step done the wrong way”.

“The government needs to increase Muslim recruitment in the military. There should be an increase in Tamil recruitments as well. The Sri Lankan armed forces should be made more multi-ethnic and not just a Sinhala army. But if there is a separate battalion on ground of ethnicity it is going to do more harm than good,” said Yusuf.

“The idea that the Muslims should protect the Muslims will not work. It will only aggravate the Tamil-Muslim relationship in the east”.

Yusuf agreed that the Muslims in the east of the country who had increasingly come under attack by the LTTE needed protection but argued that this protection should come from a multi-ethnic army.

However an eastern-based Muslim organization, the Federation of Mosques in the Kathankudy region, lauded the move.

“We support the idea. Our only concern is the lack of consultations with Muslim leaders prior to taking this decision,” member of the Federation, Mr. M. Mudeen said.

“For the Muslims of the east it is a case of living in a permanent battlefield. We feel a special Muslim regiment that will be based in the eastern districts, is a timely step taken to protect the Muslims”, Mudeen added.

Many Muslims who support the move, reacted strongly, towards what they feel is the government’s late reaction to their security concerns and human rights abuses carried out by the LTTE.

In 1990 the LTTE massacred more than 100 Muslims praying at two mosques in eastern Batticaloa and expelled at gunpoint over 100,000 Muslims from northern Jaffna, where they had lived for centuries. These Muslims today live in refugee camps.

Although the LTTE leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran made his much publicized public assurance at his press conference in April 2002 that Muslims were welcome to resettle in Jaffna, but Muslims say they cannot trust them.

“I tried to go back over three years ago soon after the peace process. My house was occupied by Tamils and complaining to the LTTE was futile. A few Muslims who returned from refugee camps had to face restrictions when fishing, our main livelihood in Jaffna. We had to pay double tax that the LTTE charged from Tamil fishermen. I returned to the refugee camp after two weeks in Jaffna,” a Muslim refugee now living in a refugee camp in the north western district of Puttalam, said.

Among the strongest supporters of a separate Muslim unit, is M. I. M. Mohideen, the head of the North East Muslim Rights Organisation, who described the plan for a separate Muslim regiment as a ‘long felt need’.

“The LTTE has made us go through every possible violation of human rights. More than 200,000 Muslims have been displaced. They have lost over 200,000 acres of land, over 50,000 houses, and billions of rupees. And all along we never had anyone to protect us. Even after the ceasefire Muslims were abducted and killed. The army which represents 99 per cent Sinhalese could not prevent these attacks. Now the idea of a Muslim regiment gives us at least some security,” Mohideen said.