Articles

by ASIFF HUSSEIN Anuradhapura, the one time capital of the Sinhalese kingdom would have no doubt surpassed in grandeur most other cities of its time. Situated in the heart of the Rajarata or ‘Kings Country’ in the present-day North Central Province, this ancient metropolis with its multi-storeyed buildings roofed with …

by ASIFF HUSSEIN The idea of a folk museum faithfully reflecting the lifestyle of the rural peasantry is a relatively new concept, especially for a country like Sri Lanka which is more or less obsessed with its archaeological monuments rather than its folk life which actually constitutes the backbone of …

by ASIFF HUSSEIN Little is it known that Sri Lanka’s Dutch heritage still exerts a considerable influence on our national life. Whether it be in the spheres of law, language or cuisine, Dutch influence is still considerable despite the fact that the Hollanders left our golden shores centuries ago. Their …

By ASIFF HUSSEIN A museum especially dedicated to preserving the heritage of the Sri Lankan Muslims has been a long felt need, especially in a context where artefacts connected with the culture and lifestyle of the local Muslims are hardly if ever represented in other national museums including the Colombo …

by ASIFF HUSSEIN It is perhaps Sri Lanka’s largest private museum with a priceless collection of antiques and trivia going back to centuries, but the Historical Mansion Museum as it is called had a very humble origin. It was a little over a decade ago that its owner Abdul Gaffar …

Sri Lanka Army Museum by ASIFF HUSSEIN The Sri Lanka Army has come a long way since the days of the British Raj when it was a largely ceremonial force known as the Ceylon Light Infantry though it did see some action during the two world wars, not to mention …

by ASIFF HUSSEIN The Sri Lanka Air Force is the youngest of the three armed services and was established only in 1949 subsequent to the Ceylon Army and the Royal Ceylon Navy though the exact date of its formation is taken as 3rd March 1951 when Air Commodore G.C. Bladen …

National Maritime Museum by ASIFF HUSSEIN Sri Lanka being an island nation enjoys an intimate relationship with the vast expanse of sea that surrounds it. The sea protects it, gives it a salubrious climate, provides it with an ample supply of seafood and lures tourists to its shores. As such …

WHY EXTREMISM HAS TO BE WIPED OUT FROM ISLAM By Asiff Hussein It is apparent more than ever before that the noble image of Islam is often tarnished by the mass media of today. The Media, and particularly western media, often leaves no stone unturned to highlight atrocities and injustices …

Are Shari’ah Punishments really harsh ?      By Asiff Hussein We in the modern world often tend to look at the hadd punishments prescribed in the Shari’ah as something really harsh. Beheading for murder, stoning to death for adultery and amputating hands for theft sometimes strike us as punishments that …