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From the Daily Mirror of 16 January 2002

Umma bashes Hakeem as Prabhakaran sycophant SLMC's thai Pongal plea draws heavy fire By Walter Nanayakkara The JVP's Muslim representative Anjan Umma yesterday accused SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem of going down on his knees before LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran whom she blasted as a "blood thirsty barbarian." In a stinging rebuke to minister Hakeem over his Thai Pongal's plea to the LTTE leader, the JVP's only woman parliamentarian said a brute who had killed hundreds of Muslims was now being asked by the SLMC to protect the Muslim community. "I cannot see any comparison to this act other than the proverbial setting of the fox to guard the chicken," Ms. Umma said in one of her strongest statements since being elected to parliament in 2000. Ms. Umma said the other question that arose was, whether Prabhakaran was the leader of a government to deserve such an appeal being made to him. "In the eyes of the international community and the people of this country, Prabhakaran is the leader of one of the world's bloodiest terrorist organisation. "But the leader of a party, self-styled as the sole representative of the Muslims, has come down on his knees before such a terrorist leader," Ms. Umma said."At this very moment LTTErs are raiding Muslim hamlets in the East and demanding ransom from the people on the threat of death. They are forcing Muslim families to leave their villages and also abducting Muslim youths. I cannot understand why Mr. Hakeem is pleading with Prabhakaran to protect Muslims at a time when such a tragic situation prevails. Mr. Hakeem is trying to sacrifice the Muslims of the East to Prabhakaran. "Every person who professes unity of Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim communities must now question Mr. Hakeem's credentials to call himself the leader of the Muslims in any capacity, let alone the Muslim Congress," Ms. Umma said in her statement.