Jaffna Monitor (Page 87)

Why Extremism Never Found a Home: The Bohra Approach to Faith and Scripture

"Tell me something," said a dear friend of mine—an expert in security studies—as we spoke about the Dawoodi Bohras over coffee one evening. "Have you ever heard of a Bohra being involved in a bomb blast? A shooting? Any terrorist group claiming to defend Islam through violence that had Bohra links?" He paused. "No, right?" "That's not a coincidence," he continued. "It's actually one of the most remarkable things about the Bohras—whether in Sri Lanka, South Asia or anywhere in the diaspora. Whil

Cover Story July 2025

Kaniyan Pungundran

Jul 14, 2025 — 4 min read

MP = Minimum Payer: How Sri Lanka’s Lawmakers Made Tax Evasion Legal

A political grenade was lobbed into the tax debate when Samagi Jana Balawegaya MP Jagath Withana casually dropped his salary slips on Facebook—only to reveal that Sri Lankan MPs are paying as little as 1% in income tax. While average citizens cough up tax rates three times higher, our honourable lawmakers seem to enjoy a VIP pass through the tax maze. The revelation raised not just eyebrows but also blood pressure across both the public and private sectors. Irritated and clearly not amused, the

Monitor Memo July 2025

Jaffna Monitor

Jul 14, 2025 — 2 min read

Chettiar’s Head Bears All Sins

From a Facebook post by Siva Ramasamy | Translated by JM Amid the ongoing controversy over whether Sara, also known as Pulastini, is alive or dead, MP Mujibur Rahman stated in Parliament that a SIM card was recently obtained in her name. Upon hearing this, it wouldn’t be surprising if Ishara Sewwandi—allegedly the mastermind behind the courtroom assassination of underworld figure Ganemulla Sanjeewa—also ends up with a SIM card in her name. Though I sometimes consider avoiding political commen

JM Pulse July 2025

Jaffna Monitor

Jul 14, 2025 — 2 min read

Fifty Years Later: Remembering the Night India’s Democracy Was Switched Off

The month of June marked the 50th anniversary of the imposition of Emergency and media censorship by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi — the most serious blow to the world’s largest democracy. The Emergency rule from 1975 to 1977 was a direct assault on India’s democratic ethos, with media censorship at its core. Although India eventually emerged from that dark chapter with its democratic spirit intact, the episode remains a stark reminder that the freedoms of a free press must never be taken for gra

Special Article July 2025

Sugeeswara Senadhira

Jul 14, 2025 — 4 min read

Emotions

Translated from the original Tamil short story uṇarccikaḷ (உணர்ச்சிகள்) from the 1976 collection of short stories titled kōṭukaḷum kōlaṅkalum (கோடுகளும் கோலங்களும்) by Kuppilan Ai. Shanmugan. The original collection is available at noolaham.org. If you have any questions, please contact ez.iniyavan@gmail.com. She was sitting next to him. He peered at her intently with curiosity. Her proximity made him fidget. He breathed in the scent of the perfume that wafted from her and delighted in the gent

Story July 2025

Eḻuttukkiṉiyavaṉ

Jul 14, 2025 — 7 min read

Bringing Stroke Care Home: A Quiet Revolution in Post-Conflict Jaffna

When I began my Family Medicine training in 2022 as a Registrar, I moved between clinics, hospital wards, community camps, and even patients’ homes. These journeys gave me a front-row seat to the deep inequalities within Sri Lanka’s healthcare system—nowhere more visible than in stroke care. In the government sector, stroke treatment is still woefully inadequate. Time is critical in managing stroke, yet delays in diagnosis and intervention are far too common. I’ve watched stroke survivors—many

Medical Special Article

Dr. Shane Halpe

Jul 14, 2025 — 5 min read

“Forcing Religion on Children Creates Lasting Cognitive Dissonance”: Michael Jeh to Jaffna Monitor

Michael Pradeep Williams Jeh is a man of many journeys—born in Sri Lanka as a Sri Lankan Tamil, raised in Australia, and shaped by cricket, Oxford philosophy, and a fierce sense of justice. A former professional cricketer turned scholar, wildlife ranger, and educator, he brings a rare blend of grit and grace to all he does. Today, he is a powerful voice against domestic violence and racial injustice—and a proud father to rising cricket star Zanden Jeh. This is Jaffna Monitor’s exclusive conversa

Interview July 2025

Sports Desk

Jul 14, 2025 — 6 min read

The Return of Zahran!

Introduction The Sri Lankan public, police, intelligence community, and the criminal justice system deserve praise for their swift response in protecting Sri Lanka and its communities. When a former member of the Islamic State and supporter of the Islamic State Sri Lanka Branch, Fasrool Rahman Mohamed Zahran, alias “Podi Zahran” or “Little Zahran, filmed the Husaini Masjid Complex—Dawoodi Bohra Mosque—the intelligence surveillance teams deployed on the ground immediately identified and alerted

Special Article July 2025

Rohan Gunaratna

Jul 14, 2025 — 11 min read