COLOMBO: Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious, and Cultural Afairs has appointed an eight-member committee to make necessary amendments to the Wakf Act of Sri Lanka .
The new appointees include 1 Mr A.W.A. Salam – Former President of the Court of Appeal- Chairman .2 Dr.U.L.M.Majeed – Former High Court Judge and the current Chairman of the Wakfs Tribunal . 3 A.A.M. Illiyas – President Counsel, Member of the Wakfs Tribunal , 4. Nibras Naseer – Attorney-at-Law and Member of the Haj Commitee ,5. N.M.Riyaz -Attorney-at-Law (Also, Convener and Secretary ot this Committee), 6. M.A. Matheen – Attorney-at-Law Member of the Wakfs Board, 7 M.B.L.Rahman – Additional Director General (Admin), Department of Irrigation.And 8. Z.A.M.Faizal -Director, Department of Muslim Religious and Cultural Afairs
The minister has pointed out that the following facts have been specially identified to be considered by the Committee
.i The role and importance of the Department of Muslim Religious and Cultural Afairs are not clearly mentioned in the Wakf Act.
i. Absence of guidelines or provisions regarding Quran classes and Arabic colleges.
i. The existing provisions of the Wakf Act do not provide suficient guidelines regarding the appointment of the Board of Trustees, their qualifications, tenure, and selection criteria, as well as the arrangements in relation to the special trustees and servants of the mosque, such as Moulavis, Imams, and Katheebs, and the Muslim Charities Fund.
.vi Many disputes related to mosque administration and minor disputes take years to resolved due to judicial system of inquiries and hte lack of a meeting schedule of the Wakfs Board per month. v.The functions and authority of the Department of Muslim Religious and Cultural Afairs and Wakf Board are not clearly mentioned ni the Wakf Act
The report of this committee is expected to be submitted to the cabinet within three months, the minister added .
