One Distinguished Family of Moor Street Jaffna
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One Distinguished Family of Moor Street Jaffna Marina Ismail & Ali Azeez Dr. A.M.A. Azeez Foundation Colombo 2014 ii One Distinguished Family of Moor Street Jaffna by Marina Ismail & Ali Azeez Published by Dr. A.M.A. Azeez Foundation 47/2 A, Fredrica Road, Colombo 6, Tel.: 0112598949 www.azeezfoundation.com Printed by Kumaran Press Private Limited 39, 36th Lane, Colombo 6, Tel.: 0113097608, 0112364550, E-mail: [email protected] ISBN 978-955-41719-1-6 iii Contents Preface v 1. Muslims of Jaffna 1 2. The Family of Sultan Mohideen 5 3. S.M. Asana Lebbe Alim Pulavar 7 4. Kathi S.M. Aboobucker J.P. 12 Conclusion 17 Afterword 18 Bibliography 20 Appendix I: “Puhalppavani” by Asana Lebbe 21 Appendix II: Unpublished Works of Asana Lebbe 60 Appendix III: University of Jaffna Honours A.M.A. Azeez 69 Photo Gallery 73 iv v Preface Dr. A.M.A. Azeez passed away on 24th November, 1973. Although he died at the comparatively young age of 62 years, he contributed immensely to the education and welfare of the society in general and the Muslim community in particular. The ‘Haji A.M.A. Azeez Memorial Committee’ was formed in the year 1975 under the auspices of the All-Ceylon YMMA Conference, initiated by Mr. S.M. Kamaldeen, a close associate and confidante of A.M.A. Azeez. The first A.M.A. Azeez Memorial Oration was delivered by Justice Dr. A.K. Brohi of Pakistan on 6th January 1976. Since then the Committee in collaboration with the YMMA organized annual Memorial Orations by prominent persons. Radio talks and newspaper articles were also arranged. In 1990 the name of the Committee was changed to ‘Dr. A.M.A. Azeez Foundation’. The anniversary celebrations continued annually, with orations by prominent persons, newspaper articles and radio talks. Appeals for funds were made through Ramazan Appeals and scholarships to needy undergraduates were granted. From the very inception the objectives of the Foundation were to publish the annual orations, speeches, articles and other academic and literary contributions of Dr. Azeez, which will be of great benefit to the academic and intellectual world as well as to the general readers locally and internationally. An attempt was made in 1989 which did not materialize fully. This message was conveyed in the Ramazan Appeal of 2007. The response was encouraging and 11 publications have been released, sponsored by grateful students of Dr. Azeez and well wishers. vi The website www.azeezfoundation.com was launched in 2010 on the initiative of Eng. A.G.A. Barrie. It contains many tributes to Dr. Azeez and his scholarly articles and speeches on education, language and community. There are many photographs and audio speeches of interest. The Muslims had lived for many centuries in Jaffna and they were an integral part of Jaffna Society. There were many leading Muslim families and outstanding personalities in Jaffna. But there are no separate records about them, except for brief sketches in some publications. A.M.A. Azeez was born on 4th October 1911 into a leading and well known family in Jaffna. They were businessmen. Azeez’s father S.M. Aboobucker and his paternal uncle S.M. Asana Lebbe were different and were the best known. Aboobucker was a leading Proctor and social worker and Asana Lebbe was a scholar in Tamil and Arabic, a renowned poet and an expert in Arabic-Tamil. Azeez was encouraged by them in his education and with his well known achievements became a leader of the community. He was conferred a Posthumous Degree of Doctor of Letters honoris causa by the University of Jaffna at their First Convocation in 1980. When Asana Lebbe passed away in December 1918, Azeez was only seven years old. Azeez admired his uncle and with his influence developed an interest in Arabic-Tamil which he continued until his demise. Later Azeez took an interest in the life and times of Asana Lebbe and his compositions. He was encouraged and assisted by his father. Just two months before Aboobucker’s sudden demise in June 1950, he had sent a letter with valuable information and enclosed two printed copies of Asana Lebbe’s “Puhalppavani” to Azeez. After resigning from his busy schedule as Principal of Zahira College in December 1961, Azeez started writing books in English and Tamil and recommenced his research on Asana Lebbe. He made contact with his father’s younger brother, S.M. Yoosuf, and they corresponded at length on Asana Lebbe’s life and his works, until Azeez’s sudden demise. Azeez gathered invaluable information and his intention was to publish a book on Asana Lebbe. He felt that he was not fully competent to write and comment on his uncle’s compositions, and consulted the Tamil scholar Professor M.M. Uwise, Poet Abdul Cader Lebbe and other scholars and poets for their analysis. In the interim he published articles on Asana Lebbe in his Tamil book “Arabu Thamil Engal Anbu Thamil” (1973) and in the ‘Thinakaran’ of 18th December 1963, which are available on the website. Azeez was not able to publish the book. In these circumstances, my sister Marina and I felt that we should write about our father A.M.A. Azeez’s family, using the information available from his records and other sources, with the title “One Distinguished Family of Moor Street Jaffna”. It is published by the Dr. A.M.A. Azeez Foundation and we thank Mr. Murad Ismail, Architect and grandson of Marhoom Dr. A.M.A. Azeez, for sponsoring the publication. M. Ali Azeez Treasurer, Dr. A.M.A. Azeez Foundation viii 1 Muslims of Jaffna Muslims had settled in the Jaffna peninsula as early as the 8th Century A.D., when those of the House of Hashim arrived in the Island as refugees driven out of Arabia by Caliph Abdul Malik bin Marwan. They settled along the coast of Sri Lanka, including Jaffna. The port of Jaffna and the smaller port of Kayts had early trade connections with Bengal; when the Arabs dominated the East-West trade route, around the 7th Century A.D., the ports lying on this route gained importance and many Arab traders frequented them. Later Muslims settled at these ports. In 1514, Barbosa states “Many Moors live in the sea ports of this Island in large quarters”. Baldeus refers to Muslims having schools in the Jaffna peninsula, while Queyroz (1687) refers to the mosque. By the 16th Century A.D. the Jaffna peninsula had a substantial Muslim population thriving on trade. These Muslim traders, according to E B Debenham (1905) went in gangs as far as the Wanni to collect Avaram bark used locally as tannin, while the sale of the exotic sea-food Beche-de-Mer was in their hands, and following their religious, cultural and educational traditions. During the Portuguese and Dutch occupations (16th – 18th Century) just like the Muslims in the rest of the Island, the Muslims of Jaffna kept away from the established schools due to the fear of proseletyzation. However, their craft schools and Madrasas (Quranic schools – where along with Arabic and Quranic recitation, arithmetic was also taught) were functioning; thus keeping the educational traditions alive. With the more liberal policies of the British, Muslims, including many from the Jaffna region began 2 One Distinguished Family of Moor Street Jaffna attending Missionary schools and learning the English language which was necessary for day-to-day transactions. Although Muslim settlements were found in many areas in the Jaffna peninsula, such as at Chavakachcheri, Pooneryn and Vallikamam, the largest concentration was in Jaffna, Moor Street or “Sonahar Theru” in Vannarponnai, which is mentioned in the “Yalpanayaipava Malai”. This area was settled by Muslims, most probably in the early part of 17th Century possibly in 1614. Paul E Peiris in “Ceylon in the Portuguese Era” mentions the establishment of Moor Street. He states that Father Pedro de Betancor, known generally as “Kannadi Padre”, possibly because he wore spectacles had a reputation for building churches, as at Arippo Nannatan and in the Wanni. He was very keen to build a church in Jaffna to our Lady of Victory near the Portuguese settlement about “half a league” from Nallur. “The Father was anxious for a superior site and viewed with covetous eyes the position of the Moorish Mosque which commanded the quay and only short distance from the settlement”. This fanatical priest could not persuade the Muslims who lived in the vicinity to give up their settlement; therefore one night in 1614 he set the mosque on fire. The Muslims were angry and bitter and demanded justice whereupon they were persuaded to shift to a new site, which settlement came to be known as “The Street of Moors” or “Sonahar Theru”. The burnt out site of the mosque was given to the priest who with money given by the King of Tanjore (India) on 8th May 1614 laid the foundation for a church, later to the Lady of Miracles. Moor Street was not a single street but a large area with a network of roads and lanes with names such as Azad Road, Mohideen Mosque Lane and Jinnah Lane. At the larger junctions were situated the small mosques. This area in 1990 is said to have had 17 mosques, 6 government schools and 4 large Madrasas. It was mainly a residential area and the affluent businessmen who Marina Ismail & Ali Azeez 3 lived here had their businesses such as import-export of goods, gold and jewellery and hardware located outside and within the Jaffna town. Thus a quiet and serene atmosphere prevailed here, where the children attended school and played in the lanes while the men attended prayers at the mosques.