Amjad Mohamed-Saleem
Amjad Mohamed-Saleem classifies himself as a 'global citizen' - born in Nigeria, educated in Ethiopia and Britain, and now based in Sri Lanka. Following careers in engineering and management consultancy, he joined British relief and development agency Muslim Aid in April 2005. He was posted to Sri Lanka to work on reconstruction after the Indian Ocean tsunami and is now country director. He also oversees Muslim Aid's Bangladesh operation and coordinates its international disaster response unit. On the rare occasions when he's not globetrotting or on the road in Sri Lanka, Amjad enjoys books, music, socialising and going to the gym.
Sri Lanka's forgotten displaced
Author: Amjad Mohamed-Saleem
When Mohamed Lateef got married and took over a rice farm, he was looking forward to settling down to a quiet life of farming and raising his family. But just a few months later his dream was shattered.
In 1990 the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam forcibly evicted Lateef and 70,000 other Muslims from their homes in northern Sri Lanka, and confiscated most of their possessions.
...
Author: Amjad Mohamed-Saleem
When Mohamed Lateef got married and took over a rice farm, he was looking forward to settling down to a quiet life of farming and raising his family. But just a few months later his dream was shattered.
In 1990 the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam forcibly evicted Lateef and 70,000 other Muslims from their homes in northern Sri Lanka, and confiscated most of their possessions.
...
Buddha's birthday and the price of rice
Author: Amjad Mohamed-Saleem
The global food crisis was bound to rear its ugly head sooner or later in Sri Lanka.
The first indication of this was the unwelcome news that the World Food Programme (WFP) and other United Nations agencies were cutting their food aid to displaced people in Sri Lanka as a result of the rising food prices. We felt it at Muslim Aid because we ran a school feeding programme with WFP in the south which has stalled because WFP has ended its operations there.
...
Author: Amjad Mohamed-Saleem
The global food crisis was bound to rear its ugly head sooner or later in Sri Lanka.
The first indication of this was the unwelcome news that the World Food Programme (WFP) and other United Nations agencies were cutting their food aid to displaced people in Sri Lanka as a result of the rising food prices. We felt it at Muslim Aid because we ran a school feeding programme with WFP in the south which has stalled because WFP has ended its operations there.
...
AID WORKER DIARY: The challenges of the Myanmar operation
Author: Amjad Mohamed-Saleem
There is an eerie calm in Yangon. While the authorities have almost completed the task of clearing the debris, the residents go about their daily business still shell-shocked by the worst natural disaster to hit Myanmar in 80 years. For those of us who have been involved in other natural disasters, it is another humbling reminder of mankinds frailty in the face of nature and the Creator. When our team landed in Yangon, we were struck by a scene of total devastation, reminiscent of the tsunami that struck south east Asia four years ago, with trees 8 foot in diameter levelled to the ground. ...
Author: Amjad Mohamed-Saleem
There is an eerie calm in Yangon. While the authorities have almost completed the task of clearing the debris, the residents go about their daily business still shell-shocked by the worst natural disaster to hit Myanmar in 80 years. For those of us who have been involved in other natural disasters, it is another humbling reminder of mankinds frailty in the face of nature and the Creator. When our team landed in Yangon, we were struck by a scene of total devastation, reminiscent of the tsunami that struck south east Asia four years ago, with trees 8 foot in diameter levelled to the ground. ...
Have Sri Lankans lost their appetite for change?
Author: Amjad Mohamed-Saleem
I originally sat down to write this blog in late January, planning to reflect on a symbolic period for Sri Lanka and the region. The end of January marked 60 years since the death of Indian freedom hero Mahatma Gandhi, and the beginning of February was the 60th anniversary of Sri Lanka's independence.
Maybe it was just me, but I sensed some sort of hope and anticipation in the air. In India, the second freedom struggle to end poverty and the caste system had just been launched at the appropriately named Gandhigram (the university founded on Gandhi's teachings).
...
Author: Amjad Mohamed-Saleem
I originally sat down to write this blog in late January, planning to reflect on a symbolic period for Sri Lanka and the region. The end of January marked 60 years since the death of Indian freedom hero Mahatma Gandhi, and the beginning of February was the 60th anniversary of Sri Lanka's independence.
Maybe it was just me, but I sensed some sort of hope and anticipation in the air. In India, the second freedom struggle to end poverty and the caste system had just been launched at the appropriately named Gandhigram (the university founded on Gandhi's teachings).
...
In 2008, Sri Lanka's main hope for peace lies with its people
Author: Amjad Mohamed-Saleem
There's something rather strange about hearing "Frosty the Snowman" belting out on a loudspeaker when it's 90 degrees outside, or seeing a skinny Santa dancing to the tune of Baila (local Sinhalese music) at one of Colombo's shopping centres.
Over Christmas, TV and radio stations played Daniel O'Donnell Christmas classics or Boney M's "Mary's Boy Child". Hotels were festooned with elaborate decorations; some of the largest resembling Santa's grotto. One of the most romantic festive images was the lights glimmering in the trees beside the majestic Galle fort as the sun set over the Indian Ocean.
...
Next entries
Author: Amjad Mohamed-Saleem
There's something rather strange about hearing "Frosty the Snowman" belting out on a loudspeaker when it's 90 degrees outside, or seeing a skinny Santa dancing to the tune of Baila (local Sinhalese music) at one of Colombo's shopping centres.
Over Christmas, TV and radio stations played Daniel O'Donnell Christmas classics or Boney M's "Mary's Boy Child". Hotels were festooned with elaborate decorations; some of the largest resembling Santa's grotto. One of the most romantic festive images was the lights glimmering in the trees beside the majestic Galle fort as the sun set over the Indian Ocean.
...
