Sri Lanka: Statistical breakdown of Sri Lankan Muslims (Shias, Sunnis, Tamil Muslims and Moors), including their total and sectoral numerical strength, and their areas of concentration
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 November 1994 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | LKA18578.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Sri Lanka: Statistical breakdown of Sri Lankan Muslims (Shias, Sunnis, Tamil Muslims and Moors), including their total and sectoral numerical strength, and their areas of concentration, 1 November 1994, LKA18578.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6abcd58.html [accessed 2 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The Europa World Year Book 1994 states that Muslims constitute 7.36 per cent of the Sri Lankan population of about 17,400,000 (1994, 2754), while the attached Reuters report maintains that their share of population is 7 per cent (26 Aug. 1993). According to Sri Lanka: A Country Study, although most Sri Lankan Muslims speak Tamil, they ave not "blended into the ethnic Tamil community because of differences in custom and religion" (1970, 83).
The Muslim community is composed of two main groups: the Moors (Ceylon and Indian Moors), who account for 80 per cent of the total, and the Malays, who account for the rest (ibid., 84). Some sources, including the attached Reuters report, equate Muslims with Moors (2 Mar. 1994).
Muslims are heavily concentrated in "the coastal areas of Western and Eastern [P]rovinces, although members of the [Muslim] community are to be found in all parts of [Sri Lanka]" (Sri Lanka: A Country Study, 1970, 84). The attached Reuters report states that the Eastern Province has a mixed population of Tamil-speaking Muslims and Sinhalese (27 Nov. 1992). Another attached Reuters report maintains that the eastern areas of Sri Lanka have a mixed population that includes "many Moors" (2 Mar. 1994). The Financial Times states that Muslims and Sinhalese "make up [about 58 per cent of the population of east Sri Lanka] in about equal proportions" (5 July 1990). Country Reports 1993 refers to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) expulsion of all Muslims from the areas under its control in northern Sri Lanka (1994, 1395).
According to the 1981 census results, the total number of Sri Lankan Moors is 1,046,926 (Europa 1994, 1994, 2747). Countries of the World and Their Leaders Yearbook 1994 maintains that the majority of Sri Lanka Muslims (Moors and Malays) practise Sunnism (1994, 1197).
This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Countries of the World and Their Leaders Yearbook 1994. 1994. Vol. 2. Edited by Thomas F. Bowen and Kelly S. Bowen. Detroit: Gale Research.
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1993. 1994. United States Department of State. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office.
The Europa World Year Book 1994. 1994. Vol. 2. London: Europa Publications.
Financial Times [London]. 5 July 1990. Mervyn de Silva. "Sri Lanka Slips into Yet another Cycle of Ethnic Violence." (NEXIS)
Sri Lanka: A Country Study. 1970. Edited by Richard F. Nyrop et al. Washington, DC: Department of the Army.
Reuters. 2 March 1994. BC Cycle. Feizal Samath. "Sri Lanka's Ruling Party Single Biggest Winner." (NEXIS)
. 26 August 1993. BC Cycle. "Sri Lankan Minister Says Moslems Suffer More Than Jews Would." (NEXIS)
. 27 November 1992. BC Cycle. Minoli de Soysa. "Sri Lanka Tamil Rebels Seen Unlikely to Compromise." (NEXIS)
Attachments
Countries of the World and Their Leaders Yearbook 1994. 1994. Vol. 2. Edited by Thomas F. Bowen and Kelly S. Bowen. Detroit: Gale Research, p. 1197.
The Europa World Year Book 1994. 1994. Vol. 2. London: Europa Publications, pp. 2747, 2754.
Financial Times [London]. 5 July 1990. Mervyn de Silva. "Sri Lanka Slips into Yet another Cycle of Ethnic Violence." (NEXIS)
Sri Lanka: A Country Study. 1970. Edited by Richard F. Nyrop et al. Washington, DC: Department of the Army, pp. 83-85.
Reuters. 2 March 1994. BC Cycle. Feizal Samath. "Sri Lanka's Ruling Party Single Biggest Winner." (NEXIS)
. 26 August 1993. BC Cycle. "Sri Lankan Minister Says Moslems Suffer More Than Jews Would." (NEXIS)
. 27 November 1992. BC Cycle. Minoli de Soysa. "Sri Lanka Tamil Rebels Seen Unlikely to Compromise." (NEXIS)
