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.
Southern Sri Lanka also feeling effects of conflict
Author: Amjad Mohamed-Saleem
As I sat down to think about writing this blog post, I felt reluctant to touch on the security situation in Sri Lanka - as you might have expected - because I felt enough seemed to have been said about it already. I reflected on a conversation I'd had with an old friend of mine who called from the United States to find out "whether I was ok?", since she'd heard the situation in Sri Lanka was really bad. For a moment I lost track of what she meant, and assumed she was talking about how badly Sri Lanka had played on the first day of the cricket test against England. Then I realised she was talking about the recent spate of bomb attacks and the deteriorating security situation. ...
Author: Amjad Mohamed-Saleem
As I sat down to think about writing this blog post, I felt reluctant to touch on the security situation in Sri Lanka - as you might have expected - because I felt enough seemed to have been said about it already. I reflected on a conversation I'd had with an old friend of mine who called from the United States to find out "whether I was ok?", since she'd heard the situation in Sri Lanka was really bad. For a moment I lost track of what she meant, and assumed she was talking about how badly Sri Lanka had played on the first day of the cricket test against England. Then I realised she was talking about the recent spate of bomb attacks and the deteriorating security situation. ...
Chad child scandal strikes ethical chord in Sri Lanka
Author: Amjad Mohamed-Saleem
It feels like the last couple of weeks have been a particularly rough ride for the humanitarian community. Here in Sri Lanka, we feared the worst as news broke on Nov. 2 that the leader of the Tamil Tiger's political wing had been killed in an airforce attack. Further afield, aid groups were trying to limit contagion from the widely criticised attempt by a French volunteer group to fly 103 African children out of Chad.
Whatever the legal outcome of the Chad scandal, the repercussions will be felt for a long time to come. First, it won't improve one bit the negative perception of humanitarian organisations in some quarters, reinforcing the suspicion that aid agencies (particularly those based in Europe and the United States) have a hidden agenda for the developing world.
...
Author: Amjad Mohamed-Saleem
It feels like the last couple of weeks have been a particularly rough ride for the humanitarian community. Here in Sri Lanka, we feared the worst as news broke on Nov. 2 that the leader of the Tamil Tiger's political wing had been killed in an airforce attack. Further afield, aid groups were trying to limit contagion from the widely criticised attempt by a French volunteer group to fly 103 African children out of Chad.
Whatever the legal outcome of the Chad scandal, the repercussions will be felt for a long time to come. First, it won't improve one bit the negative perception of humanitarian organisations in some quarters, reinforcing the suspicion that aid agencies (particularly those based in Europe and the United States) have a hidden agenda for the developing world.
...
Sri Lankans want a larger say in building peace
Author: Amjad Mohamed-Saleem
There's an old saying in Malay: "When you grow, grow like rice, for as rice grows, it bends forward; do not grow like grass, for as grass grows, it grows straight." The essence is that humility is the key to development.
Being part of a reconstruction process in a country devastated by natural and man-made disasters can colour the lens through which you view the situation. Often we make the mistake of thinking we have all the answers and solutions for every problem. There's a danger of carrying out our duties with an arrogance of purpose.
...
Author: Amjad Mohamed-Saleem
There's an old saying in Malay: "When you grow, grow like rice, for as rice grows, it bends forward; do not grow like grass, for as grass grows, it grows straight." The essence is that humility is the key to development.
Being part of a reconstruction process in a country devastated by natural and man-made disasters can colour the lens through which you view the situation. Often we make the mistake of thinking we have all the answers and solutions for every problem. There's a danger of carrying out our duties with an arrogance of purpose.
...
Inter-faith partnerships offer Sri Lanka a way forward
Author: Amjad Mohamed-Saleem
Browsing through the news items on Sri Lanka these past weeks - the familiar headlines on the army's victory in the east versus the chilling warnings of reprisals by the Tamil Tiger rebels - I couldn't help thinking that peace seemed a distant reality. Having just got back from a couple of weeks in Britain, it was clear to me that no one is immune from the threat of terrorism these days, nor the lessons of mother nature.
As the Sri Lankan army juggernaut pushes forward against the inevitable retaliation promised by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), one thing is certain: that innocent civilians will be caught in the middle. And it's not just Tamils, but also Muslims and Sinhalese who will be dramatically affected.
...
Author: Amjad Mohamed-Saleem
Browsing through the news items on Sri Lanka these past weeks - the familiar headlines on the army's victory in the east versus the chilling warnings of reprisals by the Tamil Tiger rebels - I couldn't help thinking that peace seemed a distant reality. Having just got back from a couple of weeks in Britain, it was clear to me that no one is immune from the threat of terrorism these days, nor the lessons of mother nature.
As the Sri Lankan army juggernaut pushes forward against the inevitable retaliation promised by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), one thing is certain: that innocent civilians will be caught in the middle. And it's not just Tamils, but also Muslims and Sinhalese who will be dramatically affected.
...
Reflections on the killing of colleagues in Colombo
Author: Amjad Mohamed-Saleem
I had originally sat down to write this blog to complement a piece by my fellow blogger, Glenda Cooper, last month on the perceptions of aid agencies in Sri Lanka as fat cats.
While largely agreeing with Glenda's blog, I felt that I should also contribute some of the positives - as well as the challenges - of aid work in an attempt to give the "other side" of the picture.
...
Next entries
Author: Amjad Mohamed-Saleem
I had originally sat down to write this blog to complement a piece by my fellow blogger, Glenda Cooper, last month on the perceptions of aid agencies in Sri Lanka as fat cats.
While largely agreeing with Glenda's blog, I felt that I should also contribute some of the positives - as well as the challenges - of aid work in an attempt to give the "other side" of the picture.
...
