CMYL

 

The Ceylon Moor Youth League (CMYL)

Sometime in 1966, a group of young Muslim lads in the Wellawatte area were rounded up by the Muslim elders of the town, who belonged to a social service Muslim organization called The Ceylon Moor Youth League (CMYL), and banded together to form a Students’ Section of the body with a view to train and inculcate the spirit of leadership and community welfare amongst the youth. I was one of them. Most of the chaps involved were already known to me as fellow members of the Bambalapitiya and Wellawatte communities.

A meeting was held at Wellawatte and a committee was appointed from amongst us and I took up the position of librarian managing a small collection of books that were collected from the community and housed at the headquarters of the organization located on the Galle Road at Wellawatte. The activities of the CMYL grew from strength to strength and the membershiup and interest amongst the community also swelled with time.

A monthly newsletter titled DAWN was published and I was also involved in assisting the able editors, TM Deen and MHM Hamza, who were respected journalists of that era. The President of the adult body of the CMYL at that time was Aamir Sheriff, ex City Coroner and MMC Mutuwal. He was succeeded by Advocate Marleen and then by Dr Fazli M Nizar.

Many of the others who were involved with the organization were, Messers MHM Dhahlan, Uvais Sufi Ismail, Alavi Sheriffdeen, MS Moujood, MZ Ghouse, ABAC Jiffrey,  Jeff Hassen, MHM Raffiudeen, MHM Hussain, Mohideen Rajabdeen, and Farid A Cader.

Amongst the student members were, MHM Ghouse, Haseeb Hameed, Firoze Ibrahim, Fairuf Ibrahim, Fidha Salih, Shahul Hameed Salih, Faariez Salih, Rizvi Kuthdoos, Ifthikhar Kuthdoos, Rumi Bathusha, MZ Lameer, MNM Azad, Faizal Zavahir, Faiz Nizar, Rizvi Thahir, Fenuzi Hamid, Jamshed Ariff, N.M.M. Shibly, and NMM Nazim. 

The members of the Womens’ Section were Ms Haddad, Ms Badrunnisa Sheriff, Ms Khair, Ms. Jaleel, while the females in the student section were, Zainab Hamdoon, Fathima Rajabdeen, Zulaiha Rajabdeen, Maharooma Rajabdeen, Fathima Mazahim, Shirani Ibrahim, Jasminah Ibrahim, Fakhriya Kuthdoos, Mumtaz Kuthdoos, Farahana Kuthdoos, Fareena Shahabdeen, Zulaiha Thaha, Shiraz Salih, Moreena Salih, Nazeera Lafir, Sithy Nizar, and Huzaima Hameed.

The organization gained lots of momentum when the students section decided to launch benefit shows of all the James Bond 007 movies that were screened at the Savoy Cinema in Wellawatte. The projects brought in mucbh needed revenue for the activities of the group.

Picnics and other events were also organized on a regular basis to keep the members focused and together pursuing an organized way of living in a professional manner.