Ferial Ashraff

Ferial Ashraff
Minister of Housing Construction & Industries, Education Development in Eastern Province & Irrigation Development
In office
14 September 2001 – 10 April 2004
Minister of Housing & Common Amenities
Member of Parliament
for Ampara
In office
2000–2010
Personal details
Born (1953-08-20) 20 August 1953 (age 71)
NationalitySri Lankan
Political partySri Lanka Freedom Party
Other political
affiliations
United People's Freedom Alliance
SpouseM. H. M. Ashraff
Alma materZahira College, Gampola

Ferial Ismail Ashraff (born August 20, 1953) is a Sri Lankan politician. She was the wife of M. H. M. Ashraff, the deceased leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and the National Unity Alliance.[1] She was the Minister of Housing and Common Amenities under President Chandrika Kumaratunga.[1] She was a representative of Ampara District for the United People's Freedom Alliance in the Parliament of Sri Lanka. She resides in Colombo.

In the 2002 general elections, she became a member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka from Digamadulla,[2] and was appointed the Minister of Housing and Common Amenities.[3] In 2010, she was appointed to the board of the National Institute of Education.[1] In 2011, she was named Sri Lanka's High Commissioner to Singapore.[4]

Political career

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The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, which was founded by M.H.M. Ashraff in 1981, facilitated for the entry of Ferial Ashraff into politics upon the death of her husband for a brief period of time,[5] which led to a power struggle for a new, charismatic leader from the East, a position that both Ferial Ashroff and the SLMC Deputy Leader at the time, Rauff Hakeem contested for. Upon her failure, she broke away from the group and formulated the National Unity Alliance (NUA), a multiethnic political party that sought to center itself upon more than the Muslim Majority Identity.[6][7]

Further reading

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  • Ibrahim, Hana (2001-03-20). "INTERVIEW: Ferial Ashraff". Milli Gazette.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Former SL Minister Mrs. Ferial Ashraff appointed to National Institute of Education", Lankanewspapers.com, 30 December 2010, retrieved 2011-03-26
  2. ^ Editor, Brunch (2022-03-25). "A life of changing roles lived by an extraordinary woman, Ferial Ashraff". Brunch. Retrieved 2024-03-29. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  3. ^ "Parliament of Sri Lanka - News - List of Ministries and the Relavant Ministers with effect from January 28, 2007". www.parliament.lk. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
  4. ^ "New appointments in diplomatic service", Sunday Times, 6 March 2011, retrieved 2011-03-26
  5. ^ Jayasundara-Smits, Shyamika (September 2011). "'Conflict, war and peace in Sri Lanka; Politics by other means ?". Conference: Rethinking Development in Age of Scarcity and Uncertainty: New Values, Voices and Alliances for Increased Resilience, EADI/DSA General Conference: 10 – via Institute of Social Studies, The Hague.
  6. ^ Fazil, M.M. (December 2009). "Fragmentation of Muslim Politics in Sri Lanka: A Critical Analysis of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC)". International Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities: 10 – via Researchgate.
  7. ^ Ahmad, Zarin (April 2012). "Contours of Muslim nationalism in Sri Lanka". South Asian History and Culture. 3 (2): 269–287. doi:10.1080/19472498.2012.664435. ISSN 1947-2498.