Jezima Ismail

Last updated
Jezima Ismail
Born1935 (age 87–88)
Sainthamaruthu, Kalmunai, Ampara
NationalitySri Lankan
Education St. Bridget's Convent, Colombo
Alma mater University of Peradeniya
University of Ceylon
Occupation(s)social activist, broadcaster, educationist
SpouseMahroof Ismail
Awards Deshabandu (1989)

Deshabandu Jezima Ismail (born 1935) is a Sri Lankan educator, broadcaster and social activist who has also served as an advocate for human rights. [1] [2] She has held several higher positions in fields such as education, human rights and broadcasting. She has also worked in several international organisations on human rights. [3] She is the founder of the Muslim Women's Research and Action Forum (MWRAF), and the President of the Sri Lanka Muslim Women's Conference (SLMWC). [4] Jezima has notably addressed some of the nation's most critical issues including development of youth, women's rights, peace and democracy. [5] In 1989, she was awarded the title of Deshabandu by the Sri Lankan government, which is the third highest national honour in Sri Lanka. [6] [7] Jezima Ismail is considered as one of inspirational and greatest women among the Islamic community for her immense services towards the society. [8]

Contents

Biography

Jezima Ismail was born in 1935 in the village of Sainthamaruthu, a village which is about 2 and half miles away from Kalmunai, Ampara district. Her father was an irrigation engineer, her mother was a homemaker and her grandfather served as a trustee of a mosque.

Jezima came from a conservative family, but her father encouraged her to pursue education. She received her primary and secondary education at the St Bridget's Convent, Colombo. Her mother's side of the family was heavily involved in local politics and during election times, her mother worked as a polling agent. [9]

She graduated from the University of Peradeniya and University of Ceylon at the age of 20 in 1955.

Career

After graduating at the University of Ceylon in 1955, she started to work in several fields as diverse as education, human rights and broadcasting. She joined the staff of Devi Balika Maha Vidyalaya under Principal Dr. Wimala de Silva's guidance. Later, she went to Canada and obtained her master's degree in education from the McGill University and completed her postgraduate diploma at the University of Sydney, Australia. [9]

Jezima has taught education in few schools over 32 years and has served as the Principal of Muslim Ladies College, Colombo for 13 years from 1975 to 1988. [10] [11]

In 1980, she became the first woman to be appointed as the head of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation and has worked as a broadcaster for the SLBC. Jezima Ismail was appointed as one of the members of the committee by the then Sri Lankan president, Mahinda Rajapakse to study and respond to the reports related to the Mullivaikkal Hospital bombings in 2009. [12] She is also the founder of Sri Lanka Muslim Women's Conference (SLMWC) and has served as the former Vice Chancellor of the Eastern University. She too served as the chairperson of People's Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) [7]

Personal life

Jezima Ismail was married to Mahroof Ismail, a well known Sri Lankan professor. Mahroof Ismail died on 13 June 2016 at the age of 85. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chandrika Kumaratunga</span> President of Sri Lanka from 1994 to 2005

Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga , commonly referred to by her initials CBK, is a Sri Lankan politician who served as the fifth president of Sri Lanka, from 12 November 1994 to 19 November 2005. The country's first and only female president to date and the country's second female prime minister. She is the daughter of two former prime ministers and was the leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) until the end of 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sirimavo Bandaranaike</span> Prime Minister of Ceylon (later Sri Lanka) from 1960–65, 1970–77, 1994–2000

Sirima Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike, commonly known as Sirimavo Bandaranaike (මැතිනිය), was a Sri Lankan politician. She was the world's first female prime minister when she became Prime Minister of Sri Lanka in 1960. She chaired the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) from 1960 to 1994 and served three terms as prime minister, two times as the chief executive, 1960 to 1965 and 1970 to 1977, and once again in a presidential system from 1994 to 2000, governing under the presidency of her daughter Chandrika Kumaratunga.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susanthika Jayasinghe</span> Sri Lankan sprinter

Deshabandu Kameradin Susanthika Jayasinghe is a Sri Lankan retired sprinter, who specialised in the 100 and 200 metres. She won the Olympic silver medal for the 200m event in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, the second Sri Lankan to win an Olympic medal after Duncan White and the first Asian woman to win an Olympic or World Championship medal in a sprint event. She is also the only Asian athlete to have claimed an Olympic medal in sprint events. She is also the first and only Sri Lankan to win a medal at the World Athletics Championships. Her silver medal achievement at the 2000 Sydney Olympics also stood as the only Olympic medal for a South Asian in athletics event for 21 years before Neeraj Chopra's gold medal achievement at the 2020 Summer Olympics. She is fondly nicknamed as the Asian Black Mare. She has represented Sri Lanka at the Olympics on three occasions in 1996, 2000 and 2008. She is considered one of the most decorated sprinters in Sri Lanka. However, she is also a deemed as a controversial figure in Sri Lanka.

Human rights in Sri Lanka provides for fundamental rights in the country. The Sri Lanka Constitution states that every person is entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including the freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice. And, that every person is equal before the law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sri Lankan Moors</span> Muslim ethnic minority in Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan Moors are an ethnic minority group in Sri Lanka, comprising 9.3% of the country's total population. Most of them are native speakers of the Tamil language. The majority of Moors who aren’t native to the North and East also speak Sinhalese as a second language. They are predominantly followers of Islam. The Sri Lankan Muslim community is mostly divided between Sri Lankan Moors, Indian Moors, Sri Lankan Malays and Sri Lankan Bohras. These groups are differentiated by lineage, language, history, culture and traditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beruwala</span> Town in Western Province, Sri Lanka

Beruwala is a large town in Kalutara District, Western Province, Sri Lanka, governed by an Urban Council. The town covers a total area of approximately 15 km2 (5.8 sq mi) and is located on the south-west coast of Sri Lanka, 60 km (37 mi) south of Colombo.

Ameer Ismail is a retired judge of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka and a former Chairman of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption, Sri Lanka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soma Edirisinghe</span> Sri Lankan businesswoman

Soma Edirisinghe was a Sri Lankan corporate executive, film producer, philanthropist and social worker. She was born in Meegoda, Sri Lanka on 5 July 1939 to a family of nine daughters, and died on 5 November 2015 at a private hospital in Colombo. She was married to EAP Edirisinghe and they had four children: three sons, Jeewaka, Nalaka and Asanka, and a daughter, Deepa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A. N. S. Kulasinghe</span>

Deshabandu Arumadura Nandasena Silva Kulasinghe (1919-2006) was a Sri Lankan Civil Engineer and founder of several engineering organisations in Sri Lanka.

Ameer Ali is the former President of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, an umbrella group for various Islamic groups or councils in Australia. In 2006, he was the chairman of the Australian Muslim Community Reference Group, which was an advisory body to the federal government from mid-2005 to mid-2006.

Hameed Hussain Sheikh Ismail, MBE was a Sri Lankan lawyer and politician. He was the 5th Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka.

Satsorupavathy Nathan also known as Carcorupavati Natan was a Sri Lankan female Tamil radio broadcaster and a news presenter. She was popular among the Sinhalese society due to her fluency in all three languages of the country and also due to her ability to deal with other people of various castes and religions. She is considered one of the greatest Tamil women in Sri Lanka for contributing towards media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marini De Livera</span> Sri Lankan lawyer and social activist

Marini De Livera is a Sri Lankan lawyer and social activist who also served as former chairperson of the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) in Sri Lanka. In 2019, she was awarded the International Women of Courage Award by the United States Department of State.

Deshabandu Wimala de Silva was a prominent Sri Lankan educationist and social activist. She was a former chancellor of the University of Sri Jayawardenepura and founding principal of Devi Balika Vidyalaya, which is now regarded as one of the leading national schools in Sri Lanka. During her lifetime, she was widely known for her research and efforts on raising issues and concerns regarding the gender inequality in Sri Lanka.

Premala Sivaprakasapillai née Sivasegaram is a Sri Lankan engineer. She is the country’s first female engineer and the first female civil engineer. She is also one of the prominent members of the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka.

Deshamanya Vajira Chitrasena is a veteran Sri Lankan traditional dancer, choreographer and teacher. Vajira is regarded as Sri Lanka's first prima ballerina. She is the first Sri Lankan woman to practice the traditional Kandyan dance which was traditionally performed only by men. Vajira is credited for creating brand for female style of Kandyan dancing and set the tone for women to become ritual dancers. She was married to Chitrasena who was a well known legendary dancer and dance guru. On 26 January 2020, she along with late professor Indra Dassanayake was conferred with the Padma Shri award which is one of the highest Indian civilian awards coinciding with the 71st Republic Day of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indra Dassanayake</span> Sri Lankan professor

Indra Dassanayake was a Sri Lankan academic, emeritus professor in Hindi, a scholar, and known for promoting Hindi-language and North Indian culture in Sri Lanka through educational institutions. On 26 January 2020, she received the Padma Shri award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ali Sabry (Sri Lankan politician)</span> Sri Lankan politician and lawyer

Mohamed Uvais Mohamed Ali Sabry, PC, MP, also known as Ali Sabry, is a Sri Lankan lawyer and politician. He is the Current Minister of External Affairs serving since 22 July 2022. He previously served as the Minister of Finance until 9 May 2022. He was a Member of Parliament, appointed from the national list of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna. He also served as the Minister of Justice until 9 May 2022. He served as the defense counsel of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, chief legal adviser and President of the Muslim Federation of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna.

Sunil Ernest Wijesiriwardena is a Sri Lankan literary critic, academic, researcher, civil activist, university lecturer, poet, writer, author, playwright, civic leader and translator. He initiated the 2015 civic movement to generate a positive discourse on cultural rights and to draft a National Cultural Policy for Sri Lanka.

References

  1. ↑ "I wanted to be a dancer - Jezima Ismail, educationist". archives.sundayobserver.lk. Retrieved 2018-03-04.
  2. ↑ "A Tribute To The Cordial Relations Between Muslims And Sinhalese In The Past". Colombo Telegraph. 2013-02-23. Retrieved 2018-03-04.
  3. ↑ "People and events". www.sundaytimes.lk. Retrieved 2018-03-04.
  4. ↑ "Jezima Ismail | The Muslim 500". www.themuslim500.com. Retrieved 2018-09-28.
  5. ↑ "Members of the Commission". hrcsl.lk. Archived from the original on 2019-01-17. Retrieved 2018-03-04.
  6. ↑ "Deshabandu Jezima Ismail felicitated". 2011-07-10. Archived from the original on 2018-03-04.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. 1 2 "Ismail, Jezima | The Muslim 500". themuslim500.com. Retrieved 2018-03-04.
  8. ↑ "Jezima Ismail - a True personality who has helped to develop the needs and rights of women in general" . Retrieved 2018-03-04– via PressReader.
  9. 1 2 "A journey of sacrifice and love – An Interview with Jezima Ismail | women claiming rights". womenclaimingrights.womenandmedia.org. Retrieved 2018-09-28.
  10. ↑ Lanka, Gptd-grup Sri (2009-03-19). "GPTD-GRUP SRI LANKA: Deshabandhu Jezima Ismail". GPTD-GRUP SRI LANKA. Retrieved 2018-03-04.
  11. ↑ "Muslim Ladies College | About MLC". www.muslimladiescollege.com. Retrieved 2018-03-04.
  12. ↑ ".News Line:Alston letter referred to Special Committee on State Dept. Report". Archived from the original on 2009-12-31. Retrieved 2018-03-04.
  13. ↑ "Eminent professor who always had time to help others". The Sunday Times Sri Lanka. Retrieved 2018-03-04.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.