Mohamed Azath Sanoon Salley ( si, මොහොමඩ් අසාත් සනූන් සාලි) (born 18 September 1963) is a

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

n politician and the eighth

Governor of the Western Province A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political_regions, political region, ranking under the Head of State, head of state and in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of ...

. Salley was the deputy mayor of

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...

, and the founder/leader of the National Unity Front (NUF). He has two children, Amina (daughter) and Nafees (son). In May 2013, Salley was arrested and later released by the Sri Lankan Forces under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) after he supposedly called Muslims to launch an "armed struggle" during an interview., the charges were proven to be baseless and he was acquitted. Salley founded the National Unity Front, a National political party. He was a member of the Central Provincial Council. He worked in partnership with the United Arab Emirates High Commission in Colombo to help the needy during the Islamic Holy Month of Ramazan. On 3 January 2019 he was sworn in as the eighth

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of the

Western Province Western Province or West Province may refer to: *Western Province, Cameroon *Western Province, Rwanda *Western Province (Kenya) *Western Province (Papua New Guinea) *Western Province (Solomon Islands) *Western Province, Sri Lanka *Western Provinc ...

. However, as a result of the 2019 Easter Bomb attacks by radical thowheed jamath Islamists, Azath Salley along with all the Muslim politicians were forced to resign after a Political Monk named Athuraliye Rathana protested against Salley's alleged ties to extremists., All the allegations against Azath Salley were baseless and he was acquitted on the 2nd of December 2021. Salley was somewhat of a controversial figure after the COVID-19 pandemic, as one of the only Muslim leaders in the island to talk against the government's forceful cremation of COVID-19 victims.

Azath Salley Foundation

Before his tenure as deputy mayor of Colombo, Azath Salley founded the Azath Salley Foundation with intent to distribute food and dry rations among the less fortunate people in Sri Lanka. The foundation donates food, dry rations and financial assistance to less fortunate every year in collaboration with corporate sponsors and high commissions.

National Unity Alliance The National Unity Alliance ( ta, தேசிய ஐக்கியக் கூட்டமைப்பு) is a political alliance in Sri Lanka. Founded in 1999, the alliance ceased to exist in 2010 when its remaining members joined the Sri La ...

Azath Salley is presently the leader of the

National Unity Alliance The National Unity Alliance ( ta, தேசிய ஐக்கியக் கூட்டமைப்பு) is a political alliance in Sri Lanka. Founded in 1999, the alliance ceased to exist in 2010 when its remaining members joined the Sri La ...

, a registered and active political party in Sri Lanka.

References

Living people 1963 births Provincial councillors of Sri Lanka Governors of Western Province, Sri Lanka {{SriLanka-mayor-stub