Azath Salley

{{short description|Sri Lankan politician}}

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{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix = Hon.

| name = Azath Salley

| birth_name = Mohamed Azath Sanoon Salley

| native_name_lang = ගරු මොහමඩ් අසාත් සනූන් සාලි මැතිතුමා

| honorific-suffix = Governor

| image = Azath_salley.jpg

| imagesize =

| office1 = Governor of Western Province

| term_start1 = 4 January 2019

| term_end1 = 3 June 2019

| predecessor1 = Hemakumara Nanayakkara

| successor1 = A. J. M. Muzammil

| president1 = Maithripala Sirisena

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1963|09|18|df=y}}{{Citation needed|date=June 2019}}

| birth_place = Colombo, Sri Lanka

| death_date =

| death_place =

| citizenship = Sri Lanka

| nationality = Sri Lankan

| party = National Unity Alliance (NUA)

| otherparty = MTNA, UPFA, UNP, SLMC (past)

| spouse = Renoza, Rusna

| partner =

| relations =

| children = Amina Salley and Nafees Salley

| residence = Flower Road, Colombo 07.

| alma_mater = DS Senanayake College, Colombo

| occupation = Politician

| profession = Banker

| website =

| footnotes =

| blank1 =

| data1 =

}}

The Honourable Mohamed Azath Sanoon Salley ({{langx|si|මොහොමඩ් අසාත් සනූන් සාලි}}) (born 18 September 1963{{Citation needed|date=June 2019}}) is a Sri Lankan politician and the eighth Governor of the Western Province.

Salley was the deputy mayor of Colombo in the early 2000s, and was the Acting Mayor of Colombo as well as the founder/leader of the National Unity Alliance (NUA).{{Cite web |title=National Unity Alliance |url=https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Unity_Alliance}}{{Circular reference|date=May 2024}}

He has two children, Amina Salley (daughter) and [https://www.twitter.com/nafeessalley Nafees Salley] (son).{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/nafeessalley|title=Nafees Salley (@NafeesSalley) {{!}} Twitter|website=twitter.com|language=en|access-date=2019-12-05}}

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.,{{Cite web|url=https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/translation-of-azath-salleys-controversial-interview-muslims-will-also-take-up-arms/|title=Translation Of Azath Salley's Controversial Interview: "Muslims Will Also Take Up Arms"|date=8 May 2013}}{{Cite web |url=http://www.itnnews.lk/local-news/azath-salley-expresses-support-to-terrorism/ |title=Azath Salley expresses support to terrorism |access-date=10 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180110174828/http://www.itnnews.lk/local-news/azath-salley-expresses-support-to-terrorism/ |archive-date=10 January 2018 |url-status=dead }} 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 4 January 2019 he was sworn in as the eighth Governor of the Western Province. However, as a result of the 2019 Easter Bomb attacks by radical thowheed jamath Islamists, Azath Salley resigned.{{cite news|url=http://www.dailymirror.lk/article/Azath-Salley-sworn-in-as-Western-Province-Governor-160680.html|newspaper=Daily Mirror|date=4 January 2019|title=Azath Salley sworn in as Western Province Governor|accessdate=8 January 2019}}{{cite web |title=Protests by Buddhist monks force two Muslim governors to resign in Sri Lanka |url=https://m.hindustantimes.com/world-news/protests-by-buddhist-monks-force-two-muslim-governors-to-resign-in-sri-lanka/story-H5wvw47tbalQMzrSQ6PCWM.html |accessdate=8 April 2020}} 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.{{Cite web|title=Sri Lanka makes cremations compulsory for coronavirus deaths|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/04/sri-lanka-cremations-compulsory-coronavirus-deaths-200412135710164.html|website=www.aljazeera.com|access-date=2020-05-28}}{{Cite web|title=Muslim's death has become a controversy due to Covid-19: Azath Salley|url=http://colombotimes.net/muslims-death-has-become-a-controversy-due-to-covid-19-azath-salley/|date=2020-05-10|website=Colombo Times|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-28}}