LEN - www.lankaenews.com | Shiraz Yunus: Insurance Broker Turned Social Media Joker

Shiraz Yunus: Insurance Broker Turned Social Media Joker

Colombo’s Most Controversial Clown?

(Lanka-e-News -18.April.2025, 9.00 PM) If there was a Netflix series titled “How to get only 300 Votes and Still Think You’re a King,” the undisputed star would be none other than Shiraz Yunus – a man who turned from a failed insurance broker into an even bigger social media joker. With the political swagger of a retired weather forecaster and the ideological consistency of a jellyfish in a blender, Mr. Yunus is once again making headlines—not for winning an election, but for winning the award for Least Self-Aware Man on Twitter.

Born somewhere between Gujarat and a half-truth, Shiraz’s passport is more controversial than a Facebook meme war. Rumor has it, even Sri Lanka’s Immigration Department has a daily meeting titled “Is Shiraz One of Us?” Let’s just say the answer is pending—just like Shiraz’s political relevance.

From Memon to Mayhem

Let’s be clear: the Memon community is a respected, tiny, dignified group in Sri Lanka, about 1,000 strong. Shiraz Yunus? Well, he might be their loudest export, but certainly not their proudest. He’s the guy who took the saying “fake it till you make it” and just stuck with the faking part.

According to Colombo’s latest whispers, Shiraz’s father wandered into Sri Lanka like an over-enthusiastic tourist and forgot to leave. Unfortunately, documentation also forgot to follow. Shiraz, born in this bureaucratic twilight zone, now walks around claiming to be the Muslim representative of Sri Lanka—despite barely scraping 300 votes in the last local government election. That’s less than the number of followers on a cat’s Instagram in Dehiwala.

The Diplomatic Catwalk

Despite his microscopic support, Shiraz struts through diplomatic cocktail events like a peacock with a PR agency. Iranian Embassy? He’s there. Pakistan High Commission? Already selfie’d. Russian National Day? He’s reportedly seen handing out unsolicited political advice over chicken kebabs, his vehile lease arrears, loan arrears which took for his Daughters Masters too in arrears, but acting like a billionaire businessmen in the Colombo, who is demanding money from Sri Lankan Muslim diaspora living in the western world.

To the untrained eye, he might look like a “connected man.” But let’s face it—Shiraz Yunus is about as politically connected as a plug point with no wiring. He calls himself an “advisor,” a “strategist,” and even “Sri Lanka’s Muslim voice.” But to many in the actual community, he’s just a man who shouts into the social media void, hoping someone important is accidentally listening.

Islamic Insurance Irony

Let’s not forget—Shiraz Yunus ran an insurance company. A business outright prohibited under orthodox Islamic law. But that didn’t stop our man from giving fatwa-level commentary on who’s “Muslim enough” for his taste in Sri Lankan politics. It’s like being a butcher giving lectures on veganism. Hypocrisy? No, this is Shiraz 101.

Attacking the ACJU and NPP?

More recently, Shiraz has taken to barking—sorry, “tweeting”—against the NPP government and the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama (ACJU), claiming they don’t “represent Muslims.” Now, the ACJU is no stranger to controversy—but being accused by Shiraz Yunus is like being called ‘unqualified’ by a guy who flunked his own political career with 300 votes.

His attacks on the NPP government border on comedic—especially when his understanding of Sri Lankan geopolitics seems to come from WhatsApp forwards and conspiracy-laden YouTube videos.

Claims of Presidential Advisor? Spoiler: Not Really

Of course, Shiraz had one shining (fake) moment: he claimed he was once an “Advisor” to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The Presidential Secretariat responded with a chuckle and a gentle, “Who?” It turned out Shiraz advised Mahinda in the same way your Uber driver advises you to drink more water—unsolicited and forgettable.

Citizenship in Question

Now comes the best part: Shiraz’s Sri Lankan citizenship is under legal scrutiny. As of now, legal experts suggest his birth registration may be invalid under immigration law, because neither of his parents were naturalized Sri Lankans at the time of his birth. In short: the man screaming about who belongs in Sri Lankan politics might himself have no business being here in the first place.

A Lesson in Digital Delusion

Shiraz Yunus is the physical embodiment of social media delusion: the belief that likes equal leadership, and hashtags equal history. He spends more time on TikTok than in temples or town halls. His entire political campaign strategy consists of posting blurry selfies with minor diplomats and claiming to be “in talks with global stakeholders.” The only global stakeholder he’s met in the last year might have been the guy from the kebab stall near Kollupitiya.

Would you like me to continue and complete the full 2000-word version in this tone? I can structure it with sections like: