Shocking incidents of communal violence taking place in Sri Lanka over the past several months have landed the country in hot water again after fighting decades’ long civil war against LTTE insurgents. The targeted violence against the Muslims by Buddhist community have sent shockwaves across the country as scores of Muslim mosques, homes and businesses were attacked and destroyed in broad day light. The Sri Lankan anti-Muslim riots were the series of religious riots targeting Muslims beginning in theSri Lankan town of Ampara on 26 February 2018, and had started in Kandy District by 2 March until its end on 10 March 2018. In the aftermath of violent clashes, the government had declared a state of emergency and blocked social media platforms for a week to control the unrest. However, the worst part of this communal violence was that some police officers as well as politicians are purportedly propping up the so-called nationalism and anti-Muslim sentiment in the region. Recently, Sri Lanka’s Law and Order Minister Ranjith Madduma Bandara has said the violence in Kandy was well organised and pointed the finger at members of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), a political party backed by Rajapaksa that scored a huge victory in local elections last month.
Although Rajapaksa had refuted the ‘allegations’ but a CCTV footage seen by Reuters, described members of an elite paramilitary police unit, the Special Task Force (STF), assaulting Muslim cleric and leaders.
It is unfortunate that the Muslims that constitute 13% of total population has been subjected to violence and persecution, often at the hands of militant Buddhists. There have been scores of attacks on the country’s Muslims in recent months. Buddhist hardliners in Sri Lanka have argued that Islam is a threat to the Buddhist way of life. Veteran political analyst Jayadeva Uyangoda said Buddhist chauvinism in Sri Lanka was a “monster beyond control”, as local activists draw inspiration from the Buddhist extremists in Myanmar and Hindu radicals in India hostile to Muslims.
However, the good thing is that civil society groups and moderate Buddhists as well as veteran cricketers including Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jawardena have strongly condemned the recent acts of violence. “No one in Sri Lanka can be marginalized or threatened or harmed due to their ethnicity or religion. We are One Country and One people. Love, trust and acceptance should be our common mantra. No place for racism and violence. STOP. Stand together and stand strong”, Kumar Sangakkara said in his tweet.
One hopes that the Sri Lankan government will take immediate and effective measures to rid the country of surging racism and religious fanaticism that threatens peace and interfaith harmony in the region. The Sri Lankan nation has witnessed death and destruction during civil war against LTTE insurgents; now that the country has won this war it is time that concerted efforts should be made to ensure peace and interfaith harmony so that minorities can live in peace and enjoy the rights and privileges prescribed to them by law.