Racial attacks on Sri Lankan Muslim community

by DR SLM RIFAI. UK.

 Racist attacks on Sri Lanka Muslim community this week is unpresented in Sri Lankan history. Sri Lankan Muslim community has been living in peace over one thousand years. Yet, today, some extremist Buddhist groups have emerged in Sri Lanka to attack Muslim business, mosques and houses for no any reason. These groups have been inciting violence against Muslim community over the last 7 years and yet, successive governments ignored it. It is reported that some elements in Sri Lankan government have been directly and indirectly supporting these extremist groups. Today, over two hundred Muslim shops have been totally burned down, hundreds of mosques have been ransacked and many Muslim villages have been destroyed. All this has been done in the same way some Buddhist extremists did in Myanmar. 

          The seed of this racial discrimination was laid down during the previous government by MR and his brother Goata who created BBS for some political gain. There is no doubt about this.  BBS continuously attacked Muslim community for more than last 7 years and yet, Sri Lankan governments did not take action at all. In fact, this was a dirty work of some politicians who initiated this racist campaign against Muslim community. In fact, it was an open secret to say that Goata initiated this dirty work. Police and law enforcement agents could not take any action against those people who committed racial attacks for the last 7 years. It was reported that hundreds of racial attacks have been recorded against Muslim community for the last 7 years. Yet, no single action was taken by the law enforcement agents. Why? Because, politicians have been perverting the course of justice. They have been blocking judges from passing judgments.   

         In fact, for the last 7 years, all law enforcements agents were compelled to work for these BBS groups. It was Goata who controlled all these groups and all government apparatus: Army, Navy and Police could not freely act on their own, but all came under directive of Goata. As a result of this, BBS roamed freely mocking Muslim rituals, insulting the Holy Qur’an and the prophet of Islam. Even, BBS insulted Almighty Allah many times. Yet, no action was taken against this group. There is no Muslim country in the world to speak for Sri Lankan Muslim community. There is no Muslim country in the world to ask Sri Lankan Government about this racial and religious hatreds. So called 53 Muslim leaders of 53 Muslim countries who claim that they worship Almighty Allah did not have any sense of religious sentiment to question Sri Lankan government when monks insulted Allah openly. Shame on Muslim leaders: They are deaf and dump as Allah describes them.  Monks in Sri Lanka insulted the sacred texts of Islam and sacred faith of Islam and yet, No Arab or Muslim leader had the bravery to question Sri Lankan government about it. 

        Today, Sri Lankan community is suffering as Rohingya Muslims suffered in recent time. For Sri Lanka Muslim community there is no Bangladesh to shelter them nor Pakistan to help them or no any Muslim country to help them. Only Allah Almighty could save this tiny Muslim community from these brutal Buddhist extremists. Let us revitalise our faith and trust in Allah alone no one else. There is nothing happens in this world without the wisdom and plan of Almighty Allah. No leaf will fall down from the tree without his knowledge. So, Sri Lankan Muslim community should not despair any hope from the grace of Allah Almighty. We have been protected by   Allah for the last 1000 years in this Island, it is only Allah alone could protect us. 

Do not trust all these Muslim politicians any longer. These Muslim politicians are partly responsible for this situation. They should have taken action in 2011 when BBS initially acted against Muslim community and yet, they did not. They should have resigned their posts in 2011 and yet, they did not do that. They should have joined Tamil political parties and set with them in opposition in 2011 but they did not do that. They could have done many things in those 7 years, but they did not do that. Now, there is no hope for Muslim community in these Muslim political leaders. These attacks are testimonials for the ineptitude of Muslim political leadership. If we want to see any change in Muslim community in the near future, Muslim community in Sri Lanka should think how to change the Muslim political leadership. If they can not save your mosques, your houses and your villages what is the point to have them as your representatives: they do not have any moral right to be your representative at all. They are shame for Muslim community now. So, never vote for these 21 Muslim MPs next time. 

We should work hand in hand with some Sinhalese community members and civil societies to save the Muslim community from the brutal attacks of these mobs. As you know well Sri Lankan Muslim community is scattered all over the Island. We should thank many good minded Sinhalese leaders, academics, monks and journalist openly condemn the violent acts of these mobs.  The entire Muslim community owe a sense of gratitude and thank to all those who spoke against these mobs. Unfortunately, Sri Lankan government has been prejudicial and bias against Muslim community in recent past.

      What is the point to have a democratic government if people can behave like animals, what is the point of having police if people can take the law into the hands? What is the [point of having the legal system if the law of jungle prevails in Sri Lanka? These mobs have tarnished the good name of Sri Lanka. They have indeed, given bad name to Sri Lanka. They have done a greater damage to Sri Lankan economy and touristy. why not government take action against them? 

   If Sri Lanka goes like this, the future of the Sri Lanka will be bleak. We may descend into anarchy and chaos for many decades to come. After 30 years of war, Sri Lanka needed a nation building process. You cannot build any nation without peace and harmony. You can not build a nation without support of all communities. You can not build a nation without cooperation and contribution of all communities in education, economy, investment, production and service sectors. Since the independence, all three communities have been working on their own for their community interest. Each community has been keen to protect its racial, religious, and ethnic interest over the national interest of this nation. It is sad that Sinhalese did not trust Tamils and Tamils did not trust Sinhalese. Muslim community did not trust neither of them. Now, 70 years of mistrust and suspicion have inflated into communal tension for any small incident like that of this latest murder that sparked into a brutal communal violence. 

        In any civil society, disputes between people are unavoidable. It is part and parcel of human life and yet, to make as communal violence is totally unacceptable. Sinhalese person may kill another Sinhalese. Do not you see how murders take place in Sri Lanka each year. Hundreds of murders take place. It is unavoidable in human life and yet, to  turn them into a communal violence is wrong. All these incidents should be dealt with court of law. Police should act with more responsibility to take action against killers rather than letting the mobs to take the law into their hands.  

These mobs are not true loyal citizens of Sri Lanka rather they are true enemies of Sri Lanka. They are criminals and Sri Lankan government should take some strong actions against all these thugs and make them to pay all compensation for all those damage they have done so far. They have damage the wealth of this nation and they should pay back all compensation for all these damages. There is no any other way to teach these people some lessons. Sri Lanka is one of the beautiful country in Asia and yet, these mobs have damaged the ecology and beauty of this country. Above all, the good name of Sri Lanka has been damaged by these mobs. It will take many decades to amend all this. 

Muslim community should learn many lessons from these attacks. Why did these mobs attack us? what went wrong in our side? Who should be blamed for this? why did those four men kill this lorry driver? Why did not we sort this out before this engulfs in a fire ball like this? what is next steps in our relationship with Tamil and Sinhalese community? what about our political leadership? What did they behave on this issue? How long we could trust them? Do we need to review our relationship with wider Sinhalese community? What about our intellectuals? Have they failed to guide Muslim community for the last 7 years? What about our influence in wider Muslim world today? What could we do and what can not we do? What are our limits and limitations? What should be our next move? How should we move next? What is the role of Muslim clerics in peace building in Sri Lanka? what is the role of Muslim civil society on this issue? So many questions Muslim community should ask? Unfortunately, Muslim community is like a soda bottle it acts and reacts with incidents and accidents, but it never plans for the future. So, this should be an eye opener for Muslim community.  May Allah protect it from all evils