disarming the juggernaut of religious intolerance in sri lanka

7/29/2019 Disarming the Juggernaut of Religious Intolerance in Sri Lanka

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Disarming the juggernaut of religious

intolerance in Sri Lanka

by Sachin Parathalingam and Kavindya Tennakoon

- on 09/07/2013

The youth of Sri Lanka express theirdismay and alarm over the apparent surge in religious intolerance and

communal discord that has permeated our society in the post-LTTE era andparticularly in recent months. It is a pity that the infamous Grandpassincident, a subject of intense political drama a few weeks back, wasneither isolated nor random, as some conveniently assert. Researchconducted by the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) indicates that fromMay 2009- January 2013 a staggering 69 attacks have been directed atplaces of religious worship. While the majority of these cases pertain to theChristian community, particularly non-traditional churches, this does notpreclude other major religions, with reports indicating at least 10 Buddhisttemples and Muslim mosques came under attack in the period under

survey.What is truly fuelling this juggernaut of intolerance is not the inter-religiousattacks or the impunity the perpetrators of these attacks appear to enjoy.

The members of this forum hold the view that these attacks, which areundoubtedly deplorable, do little to alter the mindsets of the so-calledmoderate thinkers or fuel deep communal hatred or majoritarianinsecurity in that sense. The driving force behind this phenomenon ofintolerance is largely the virulent hate campaigns against certain religionsand religious groups propagated via the online and social media. For
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instance a recent infographic on a Facebook page, asserted that the growthrate of the Muslim population is over 80% and if the Sinhalese are notcareful, the Muslim population would supersede that of the Sinhalese by2014. Another infographic likened the practices of Islam such as Halal tothat of the Taliban. To correct the peace-loving groups behind thesesentiments, the Muslim community constitute a mere 8%( approximately) of

the total population, a fact that the followers of our forum need littlereminder of. Consequently it is obvious that assertions such as thosehighlighted above are nothing more than a farce, as any reasonable mindwould comprehend. But when sugar-coated with colourful images andpotent rhetoric, sentiments such as these, expressed in social media canmutate into a viable and potentially lethal propaganda tool , a tool that ifleft unchecked could have limitless and dangerous consequences forcommunal harmony.The majority are NOT intolerantOf the many prevailing conflicts on religious lines, perhaps the most

prominent of all is the apparent clash between the Muslim community andcertain groups who act under the slogans of safeguarding Buddhism and protecting the majority. The members of this forum seek to stress thatattempts made by groups promoting malicious propaganda and religiousdiscord to create the impression that they are through some delusion,executing the will of the majority, paints a picture of the Sinhalesespeaking Buddhist majority which is simply untrue. Attempts made toproject these groups, as guardians of Buddhism are also highly inaccurateas a true Buddhist would no doubt understand that Buddhism preaches themiddle path and Lord Buddha himself sought to invoke ideals of

tolerance and harmony amongst his disciples.The members of this forum note that historically the majority of the SinhalaBuddhist citizens, including those in the deep South have been tolerant andaccepting of other religions and their beliefs. They have experienced firsthand the effects of protracted ethno-religious disharmony a 30 year longconflict which claimed thousand of lives , destroyed hordes of property andhindered any hope of development. They have absolutely no intention ofseeing a repetition of this ordeal. The fact that the recent wave of anti-Muslim sentiments occurred almost spontaneously, with no gradualprogression in the anti-Muslim discourse, is testimony to the fact that

groups propagating these sentiments are actually a minority voice. Theirstrategy could perhaps be interpreted as attempting to whip up religiousdiscord as a majority Vs minority issue , masking the fact that it is only asmall proportion of people that share such intolerant attitudes.During the recent visit to Sri Lanka of the UN High Commissioner for HumanRights Navi Pillay , she raised concern over the surge in religiousintolerance with top officials including The Minister of Justice and ThePresident. In light of the High Commissioners concerns it is the observation


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of the members of this forum , that the anti-Muslim sentiments paraded bythese groups are largely media-driven, and acquire their legitimacy viapublicity in the vernacular print media.This forum urges the mainstreamprint and electronic media, especially the vernacular press to exercisecaution in publicizing and affording prominence to the actions andsentiments of groups ill disposed to notions of religious tolerance , which

could create unnecessary communal discord and stir up hatred. It is crucialfor the media to understand that groups promoting agendas of discord ,draw their relevance from a nave media, which provides their views andsentiments with the traction they so desperately require. By ignoring anddismissing these sentiments, especially in light of the fact that theyrepresent only a small cohort of individuals, the media is automaticallysnuffling out the sentiments of these groups and rendering them politicallyirrelevant. Playing into the hands of these groups by affording them much-needed media attention is a poor strategy will not yield any long-termbenefits, unless you count a polarized society as something to be

venerated.Rule of Law: The best disarming tool

The lackadaisical approach of the law enforcement authorities to arrest theperpetrators of the attacks on places of worship and more importantly thecomplete and utter failure to implement the relevant sections of the penalcode dealing with issues of religious intolerance is shocking. While there isconsiderable lacunae in the current legislation governing hate speech andcommunal violence , implementing the current legislation indiscriminatelyis essential. The prevalence of the rule of law is the most plausible andeffective method of disarming groups promoting discord, as it will send an

overt message that such acts are not permissible under anycircumstances and consequently the religious tensions that prevail underthe current environment would fizzle out. It is important to note section219A of the penal code, which states, Whoever with deliberate intentionof wounding the religious feelings of any person shall be punished withimprisonment or with a fine or both. Furthermore with Sri Lanka havingratified the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) weare obliged under international law to enact the necessary domesticlegislation to address issues of religious intolerance. The ICCPR notes in thisregard any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes

and incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence shall be prohibited bylawOur national anthem in Sinhala states Eka mawekuge daru kala bawina.

This sums up the need for religious tolerance in a nutshell , for a truedemocracy is one which respects the beliefs of all its participants, shunningthe discriminatory behavior which can erode the inter-religious harmony SriLanka has traditionally enjoyed in the past. The link between ethno-religious harmony and economic development is unquestionable and


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becoming the miracle of Asia requires us to do far more than buildingroads and airports, as social development must accompany physicaldevelopment, for true economic progress to be achieved. Ultimatelydisarming this juggernaut of intolerance requires a dual approach- acommitment to Rule of law and a willingness on the part of the collectivemedia to act in the interests of promoting harmony. We the youth have

presented these solutions. I suppose the question that remains is what , ifanything the decision makers are going to do about it?###Dynalogue is a non-partisan, a-political ,youth discussion forum founded todiscuss burning social /economic and political issues affecting the citizensof Sri Lanka. The views expressed in this article represent a spectrum ofyouth with divergent political and economic outlooks. The forum memberscan be reached via email at [email protected] . To learn more aboutDynalogue and to follow our discussions visit our Facebook pagewww.facebook.com/dynalogue8 or website www.Dynalogue.org.
mailto:[email protected]://www.dynalogue.org/mailto:[email protected]://www.dynalogue.org/

disarming the juggernaut of religious intolerance in sri lanka

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