The hegemonic Christian Culture
Posted on February 1st, 2013
Nalin de Silva
Mr. Annesley de Silva writing to the Editor on 25th January 2013 says he read with amusement what I wrote to the Midweek Review on 23rd January on ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Defending the constitutionƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. He may be amused writing from Australia when we poor Sinhala Buddhists refer to the multiculturalism practiced in USA, but we who have suffered for more than five hundred years under western Christian modernity have no alternative but to reveal the hypocrisy of western Christian culture. The Anglo Saxon variety of the Judaic Christian culture is the dominant culture not only in USA Australia and other such countries but also in the rest of the world, and the so called intellectuals of this particular culture who are responsible for creating knowledge have come out with concepts such as multiculturalism in order to mislead the people, especially those who have had an imitating western Christian education.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The education given in schools and universities is nothing but a western Christian education whether it is in Astronomy or Zoology. All that I wanted to demonstrate in my article was that that the western countries practice multiculturalism in a weak sense while they want us to have multiculturalism in the strong sense, and thatƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ObamaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s speech at the inauguration is rhetoric and hypocrisy as usual.
I have been using the concepts of multiculturalism in a weak sense and in a strong sense for years but the pundits and Brahmins refuse to have even a discussion of the concepts. Almost All countries in the world are multicultural in the sense that there are two or more cultures practiced. However these cultures are not treated equally in the western world, as some variety of the Judaic Christian culture is the dominant culture in all of these countries. Obama at the inauguration showed what the dominant culture of USA is by ignoring all the cultures other than the dominant culture. This is multiculturalism in the weak sense where one culture is the dominant culture without any semblance of equality as regards to the cultures. Multiculturalism in the strong sense on the other hand demands equality of all the cultures practiced in a country, thus in a world dominated by western Christian culture making that culture effectively the predominant culture. Very often the significant culture in a country is demeaned denying its status as the significant culture. The so called western intellectuals would come out with theories and even postgraduate students from the western countries are given a recognition very much beyond their capabilities and are allowed to contribute regularly to national newspapers. How many of our students who go to western countries for postgraduate studies are given the opportunity to contribute to the national newspapers in those countries. All the western countries are Christian in culture but the moment we say that the significant culture in this country is Sinhala Buddhist almost all the so called intellectuals including some Sinhalas would object to it on the grounds that all cultures are equal, and that the country is secular.
In order to show how Australia practices multiculturalism I quote the following from a speech made by the Australian Prime Minister. ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law were told on Wednesday to get out of Australia, as the government targeted radicals in a bid to head off potential terror attacks. Separately, Gillard angered some Australian Muslims on Wednesday by saying she supported spy agencies monitoring the nation’s mosques. Quote:
‘IMMIGRANTS, NOT AUSTRALIANS, MUST ADAPT. Take It Or Leave It.
I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Bali, we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Australians.’ ‘This culture has been developed over two centuries of struggles, trials and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom.’
‘We speak mainly ENGLISH, not Spanish, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society … learn the language!’
‘Most Australians believe in The Lord . This is not some Christian, right wing, political push, but a fact, because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because JESUS is part of our culture. ”We will accept your beliefs, and will not question why. All we ask is that you accept ours, and live in harmony and peaceful enjoyment with us.’
‘This is OUR COUNTRY, OUR LAND, and OUR LIFESTYLE, and we will allow you every opportunity to enjoy all this. But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about
Our Flag, Our Pledge, Our Christian beliefs, or Our Way of Life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great Australian freedom, ‘THE RIGHT TO LEAVE’.”If you aren’t happy here then LEAVE. We didn’t force you to come here. You asked to be here. So accept the country.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚
ObamaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s speech on equality of women and the rest is nothing but rhetoric and there is a political party though small in Australia that has come out with a statement suggesting impeachment of
Obama forƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ his involvement with Al Quaeda. As many people in Sri Lanka as well as in Australia probably have not seen it I quote from the media release of the Ctizens Electoral Council of Australia issued on 15th January 2013.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-The revelations that continue to emerge from the clearing smoke of the 11 September, 2012 terrorist attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya add to a mounting pile of evidence that U.S. President Barack Obama and his British and French cohorts armed and supported the very al-Qaeda-linked terrorists who killed U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other diplomatic personnel in that attack. ObamaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s clandestine alliance with the al-Qaeda terrorist network is grounds for the U.S. Congress to initiate impeachment proceedings against him.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚
Imagine Mahinda Rajapakse making a statement similar to that by the Australian Prime Minster or getting involved in actions similar to that by Obama and his friends. Obama in his speech used the phrase ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-We the peopleƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ that is found in the American constitution as if the people are taken into consideration . The French Revolution as well as the American revolution were part of the of the defeat of the Medieval European Catholic culture with the triumph of western Christian culture and people mentioned by Obama or in Les Miserable by Victor Hugo have no meaning then as well as at present. In Sri Lanka people such as Shanie who writes a weekly column may be waiting for the people to rise forgetting that the people or the common man meaning the Sinhala Buddhists have already begun to rise commencing in 1956, and it is this rising that is lamented by some Brahmins of the western Christian culture as their domination is declining slowly but steadily. The failure of the Academic and Hulftsdorp springs have demonstrated that the Brahmins have no leader and hence no future, in spite of the support by the Christian west.
February 1st, 2013 at 6:05 pm
Dear Nalin,
We have been subjugated by Europeons for five hundred years and some of our ancesstors have accepted their culture. It is part of our history and we cannot erase it easily. Look at your name.
February 1st, 2013 at 8:27 pm
Nalin,
The statements you have attributed to the Australian Prime Minister in paragraphs 3 to 6 of your article were NOT made by her. What you have quoted is something that has been doing the rounds via email and has been attributed to various Western leaders in countries with Muslim immigrants.
This is therefore not a sound basis for your argument.
You have got to get your facts right if you are to be credible
February 1st, 2013 at 9:16 pm
What the heck! We can CREATE history.
IMMIGRANTS, NOT SINHALESE, MUST ADAPT. Take It Or Leave It.
I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some bugger, individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Anuradhapura, we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Sri Lankans. This culture has been developed over three millennia of struggles, trials and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom.’
‘We speak mainly SINHALA, not bloody Tamil, Arabic or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society … learn the language!’
‘Most Sri Lankans believe in Buddhism. This is not some extremist, right wing, political push, but a fact, because Buddhist men and women, on Buddhist principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If Buddhism offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because Buddhism is part of our culture. ”We will accept your beliefs, and will not question why. All we ask is that you accept ours, and live in harmony and peaceful enjoyment with us.’
‘This is OUR COUNTRY, OUR LAND, and OUR LIFESTYLE, and we will allow you every opportunity to enjoy all this. But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about Our Flag, Our Pledge, Our Buddhist beliefs, or Our Way of Life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great Sri Lankan freedom, ‘THE RIGHT TO LEAVE’.” If you aren’t happy here then LEAVE. Bugger off! We didn’t force you to come here. You asked to be here and came here to pluck tobacco and tea leaves and trade. So accept the country or leave to your Hindustan or Pakistan.”
February 2nd, 2013 at 5:50 am
‘This is OUR COUNTRY, OUR LAND, and OUR LIFESTYLE, and we will allow you every opportunity to enjoy all this. But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about Our Flag, Our Pledge, Our Buddhist beliefs, or Our Way of Life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great Sri Lankan freedom, ‘THE RIGHT TO LEAVE’.” If you aren’t happy here then LEAVE. Bugger off! We didn’t force you to come here. You asked to be here and came here to trade drugs and to fight our army. So accept the country or leave to your Saudi nadu.”
February 2nd, 2013 at 12:08 pm
Lorenzo,
If we go around making statements like that, we will have sanctions and soon be bombed out of existence by LTTE and Wahabist directed opportunists!
1. Western countries and Israel can afford to make such statements because they all stand together when faced with an outside threat and the USA guarantees their security. We have no big power to guarantee our security.
2. Second point is that the Tamil cultural entity has been in Sri Lanka for well over 1,000 years. Sinhala entity about 2,500 years. Who are you or I to say Tamil speakers (or any other non-Sinhala group) are less Sri Lankan? There have been some Tamil patriots like the late L. Kadirgamar. The solution is for Tamils, Sinhala, Muslims and ALL must adopt Yakka or FIRST NATIONS identity (its too late to change from Sinhala language to Yakka but we must be aware of the source of all our cultural influences – eg English speaking New Zealanders are increasingly aware they live in a Polynesian first nations country) and after that we must build links with a superpower that will guarantee freedom and security of ALL our peoples in an open and transparent manner, not double dealers and racists like the Indians.
February 2nd, 2013 at 12:13 pm
Dear Nalin, exorcise these 500 year old ghosts that continue to haunt you. Its not relevant to today. We face more real and different threats today. EMBRACE all aspects of our history. Its what makes our identity unique. Historic European influences also helps to differentiate us more from Indians also. If we play our cards correctly, we can use these influences to our advantage, eg to market our country abroad as a positive cosmopolitan open society, without losing sight of the Indian-Sinhala influences (that you value so much) also.
Get over it pal.
February 4th, 2013 at 2:07 am
Voice123 ,
Thanks. It’s good to hear a voice of reason
February 4th, 2013 at 1:19 pm
Voice,
Please get your facts right.
1. SL has friends! Many of them. We can make such statements AND stand by them too.
e.g. war VICTORY – We were bolder than Israel in going against so called international community
2. Have you ever travelled to UK, USA, Malaysia, France, Germany, Japan, Australia, and other highly developed democratic countries?
They have ONLY the majority language and culture as their official language, culture, public holidays. SL MUST follow them.
Racist Indians have all sort of so many national languages including Tamil! What a joke.
February 4th, 2013 at 3:58 pm
Nalin”s ideas helped to win the war. If we continued to think like voic123 we could have never won the war
Tamil minority should learn Sinhala this is a sinhala country if u cannot leave it Ask British to take u somewhere and settle Muslims be grateful to sinhala buddhists for saving u from portugese and dutch . We never acted like muslims in other countries killing all non muslims . Do not make us think that we have made a mistake by helpind u
February 4th, 2013 at 4:21 pm
“Nalin”s ideas helped to win the war. If we continued to think like voic123 we could have never won the war”
Absolutely!
Nalin did more than supporting war VICTORY. His other things also hurt these people.
I don’t agree with Nalin 100% but the MAIN point he makes is valid.
“In Sri Lanka people such as Shanie who writes a weekly column”
This Shanie (Shanie in Tamil meaning curse of saturn) is an Islamic fundamentalist.
February 4th, 2013 at 6:06 pm
voice 123
ARYA CHAKRAWARTHI S are not Tamils Tamils and aryans are different present Tamils were braught here by british as labourers Vellalas are in africa too. Have u compared the language of lanka Tamils and Indian tamils. KOVIYAR in Jaffna are sinhala GOVIYAThese sinhalese were forced to be Tamils inthe British period because tamils were MADE POWERFUL by British British reports mentioned these people as Malabar and never mentioned them as Tamils
These recent l labourers were settled down in various places in jaffna and lands were given under thesawalamai and were encouraged to learn more and more english to undermine the majority sinhalese because sinhalese never wanted to surrender to british and work under them Indians were their slaves
Any way it is for their benifit to learn sinhala They have to sell thei products to 74% sinhalese
Why waste our money and energy to teach tamil to 74%
February 5th, 2013 at 6:17 am
ALOY
Why boyher about nalin”s name u know the difference between
WIKRAMABAHU KARUNARATNE and NALINde SILVA
NALIN is 100% better Sinhalese
February 5th, 2013 at 6:26 am
c
cassandra
why not u give us the coorect speach for our infomation
February 5th, 2013 at 10:59 pm
Voice123 – You should have figured out by now that Lorenza Nando and the likes of them (just a few in LW) would prefer to be Chinese slaves with indian roots – born again converts.
February 6th, 2013 at 6:46 am
Senevirath,
I am not sure of what exactly you mean by your question to me. Perhaps, you are referring to my first comment that Nalin de Silva has incorrectly attributed to the Australian Prime Minister, a passage he has quoted, and you wish to know who the actual author of that passage is. If that is your question, the simple answer is, I don’t know. But I do know that the Australian Prime Minister is not the author of that passage. As I said in my first comment, this passage has been attributed to various people. In the emails I have received I have seen it attributed variously to the Canadian prime minister, the British prime minister and the Australian prime minister. They could not ALL have said it, and it will be clear to any sensible person that those prime ministers will never have used in public the kind of insensitive language that we find here.
You will see if you visit the website http://www.snopes.com – a site which can confirm whether something is a hoax or not – that this passage is incorrectly attributed to the Australian prime minister and that this is a ‘revised version’ of the text of an opinion written by a US Air Force veteran.
February 6th, 2013 at 8:49 am
Nobody wants to be slaves . Because of india we are now facing so much of problems They want lanka to be one of their PRAANTHA
China isa fa raway country They never dropped PARIPPU to lanka and threatened us. They never helped terrorists to devide lanka We should use their help to overcome the situation intelligently
That is what we are talking.
February 7th, 2013 at 4:22 am
Senevirath,
I admire Nalin’s work. I took lot of time to figure out what he was trying to say about the existance of same electron in two places at the same time. He being a brilliant academic, should spend more time on endeavours like that. On the other hand Bahu has created lot of problems for us. He is responsible for wasting the funds which could have been given to another student for the PhD.
I mentioned about Nalins name just to point out that we really do not have so much against the west or their ways. Otherwise millions of our low country people would not have used Christian names or their tittles. Perhaps they are not fully aware about the real situation in SL. I think fault is with GOSL by not putting an efficient foreign minister for the job.