What do the Buddhists want from the Muslims?
Posted on July 18th, 2014
Nalin de Silva – Courtesy: Daily News
The above question was asked by a Muslim friend of mine after the Aluthgama Beruwala incidents. At that time the Minister Hakeem was trying to score points over the Sinhala Buddhists and he has now threatened the latter by claiming that unless the Bhikkus are controlled there could be Muslim extremist organisations. Imposing an unofficial blackout” on the news gave Hakeem and others a free hand to spread the usual anti Sinhala Buddhist line among the Muslims.
It appears that Hakeem is of the view that some organisations would get foreign aid to engage in extremist activities. As we have argued elsewhere, no individual or organisation should be allowed to engage in political activities with foreign aid” and it should apply to Hakeem’s Muslim extremist organisations” as well. Hakeem’s idea of controlling the Bhikkus is against the culture of the country, and by that statement alone he has shown his anti Buddhist attitudes.
Collective responsibility
We have enough experience with the Tamil racists some of whom eventually became extremists and finally terrorists with foreign aid”. The ideology, finance, equipments including arms were supplied by foreigners with many Western Governmental Organisations (WGOs, so called NGOs) involved in various capacities.
The Tamil racism is more than two hundred years old and is still thriving with the dispersed Tamils and WGOs being used by the Western countries to destabilize Sri Lanka and replace the Rajapaksa regime” with a Ranil regime” that would dance to the tune of the West. We should not allow Hakeem or any other person to push Sri Lanka to another war”, but if that is what Hakeem wants the Sinhala people would not jump to the Indian Ocean or even Nilwala Ganga down south in desperation.
In Sri Lanka we have evolved a unique Cabinet tradition, where so called collective responsibility is not found. It is not necessary to follow the Western Cabinet traditions, very often found only in textbooks, and we should allow the Cabinet ministers to speak their own minds in public. We now know where each Cabinet minister stands with respect to policy, even though the policy implemented is what is taken at Cabinet meetings not necessarily by consensus. There is no room for consensus, as there is no national policy as such.
BBS members
Though Hakeem tries to frighten the Buddhists with talk of extremist Muslim organisations, they are already here, as people know of activities in Muslim Enclaves”. It is unfortunate that on certain days the law of the country is not respected in these enclaves” and with an incident such as a motor accident the enclaves” come to their own.
There were some Tamil leaders who were prepared to accept the fact that there were Tamil extremist organisations but I have not come across any Muslim who would accept that there is Muslim extremism even today. Recently a Bhikku known to me for more than thirty years, and who associates with the Muslim Maulavis and others told me that the latter would never admit that there is a Muslim aggression with Muslim extremist elements involved.
Of course, one would say that there is no need for any Muslim to admit that there is Muslim extremism, aggression in the country when there is no such phenomenon in the country.
The average Sinhala person, whom I know has felt this aggression and one should not think of Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) as an isolated phenomenon without any mass support. There may be some educated” Buddhists who contribute to newspapers on the Bhikku image” and whether it is proper for a Bhikku to behave the way that some of the Bhikku leaders of some organisations are projected in the news media. The majority of the Buddhists whom I associate differs from these educated types” and do not speak against the BBS.
It is not the number of BBS members that count but the support that they have from the general public. One should not go by the letters to the editor by the educated types” and think that the activities of BBS are condemned by the majority of the people. Whether the BBS is supported by the government or not it exists as there is a demand” for these organisations, especially when the government is restricted by certain international” conditions.
Only on Wednesday I met a Unani” intern who wore the black Muslim traditional cloak”, and I was able to explain to her that the Sinhala people consider the purdah” or the cloak” as a symbol of Muslim aggression.
About twenty five years ago these purdahs” were not seen on the streets in Sri Lanka, and even today in Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Maldives to name a few Asian countries outside Western Asia the traditional purdah” is not worn by the Muslim ladies as much as in Sri Lanka. The dress can be a weapon used by political movements and as far as the Sinhalas are considered the purdah” has become an expression of Muslim aggression.
Preserving cultural values
The Sinhala people would not object to Muslims having their own identity, and preserving the cultural values. However, in the process, the Muslims do not have to be Arabian Muslims”.
As Ven. Galabodaaththe Gnanasra Thera has said recently it is the Sinhala people who are the original inhabitants of the country and they are the people who evolved a culture unique to the country.
I do not agree with the Thera when he says, probably following Mahavamsa that the Sinhala people colonized the country. My view of history is different from what is stated in Mahavamsa as I am of the opinion that the Sinhala people are descendants of Yagu Kaurana (Yaksha) and other gothras (not tribes in the Western sense) who had been living in this country for more than at least five thousand years as established by the excavations of Prof. Raj Somadeva and others, and of course Vedic or Ardha Vedic people who arrived about two thousand five hundred years ago.
The Yagu Kauranas had become Buddhists during the time of Budunvahanse as stated in Varigapurnikava and also confirmed by the excavations of Prof. Somadeva, and had established what may be called Hela Buddhist culture. This culture has been incorporated in the Sinhala Buddhist culture probably by the fifth century and anybody who came to this blessed island had been absorbed to this culture. The origin of the Vedda community is not well known but they have had their own culture without being a threat to the Sinhala Buddhist culture.
Sinhala Buddhist culture
When the Muslims came to this country from present South India they would have come as Tamil speaking Muslims or even Tamil Muslims.
As they had come in large numbers or due to some other reason they had not been absorbed in to the Sinhala Buddhist culture and had remained as a separate entity as in the case of Vedda community. I do not buy the story that they came from Arab and married Sinhala women and spoke with their offspring in Tamil and not in Sinhala or Arabic.
The Tamil Muslims or Tamil speaking Muslims if the Muslims prefer that way, had not worn the traditional Muslim dresses in Sri Lanka as the climate in Sri Lanka or present South India is not suitable for that dress. Only a few years ago the Muslim ladies wore the sari with the sari pota” over their heads and thus identifying themselves as Muslims. The sari/osari, have been the dress worn by the Sinhala ladies (at least the elite Menikes) when going out even before the time of Anagarika Dharmapala and what the latter did was to democratize” the dress so that not so elite ladies also wore the sari/osari. Probably the Muslim ladies followed suit or continued with the sari that they brought from present South India, with the sari pota over the head.
To cut a long story short, what the Buddhists want from the Muslims is for them to behave as Sri Lankan Muslims and not as Arabian Muslims. The Buddhists have borrowed from the Muslims, especially from the recently migrated Malay Muslims, and are proud of these cultural absorptions.
The Muslims on their part have absorbed from the Sinhala Buddhist culture and the cultures should not only be threats to other countries but should not appear to be so. What we should aim at is the evolution of a Sri Lankan culture unique to this country with of course differences that would maintain the Buddhistness”, Muslimness”, Christianness” etc.
In this regard I should mention that in the Universities of Colombo and Kelaniya, I told my Catholic students that they should strive to be Sri Lankan Catholics (Sinhala or Tamil Catholics) and not Roman Catholics. The Muslims in Sri Lanka should be Sinhala or Tamil Muslims (Sri Lankan Muslims) and not Arabian Muslims.
– See more at: http://www.dailynews.lk/?q=features/what-do-buddhists-want-muslims#sthash.cGqFPGB5.dpuf
http://www.dailynews.lk/?q=features/what-do-buddhists-want-muslims
July 18th, 2014 at 3:32 pm
SLs before Muslims. But will they do it?
July 18th, 2014 at 4:54 pm
Every where in the world, muslims are using the country’s democratic system to impose Islamic values such as their financial system, their way of eating foods, their way of cloths.
Even muslims say that Saudi arabia, Afghanistan, Maldive Island, Indonesia were buddhist initially and eventually they make Sri Lanka too islamic.
What ever it is very important to protect and preserve the Sinhala-buddhist civilization. It was saved from Tamils and from many other immigrants. Only the christianity, Islam are destroying it. Sinhala buddhist culture is the major civilization as far back as we understand.
July 18th, 2014 at 5:09 pm
I think, the author is out of mind.
With the christian or the Islamic culture, there is no space any other cultures. It is either one of them or none. You should understand, how both the christians and muslims are angry with buddhism. If the LTTE was happened in either a christian or a Muslim country, tamils would not live like this. The sole and only objective of both the mosque and the Churches are conversion and make the whole neighbourhood theirs.
It is Christian culture and Islamic culture that do not know how to live with other cultures. simply speaking, it is not in their books.
See, how muslims kill muslims. See, how protestants killed Catholics. See how Catholics tried to absorb Anglicans when the British – church went bust. See how, christians got angry when Pope invited anglicans to come to their church.
July 18th, 2014 at 6:43 pm
Sinhala may be new in Sri Lanka.
But, Buddhist civilization in the times of four different Buddhas are written in On the chronicles of Ceylon. Ojadipa (Kakusanda time), Mandadipa (Probably Konagamana dispensation), Varadipa (Kassyapa time), Lankadipa and Tmapannidipa (Gothama Buddha time).
July 19th, 2014 at 3:48 am
We lived in Sri Lankan community with Muslims and Tamils in the past with no conflicts. We studied with them at same schools in same classes with similar rights. The secret behind this was nothing but as the author of this article says that they lived as ‘Sri Lankan Muslims’ and ‘Sri Lankan Tamils’. Not only the schools, they share used almost all the facilities with Sinhalese in friendly manner. Sinhela & Sinhala Buddhist never ever raised any issues with those parties.
However, with the time the corrupted politicians from those parties ruined the existed friendly culture for their political gains. Specially the Muslims, they imported the Arabic Muslim culture and planted within Sri Lanka Muslims and taught them they are different and should act differently. They changed the dress of ladies. They launched a cold war introducing Muslim extremist organisations in the country not to fight with Sinhela & Sinhala Buddhist but to increase their population in the country.
Hon. Minister Hakim knows this very well but very cunningly he misleads the world wide International community by interpreting this situation differently. He says ” unless the Bhikkus are controlled there could be Muslim extremist”. Hakim should understand that it was them, the Muslim leaders who have indirectly invited the humble and simple Buddhists to raise their voice for their existence and come as a group known as BBS. All Muslims in Sri Lanka should reschedule their programmes and reform back to Sri Lanka Muslims. Otherwise, they cant stop the BBS merging within true Sinhela & Sinhala Buddhists even though they have the support from ‘Kalu Suddhos’.
July 19th, 2014 at 10:04 am
Prof Nalin De Silva knows very well how christians and Muslims are trying to win Asia.
Buddhists know how to do “live and Let Live”. that is why how buddhists accepted Catholics/christians and muslims.
But, either the christians or Muslims don’t have a thing like that in their books. They always want others to be in their religion.
In that mentality, buddhists have to accept a DO OR DIE strategy.
if Sinhala-buddhists try to think the same crap that the author preaches, Sinhala buddhists vanish as how they vanished from Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Indonesia, India, Maldive Island, Bangladesh, Pakistan
July 19th, 2014 at 2:35 pm
“What do Buddhists want from the Muslims”? that all depends on what Islam wants from the Buddhist world and for that matter from the non Islamic world. If the Koran like the Mein Kamph of Hitler or “Das Capital” of the Communists or the Bible of the Christians is to be used as to find out what the Muslims want out of the non Muslims then the answer to what the “Buddhists want out of the Muslims” lies there.
If current world examples are to be used of “what the Buddhists want out of the Muslims” then look around the Islamic world and see what is happening to non Muslims in those nations. Look at Non Muslim nations with large Muslim populations and what is happening to them. If the Jews were asked “What do the Jews want out of Nazism” the Jews now would answer “What did the Nazis want out of the Jews”. Then only can such a question be answered.
July 21st, 2014 at 7:03 am
Why none of the readers pointed out the most important thing, I wonder everytime
this mossie problem is talked about?
FIRST THING THEY HAVE TO DOIS STOP MULTIPLYING LIKE XXXX.
THAT’S HOW THEY OVERWHELM BUDDDHIST
IRAN
AFGANISTHAN
PAKISTHAN
MALDIVES
BANGLADESH
MALAYSIA
INDONESIA.
They are repeating the same DIRTY TRICK in Sri Lanka, Thailand and Burma.
With the increased numbers you get more and more votes.
More votes mean more rogues like hakeem, bathurtheen, ashrof etc. etc to
impose their will on Sinhalese and the Tamils.
For god’s sake point this BREEDING out next time.
July 21st, 2014 at 11:22 am
RohanJay Says: Your comment is awaiting moderation.
July 21st, 2014 at 11:15 am
Shenali is right, we musn’t forget Political Islam in its modern form was created by the British Empire a hundred years ago in the Middle East as means to destabilise countries around the world. Also Britain is ludicrously blaming Russia for the downing of the Malyasian Airliner when Britain is one of the biggest sponsors of terrorism in the world from Al Qaida to the LTTE. As most Sri Lankans are well aware of. I hope lankaweb publishes this excellent article by Kurt Nimmo of inforwars.com which details a lot of the things that Shenali Waduge has been saying on lankaweb.com over the years.
http://www.infowars.com/british-defense-sec-accuses-russia-of-sponsoring-terror/