Colombo, May 11 (Reuters/News18/newsin.asia): Sri Lankan Security Forces are looking for terror-leader Zahran’s successors.
A madrassah teacher and a firebrand preacher of the Wahabi and Salafi brands of Islam in Kattankudi in Eastern Sri Lanka, Zahran Hashim had led the group of suicide bombers on April 21 and perished in the attack on Shangri-La hotel. There could be some aspirants for the leadership of the group led vacant by his death.
Lankan Army chief Lt.Gen.Mahesh Senanayake told Reuters here on Friday that there may be people who are seeking the leadership of Zahran’s group, the National Tawheed Jamaat (NTJ), and that the forces are on the look-out for these.
Our understanding is that Zahran who commanded and orchestrated the bombings. However there may be other important players linked to the militant ideology and seeking leadership,” the General said.
Trips To India
Gen.Senanayake further said the bombers had mostly used local explosives but may have also sourced some from southern India, likely Tamil Nadu.”
He said some suspects had gone to India, mainly to Kerala, Bengaluru and Kashmir for training. However, there is no reliable information on this. Investigators are still trying to determine more details around their travels, he added.
He ruled out pilgrimages as the reason for their visits to India.
Senanayake said that investigators had established that the plotters had links to Islamic State, but added that the authorities were still trying to establish how deep those contacts were.
We don’t have to worry about the situation; it is controllable, it is contained. We are quietly confident that normalcy is brought back without any second round of militant attacks.”
The attacks in churches and hotels across the Indian Ocean island on April 21 killed more than 266 people, including 44 foreign nationals.
Sri Lankan authorities have said the bombings were believed to have been carried out by two little-known domestic Islamist groups, the National Tawheed Jamaath (NTJ) and Jamathei Millathu Ibrahim (JMI).
Islamic State has claimed responsibility.
Definitely there is an IS link. That doesn’t mean it was a direct IS hit. But we are trying to establish how deep it is in order to plan our (military) operations,” the General said.
Offshore Links
The focus of the probe is on the plotting, funding and planning of the attacks, as well as the precise nature of the offshore links – including whether any of the explosives came from southern India, Senanayake said.
Investigators from eight countries, including the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and Interpol, are helping Sri Lanka with the investigation.
Senanayake further said that India, China, United States, Israel, Australia and the United Arab Emirates were looking to provide high-grade military technology, including communication and surveillance equipment, to deal with future threats.
Asked to comment on a report that India’s National Security Guard commandoes were at the ready to join in any security operations in Sri Lanka, Gen.Senanayake said while respecting India’s offer of help, Sri Lanka itself has a fund of experience in tackling terrorists which it has been sharing with other countries.
Colombo, April 29: As recent events have shown, religious extremism is going to be the biggest challenge of our times. In every part of the world, extremists hijack religion to push their evil agendas, be it ISIS in the Middle East, Shiv Sena in India or the Bodu Bala Sena in Sri Lanka. Nor is the danger localized, as the Easter Sunday carnage showed, extremism is insidious and far-reaching with groups like ISIS spreading their menacing tentacles to other parts of the world including our island.
Extremism very often leads to terrorism because it knows no love or compassion for the other. It is a cult based purely on hate for the other and extreme pride in one’s race or religion at the expense of the other. It flourishes because it has a foolish flock willing to follow it and is fed by extremists from the other.
What we can do about it?
Extremism is incompatible with the Islamic faith, and many were the occasions when the Prophet (PBUH) spoke against it. But there are Muslims who are certainly extremists. There is a saying that you shall know a faith by its fruit, but the truth is there are rotten fruit as well, and the fringe extremists in our community belong to this lot. The majority don’t.
However there is a big problem they have. They don’t speak out their mind in public or in social media forums. They are very reluctant to confront a firebrand hate preacher even if he engages in an utterly nonsensical, ear-splitting cacophonic verbal barrage like many of them do from the all important position of the mimbar or pulpit of the mosque during Friday service. Well surely, you don’t have to shout at him when he’s at it in the pulpit, but you can speak your mind to him after it’s over and you can tell the trustees he’s a misfit and need not be there.
The fact is that our religious scholars have not educated themselves enough to pass on the message to their flock and those of other faiths – that Islam is a religion of love and compassion that even values the life of a tiny ant. Nor can they handle the many questions that need answers today, with the result that a few lay persons have had to fill that lacuna. Thus, it is high time Muslims understood that we have a problem in the community and addressed it. Even one extremist preacher is enough to do all the damage it takes to destroy a community or nation.
For starters we need to:
1) Promote broad-minded religious teachers
Believe it or not, good religious teachers are few and far between. This holds true of Islamic preachers more than those of other faiths.
Ever heard a preacher saying how our beloved Prophet welcomed Christians to his mosque in Medina and allowed them to lodge and pray there, or how he let women visit mosques and even shortened his prayer because he heard an infant crying so as to not inconvenience its mother? Chances are you haven’t.
As such it’s imperative to breed a new generation of preachers who understand Islam in its true spirit, who can win the hearts and minds of people including those of other faiths by just talking to them. By the way, ever heard a Christian priest speak? Visit a church and listen to him, he’s following the Prophet to the word, speaking the language of mercy and humility, so soft and soothing and so very pleasing to the ear. This is exactly what we should look for in our preachers. But why look to the priest when the Prophet showed us the way!
2) Eliminate hate preachers
Just as we need to promote good preachers, we need to eliminate the bad ones. There are certainly misguided preachers among us. One has only to attend our Friday sermons to realize this. Chances are you’ll find at least one in ten, probably more, ranting and raving against people who don’t measure up to their warped ideal of a religious person, speaking ill of other faiths or busy commenting about how women are not covered up nowadays, stressing on the mundane, rather than the spiritual aspects of Islam. The state through the Ministry of Muslim Affairs must ensure that such preachers don’t have a say in the first place. Monitor them and if they overstep the bounds prohibit them from giving sermons.
The fact is that our madrasas have become breeding grounds for extremist ideas and as such need to be controlled”
3) Supervise madrasas strictly
Bad preachers are of course the product of bad madrasas, usually half-baked ones who believe that teaching students to simply recite the Qur’an or that women should go out fully covering their faces is all they need to know about Islam. I have on more than one occasion interviewed the products of these seminaries to find one suitable for outreach work for an organization I serve, only to have them say that they believed the niqab or face veil is compulsory for women, despite so much evidence in both the Qur’an and hadith literature to the contrary.
Yes, the fact is that our madrasas have become breeding grounds for extremist ideas and as such need to be controlled. It is only the strong arm of state authority that can do this. After all, how can one expect the religious authority to do this when they themselves are largely the products of such madrasas? The state must not only supervise the teachers but also draft a new set of curricula incorporating all positive teachings of Islam and eliminating sectarian and misogynist interpretations.
4) Ensure the weak-minded don’t get into our madrasas
Yes, sad to say, this is another grave problem we in the Muslim world face. Parents are only too happy to put their weak-minded offspring into these madrasas which don’t require much intelligence. Their bright ones they induce to go out to the world and make it big in lucrative, well paying jobs. This is the kind of shabby treatment we give our faith. Why not put our best minds to the madrasas, like the Christians do theirs. Did you know that the churches, both Catholic and Protestant admit only their best minds, while we persist in putting our worst to these sacred institutions.
5) Give young people the tools to think
But hold on, it’s not only the weak-minded who are the problem. As the Easter Sunday massacre showed, youth from educated, well-to-do families were also involved. What is surprising is how these boys who should have known better, were induced into joining a hate cult led by uneducated, ill-bred bumpkins. The problem is, whatever formal education one receives, there is no use if one does not have a proper family environment where true religious values are taught. We find many such people hailing from new rich families that have no proper grounding in the true spirit of Islam but rather obsessed with an overkill of ritual.
Young people also need to be encouraged to think for themselves and not be misled by extremist scholars. They need to understand that Islam is written not by the talks and doings of extremists, but already revealed to us in the Qur’an, which is the Word of God, and the exemplary conduct of His Messenger Muhammad. They need to study these sources of the faith rather than depend on preachers for their religious knowledge.
6) Don’t let extremism evolve into terrorism
The problem with extremism is it can evolve into terrorism. This is its natural course if allowed to go unchecked. So what do we do about it? Simple, we discourage extremism in its all its forms. As we all know, terrorism has no basis in Islam, but still we have extremists twisting certain Quranic verses to suit their agenda, like the so-called verse of the sword. Verses such as this are actually contextual, revealed at a time when the Pagan enemies of Islam were all out to annihilate the new faith and were revealed only as a means of accommodating a war situation. Even then, in subsequent verses toleration, security and protection of non-believers is stressed. Further, these verses can come nowhere near those verses that speak of tolerance of others and are not contextual, but perpetual.
However, extremist preachers often quote such verses out of context to propagate their evil designs, notwithstanding the fact that the Prophet of Islam and the rightly guided caliphs who followed him never forced Islam with the sword and even gave people of other faiths covenants guaranteeing their right to life, liberty and freedom of religion. So what’s important is to muzzle any preacher who shows signs of hate against others.
7) Crush terrorism ruthlessly
Terrorism has no religion and no terrorist follows a particular religion because every religion preaches against terror and harming our fellow beings. Even animals kill for a reason, but terrorists kill only for the joy of it. Therefore they cannot be human, human rights should certainly not apply to them. To put it simply, those who show no mercy should be shown no mercy.
Government must do everything in its power to wipe out this scourge, knowing well that the vast majority of Muslims, well over 99% are with them. Anybody having membership in any terror outfit or collaborating with these should be given the harshest possible sentence bearing in mind that even a simple death by hanging is too good for them. Their families if found complicit should also be penalized, given harsh jail sentences and deprived of their properties.
To start with, our authorities do have a list of names of terror suspects. These radicalised youth had been freely moving about in the community, but have now probably gone into hiding. Everything must now be done to take them into custody, interrogate them and if needs be incarcerate them and penalize them if found guilty of aiding or abetting terror. Some might say that such a course of action might ruin their future and prevent any hope of rehabilitation. However, one could counter argue that their future is already over as they have been radicalized beyond redemption and what is important now is not their future, but the future of the country as a whole.
Our image suffered badly in how we handled the Easter Sunday carnage. The past cannot be undone but we can learn lessons from it, and we can do something about it. Sri Lanka can prove to the world how the international war on terror can be won now that it has come to our shores. We won our civil war, now we can show how to win the bigger war against international terrorism.
8) Don’t ostracize Muslims, play the blame game
Last, but not least, members of other communities need to be told not to look at Muslims with a jaundiced eye or discriminate against them. This is exactly what the extremists want. They want to brainwash Muslims into believing that they have no place in a multi-cultural nation such as ours, and isolate and marginalize them, so they can easily feed our youth with their poison.
As I said earlier, one extremism feeds the other and this is what we always have to bear in mind. Muslims too are only human and have feelings and very sensitive in these times. They are angry about a crime which they had nothing to do with and are vehemently angry about it. The last thing we need to do is drive an innocent and impressionable boy or girl to the arms of a hate preacher.
(The article had originally appeared in Daily Mirror under the title: Extremism: What can we do about it?)
Colombo, May 10: The Easter Sunday terror attacks have opened the Pandora’s Box of questions on various aspects of Islam, its teachings and commands, amid an avalanche of Islamophobia, hate speech, distrust and scorn.
When the 9/11 terror attacks happened, a similar wave of Islamophobia swept the United States and the Americans began to ask questions about Islam and its alleged association with violence. Some white supremacists went to the extent of promoting nuking the Muslims.
In Sri Lanka’s mainstream and social media, a topic that was being discussed with much interest and the ridicule it rightly deserved is the reward of 72 virgins for the killers of hundreds of innocent people, including children. Does Islam preach this? Religious scholars will not be able to answer this question.
The best they could say is that the Quran, the primary source of Islamic teachings, does not say anything about 72 virgins.
True, it is not found in the Quran, which, the Muslims believe, is a compilation of the messages the Prophet received from God throughout his 23-year ministry, during which he and his followers suffered persecution, ostracisation, attacks and exile.
But the promise of 72 virgins is found in a book of Hadeeth, a term that refers to the sayings of the prophet and his traditions. Some Ulemas or religious preachers will not have the intellectual courage to admit this. This is because they still believe that Sunni Islam’s six main Hadeeth books were compiled by ‘infallible’ imams, even after modern-day Hadeeth scholars have dismissed thousands of ahadeeth — plural of hadeeth — as fake or falsely attributed to the prophet.
The so-called reward of 72 virgins is found in a hadeeth book called Jami’ al-Tirmidhi, also known as Sunan al-Tirmidhi.
Notwithstanding the presence of fake ahadeeth, both the Sunni and Shiite streams have their own canons. The Sunnis have six and the Shiites two.
It must be said here that in Islamic history, one of the biggest scandals is hadeeth literature. Islam’s first four Caliphs, who assumed leadership of the Muslim community after the prophet’s death, opposed attempts to compile the sayings of the prophet.
The first to compile a book of hadeeth was Imam Bukhari, who was born in Bukhara in Uzbekistan some 200 years after the prophet had passed away. By this time, Islam had been highly politicized with rulers misusing and misinterpreting religious teachings to consolidate their hold on power.
From the people who he met, during his 16-year travel through the Arab-Persian region, Imam Bukhari began collecting the sayings correctly or falsely attributed to the prophet. The process began when he was only 16. He collected some 600,000 ahadeeth and, sifting through this large volume, he selected only about 7,000. His students claimed the selection was made on strict criteria such as the reliability of the chain of narrators or Isnad which usually goes all the way to the time of the prophet. Imam Bukhari’s compilation came to the public domain through a disciple’s disciple, after his death.
Following Imam Bukhari, several Hadeeth collectors appeared. They claimed they adopted a similar method to select or reject the sayings attributed to the prophet.
Today, the hadeeth literature is analysed by intellectuals who say some ahadeeth are fake and incompatible with the Quran.
An enlightened and famous hadeeth scholar was Sheik Muhammad Nasir-ud-Dīn al-Albani , who died in 1999 in Jordan. He opposed extremism and did not associate himself with any school of thought. He spent his scholarly life identifying thousands of fake ahadeeth found in the so-called canons.
The learned sheikh had classified the hadeeth on 72 virgins as ‘Munkar’ which means it needs to be denounced. Hadeeth scholars acknowledge that fake ahadeeth were the creation of the Zanadiqah or the heretics, sectarian fanatics, favor seekers, storytellers, ignorant ascetics and hyper-zealous preachers.
Using modern research methodology, Muslim academics have deducted that some ahadeeth do not conform to the text and the spirit of the Quran while some contradict each other. For instance, they point out that hadeeth literature about the punishment in the grave after one’s death was contrary to the Quranic teachings, just as the carnal claim of 72 houris for the martyr.
It needs to be stressed here that, according to the Quran, those who kill innocent people while killing themselves are not martyrs, but serial killers of humanity as a whole.
Suicide bombing is a late 20th century innovation or bid’a and it needs to be rooted out from Islam, though a handful of theologians have taken pains to endorse it strictly in the context of a fight against an occupying force or an invading army.
Given the damage ISIS and its followers have caused to Islam by their un-Islamic acts, the priority for Muslim theologians today is to gear Islamic learning towards intellectualism and rational thinking.
Intellectualism demands respect for opposing views and ideas, while reason or rational thinking will enable to weed out false ahadeeth, such as the myth about the 72 virgins.
Rational thinking and intellectualism are not new to Islam. Described as the Mutazila or the rational school of Islamic theology, it flourished from the 8th to the 10th century in Iraq, the seat of the Abbasid caliphate. It was during this period that the Muslim world reached the peak of learning, making major strides in medicine, astronomy, mathematics, law, philosophy and literature.
The fall began with the emergence of the Ash’ari theology, named after its founder Abu al-Hasan al-Ash’ari. It grew as a counterforce to the Mutazila and soon dominated Sunni Islam, producing in its wake Jihadi Imams such as Ibn Taymiyyah, Abdul Wahab and Syed Kutub.
These imams’ teachings have become a manual for modern-day terror groups such as ISIS.
To address the multiple problems the Muslims of this country face, mainstream Muslim scholars, both religious and academic, representing different groups, need to unite to bring about a progressive Islamic theology based on the rationalist and traditionalist foundations.
This is perfectly in tune with the spirit of Islam.
In the wake of the Easter Sunday massacres, the need to de-radicalize those who are romanticizing with a dangerous and inhuman suicide ideology has become not only a security priority but also a religious responsibility upon every right-minded Muslim theologian and civic-conscious Muslim in Sri Lanka.
In Singapore, I understand, the de-radicalization process is carried out with the help of local Muslim scholars. Singapore’s state policy and surveillance systems aimed at communal harmony have also helped that nation to curb hate speech, inflammatory preaching and avert terror attacks.
(The article had appeared in Daily Mirror under the title: Mainstream Muslims must unite to about a progressive Islam)
Some people might be of opinion that the present
government of Pakistan has yet not succeeded in coming up to the expectations
of the people but facts and figures say that things would get better in the
days to come. The Imran Khan government is neither inefficient nor incompetent;
the actual problem seems the promised time-frame. People were expecting that
everything shall come to the normal; there would be a lot of job-opportunities,
ceaseless foreign investment, end of energy-crisis, reduction in the prices of
fuel and electricity, a better law and order situation and so many other things
; just in twinkling of an eye. People were right in all their expectations,
their dreams and desires were not unnatural in any way but things take time. We
can never upgrade any social system by pushing an imaginary button. Up-gradation,
reformation, renovation are the terms pointing towards the process of
overhauling; certainly a long and time-taking process. In Pakistan, things are
not as disappointing and depressing as portrayed by some of our media-men and
social media activists. The situation could soon reach a better destination if
we don’t let disappointment and depression hurdle our way.
Certainly the responsibility of keeping the flame of
hope alive goes onto the shoulders of all those who are blessed with the power
of using words in written and spoken form. Such people include teachers,
religious scholars, writers, speakers, and journalists belonging to the print
and electronic media. The social media activists can also play a very vibrant
role in this context. Spreading of
depression and disappointment along with spreading of disinformation among the
people is now-a-days being used as one of the most fatal weapons all over the
world. Everywhere the hostile forces have their own specific targets and to hit
these targets they adopt all fair and foul means; most frequently used of all
such means is the media. Recent exploitation of a statement by Pakistan’s Chief
of the Army Staff Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa is the worst example of spreading
disinformation.
The Chief of Army Staff Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, a
few days back, went to Peshawar and there he had a meeting at Corps Auditorium
with students from various universities of KPK. He said talking about the
negative role played by the PTM, A few individuals playing in foreign hands
are by design exploiting sentiments of the people who have actually suffered at
the hands of terrorism and now need care. He further said that both government
and the security forces are working to address genuine issues of the tribals
regardless of where they come from. One of the participants was a Sikh student from
FATA who requested that he should be allowed to put a picture of Ranjit Singh
in Qila Balahisar as Sikhs have ruled Peshawar during his time. Just to honour
the Sikh minority, the Chief of the Army Staff acceded to that request. The students
present at the moment sincerely appreciated the good-will gesture of the Army
Chief and promised that they all would provide all possible moral support to
the Pakistan Armed Forces. They also expressed their determination that they
would never be swayed by detractors of any type. One of the students present
there said, We promise to be the contributors and not by standers to bright
future of Pakistan.” Certainly it was a heart-winning speech of the Army Chief
but at the same time it pinched and pained a lot of groups hostile to Pakistan.
On Face Book and in various Watsapp groups, these hostile forces started
levying baseless allegations on the Army Chief. It was blamed that the Army
Chief is promoting Punjabi culture in KPK as Ranjit Singh was a Punjabi. It was
also blamed that by giving importance to a non-Muslim character of the regional
history, the Army Chief is trying to protect and promote secularism in the
country. The fact of the matter is that by allowing the placement of a picture
of Ranjit Singh in Qila Balahisar the Army Chief meant nothing but wanted to
tell the world that all minorities enjoy equal rights in Pakistan. His was a
massage to the world that Pakistan is a safe land for the minorities where
their desires and wishes are valued and honoured at every level. His objective
was neither to promote any regional culture nor to project secularism. Pakistan
Army is a uniting force for the whole nation.
There is no discrimination on the basis of any
caste, creed or language in the Army as its soldiers and officers represent
different linguistic and religious backgrounds. The only priority of all
soldiers and of all officers of Pakistan Army is Pakistan; the Land of the
Pure. The propaganda move against the Army Chief is just a childish reaction of
those who didn’t like Army Chief’s remarks on the anti-state activities of the
PTM. Whatever said the Army Chief with particular reference to the anti-state
activities of the PTM is in fact the voice of all Pakistanis including the
Pashtuns; such activities, if allowed to flourish, would simply push the
country towards a hell of disintegration and degeneration. Such activities of
the PTM type organizations would give birth to political
instability, social anarchy and economic chaos which in no way could be
affordable at this crucial juncture of our history. The nation will have to be
vigilant in this regard. As far as the countries worried about Pakistan are
concerned; the only suggestion for them is; just wait and see please.
All officials who received prior information about the Easter Sunday bombings but did not take any action to prevent them should be removed along with the country’s leadership, Archbishop of Colombo, Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith said at the Sunday mass at St. Lucia’s Cathedral, Kotahena, yesterday.
This mass was held to commemorate those killed in the Easter Sunday attacks and invoke blessings on the injured.
The prelate said that the Easter Sunday bombings had come as a shock to him and he was still grief-stricken like millions of others. Not only the officials who had not acted on an intelligence warning of terror attacks but also the rulers were responsible for the tragic incidents.
The cardinal added that a large number of people had been killed and injured in the attack not because of God’s will but because of the evil of men.
Those who were incapable of taking responsibility must be removed from their positions and from the leadership of the country, the Cardinal said.
He said some terrorists were still at large and they thought they could escape punishment. If they were not punished by courts, there would be divine justice. Those who failed to punish those involved in acts of terror would be punished by God.
The cardinal added that those who were trying to use the tragedy to fulfill personal gains and political agendas would also be punished by God.
The Cardinal said that he was aware that some leements were after him, too, but he was not scared. “My life belongs to the people and God and I am ready to die anytime,” he said.
A large number of relatives of the victims of the bombings attended the mass under heavy security.
Mohamed Aliyar, 60, is the founder of the Centre for Islamic Guidance, which boasts a mosque, a religious school and a library in Zahran’s hometown of Kattankudy, a Muslim-dominated city on Sri Lanka’s eastern shores.
Sources said Aliyar’s hardline views were shaped by ultra-conservative Salafi-Wahhabi texts he picked up at the Centre for Islamic Guidance’s library. (Photo: IANS)
HIGHLIGHTS
Wahhabi Islam has its roots in Saudi Arabia and is backed by its rulers
Salafism has often been criticised as the ideology of radical Islamists worldwide
Aliyar was “involved” in training suicide bombers who attacked hotels, churches on Easter: Police statement
Sri Lankan authorities have arrested a Saudi-educated scholar for what they claim are links with Zahran Hashim, the suspected ringleader of the Easter Sunday bombings, throwing a spotlight on the rising influence of Salafi-Wahhabi Islam on the island’s Muslims.
Mohamed Aliyar, 60, is the founder of the Centre for Islamic Guidance, which boasts a mosque, a religious school and a library in Zahran’s hometown of Kattankudy, a Muslim-dominated city on Sri Lanka’s eastern shores.
“Information has been revealed that the suspect arrested had a close relationship with … Zahran and had been operating financial transactions,” said a police statement late on Friday.
The statement said Aliyar was “involved” with training in the southern town of Hambantota for the group of suicide bombers who attacked hotels and churches on Easter, killing over 250 people.
A police spokesman declined to provide details on the accusations.
Calls to Aliyar and his associates went unanswered. Reuters was unable to find contact details for a lawyer.
The government says Zahran, a radical Tamil-speaking preacher, was a leader of the group.
Two Muslim community sources in Kattankudy told Reuters his hardline views were partly shaped by ultra-conservative Salafi-Wahhabi texts that he picked up at the Centre for Islamic Guidance’s library around 2-3 years ago. The sources are not affiliated with the centre.
“I used to always run into him at the centre, reading Saudi journals and literature,” said one of the sources.
During that time, Zahran started criticising the practice of asking God for help, for instance, arguing that such pleas were an affront to pure Islam.
“That kind of teaching was not in Sri Lanka in 2016, unless you read it in Salafi literature,” the source added, requesting anonymity to avoid repercussions in Kattankudy.
Salafism, a puritanical interpretation of Islam that advocates a return to the values of the first three generations of Muslims and is closely linked to Wahhabism, has often been criticised as the ideology of radical Islamists worldwide.
Wahhabi Islam has its roots in Saudi Arabia and is backed by its rulers, although Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has committed the kingdom to a more moderate form of Islam.
Other than the fact that Zahran visited the centre, the sources in Kattankudy said they did not know of any personal ties between him and Aliyar.
Aliyar founded the centre in 1990, a year after he graduated from the Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh, in what one resident said marked a key moment in the spread of Salafi doctrine in Kattankudy. The centre was partly funded by Saudi and Kuwaiti donors, according to a plaque outside.
TROUBLEMAKER
Reuters spoke to three members of the centre’s board before Aliyar’s arrest. They asked to remain anonymous, citing security concerns amid a backlash against some Muslims.
They said Zahran was a troublemaker and that they had warned authorities about his extremist views. The members said they thought Zahran frequented the library around a decade ago, but had no recollection of him visiting recently and denied that any of its books were to blame for his views.
COLOMBO (Reuters) – Several dozen people threw stones at mosques and Muslim-owned stores and a local man was beaten in the town of Chilaw on Sri Lanka’s west coast on Sunday in a dispute that started on Facebook, sources told Reuters.
Three weeks ago in Sri Lanka Islamist bombers blew themselves up in four hotels and three churches, killing more than 250 people. Since then Muslim groups say they have received dozens of complaints from across the country about people being harassed.
A police curfew has been imposed in Chilaw Police area with immediate effect until 6 a.m. tomorrow to control the tense situation,” police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera told Reuters. The police later said the curfew would be lifted at 4 a.m.
A screenshot of the alleged Facebook exchange seen by Reuters showed a user had written in Sinhalese It is difficult to make us cry” and added a local slur against Muslim men.
A Facebook user identified as Hasmar Hameed, whom two locals said was the man later arrested, replied in English: Dont laugh more 1 day u will cry.”
Authorities said they arrested the author of a Facebook post, identifying him as 38-year-old Abdul Hameed Mohamed Hasmar. Locals in Chilaw, a majority Christian town, said Hasmar’s post was interpreted as menacing and an angry crowd beat him.
Reuters was unable to determine what the original conversation was about or to contact Hasmar for comment.
Later they pelted stones at three mosques and some Muslim-owned shops. Now the situation has calmed down, but we are scared of the night,” said one local Muslim man who asked to remain anonymous for security reasons.
One mosque suffered extensive damage, he said. Video footage circulating online shows several dozen young men shouting and throwing stones at a clothes store called New Hasmars, which locals said belonged to Hasmar.
Some communities say they are fearful that the government, which failed to act on successive warnings about looming Islamist attacks, has not caught all potential militants.
A week ago in Negombo, where more than 100 people were killed during Easter prayers, a violent clash erupted between local Muslims and Christians after a traffic dispute.
Unlike after the Negombo clashes, the Sri Lankan government did not impose a ban on social media platforms on Sunday.
Ultraconservative Salafi-Wahhabi Islam, which has its roots in the Middle Eastern kingdom, has been taking root among the South Asian island’s Muslims
The flag of Saudi Arabia. Photo: APSri Lankan authorities have arrested a Saudi-educated scholar for what they claim are links with Zahran Hashim, the suspected ringleader of the Easter Sunday bombings, throwing a spotlight on the rising influence of Salafi-Wahhabi Islam on the island’s Muslims.Mohamed Aliyar, 60, is the founder of the Centre for Islamic Guidance, which boasts a mosque, a religious school and a library in Zahran’s hometown of Kattankudy, a Muslim-dominated city on Sri Lanka’s eastern shores.
Information has been revealed that the suspect arrested had a close relationship with … Zahran and had been operating financial transactions,” said a police statement late on Friday.
The statement said Aliyar was involved” with training in the southern town of Hambantota for the group of suicide bombers who attacked hotels and churches on Easter, killing more than 250 people.
Officials inspect the site of an explosion at Shangri-La hotel in Colombo on April 21. Photo: ReutersShare:
A police spokesman declined to provide details on the accusations. Calls to Aliyar and his associates went unanswered.
The government says Zahran, a radical Tamil-speaking preacher, was a leader of the group.SUBSCRIBE TO THIS WEEK IN ASIAGet updates direct to your inboxSUBMITBy registering for these newsletters you agree to our T&C and Privacy Policy
Two Muslim community sources in Kattankudy said his hardline views were partly shaped by ultraconservative Salafi-Wahhabi texts that he picked up at the Centre for Islamic Guidance’s library around two to three years ago. The sources are not affiliated with the centre.
I used to always run into him at the centre, reading Saudi journals and literature,” said one of the sources.
That kind of teaching was not in Sri Lanka in 2016, unless you read it in Salafi literature,” the source added, requesting anonymity to avoid repercussions in Kattankudy.
Salafism, a puritanical interpretation of Islam that advocates a return to the values of the first three generations of Muslims and is closely linked to Wahhabism, has often been criticised as the ideology of radical Islamists worldwide.Wahhabi Islam has its roots in Saudi Arabia and is backed by its rulers, although Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has committed the kingdom to a more moderate form of Islam.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Photo: AFPShare:
Other than the fact that Zahran visited the centre, the sources in Kattankudy said they did not know of any personal ties between him and Aliyar.
Aliyar founded the centre in 1990, a year after he graduated from the Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh, in what one resident said marked a key moment in the spread of Salafi doctrine in Kattankudy. The centre was partly funded by Saudi and Kuwaiti donors, according to a plaque outside.
TROUBLEMAKER
Three members of the centre’s board spoken to before Aliyar’s arrest said Zahran was a troublemaker and that they had warned authorities about his extremist views. The members, who asked to remain anonymous, citing security concerns amid a backlash against some Muslims, said they thought Zahran frequented the library around a decade ago, but had no recollection of him visiting recently and denied that any of its books were to blame for his views.
Funding for the centre came from local donations, student fees, and private donors who were classmates of Aliyar’s in Riyadh, the centre’s sources said. Further details about the funding of the centre were unavailable.
The Saudi government communications office in Riyadh did not respond to requests for comment on the funding of the centre.
A 47-year-old moulavi was arrested by the CID at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) on charges of using social media platform to air extremist views.
The suspect, a resident of Vavuniya, was arrested yesterday morning at the BIA on his arrival from Mecca after performing Hajj.
It was reported that the suspect had been organising pilgrimage tours to Mecca.
The moulavi was remanded till May 14 after being produced in the Negombo Magistrate’s Court. (
Three weeks have passed since the Easter Sunday massacres. Normalcy is slowly returning. However, there is a perceptible sense of uncertainty, bewilderment, and bitterness amongst people. Muslims are complaining of being estranged by others. When the entire economy took a catastrophic hit, it is hard to determine if the Muslim businesses are affected because of the general situation or due to a boycott.
There are messages to the effect to avoid Muslim enterprises on social media making its rounds. These posts are being shared by both Sinhalese and Tamils. While people are not openly hostile, they are clearly very upset with the Muslims.
Even before the Government swung into action, it was the people who banned the hijab and niqab. From the next day of the carnage itself, women thus attired were turned away from premises and not allowed to use even public transport. This intolerance is a new phenomenon in Sri Lanka that was not seen once during the 30 years of terrorism inflicted by the LTTE. Though the LTTE was on a mission to carve out a homeland exclusive to Northern and Eastern Tamils, Sri Lankans always managed to distinguish Tamils from terrorists.
Therefore, no one worried when they saw a woman with a pottuwa or dressed in a manner distinct with the Tamil identity. No one advocated a boycott on Tamil businesses. It was not only the Tamils, but everyone were subjected to be searched and their identity verified.
In contrast, the suspicions are wholly on the Muslims. Their mosques all over the Island are subject to thorough search operations. Even the men with long, unruly beards are not welcome. In almost in the blink of an eye, Muslims who were the kingmakers lost their political clout. Since the 1987 Indo-Lanka Accord, the Muslims have been voting for the Muslim political parties. Thus these politicians have been able to garner the entire Muslim vote block. This block vote was to manipulate the Government of the day. Until now, not a single government dared to antagonise these Muslim politicians and risk losing the entire Muslim block vote. However, today the Government or any of the other main political parties cannot afford to be associated with any of these Muslim politicians, especially Rishard Bathiudeen, Mujibur Rahuman, Abdul Haleem, Hizbullah and Azath Salley who represent exclusive Muslim political parties.
However, UNP will not lose any votes on account of Kabir Hashim. He is a staunch UNP member and plays a decisive role in that political party. If UNP loses any votes in the upcoming elections, it is not because of Hashim, but because of their abysmal performance as a government. In fact, given that it was one of his secretaries that provided vital information to the authorities regarding Muslim extremist activities and in turn was rewarded with a bullet by these elements, Hashim might actually attract few sympathy votes that the UNP otherwise would have lost.
This distinction is an important to understand that the Sri Lankans have not suddenly turned into bigotry. One may choose to disagree with Hashim’s politics, but all must agree that he is a very moderate man who has always lived well within the framework of Islamism. Therefore, what Sri Lankans have turned against is not Islamism or its followers, but the radicals and the extremists in the name of Islamism.
The aforementioned politicians may well get into Parliament in the next round as well for they need only five (5) per cent as the district cut-off point. However, on their own, without the ability to latch on to the Government, they will be rendered toothless for they will be without the power to influence the Government. With such small numbers in the Parliament, they might as well not be in existence. They understand this fact all too well. Therefore, they are trying their best to smooth the ruffled feathers of the non-Muslims.
To the non-Muslims, they heartily endorse the ban on the niqab and hijab. To the Muslims, they ask for patience until the others calm down. Once people come to terms with the tragedy, they have pledged to talk about it ‘leisurely.’
However, some Muslims do not seem to understand the situation’s severity. They have taken to wearing facemasks and oversized sunglasses. Alternative to posts advocating a boycott on Muslim businesses, posts encouraging Muslims to patronise only Muslim businesses are also circulating. They argue that a large percentage of Muslims constitute established supermarkets’ market share. Thus, this ban will not be enforced when a drop in market share is noted.
Whether such logic holds water or not remains to be seen. Supermarkets and other enterprises would not want to lose Muslim customers; nor their other customers who would be too afraid to come. Overriding market share would be the risk of ignoring the ban and then been held accountable if an incident should occur.
Some Muslims have questioned the rational of imposing a ban on the niqab and the hijab that was not worn by the terrorists. However, the point is that this attire is a recent addition to the Muslim wardrobe. Until very recently, Muslim girls and young women followed more or less the conservative fashions as the other Sri Lankan girls. The shalwar kameez is still popular among the non-Muslims. The matured women wore soft saris in different and often gentle colours and used the fall as a loose headscarf.
Until the Easter Sunday massacres, the increasing trend was becoming for Muslim women to cover their whole body including face in black, shapeless robes. Then they started moving in groups of at least four or five, where as earlier they moved with girls of all communities. They were fast becoming a sector apart from the rest of the community. This growing trend was confusing and alarming.
Perhaps, not all those who sport long, unruly beards or those wearing the full-face mask cover are radicalised. However, for the rest of Sri Lanka, this is an indication of being radicalised. The exclusivity they propagated by dress code is very much in line with the ISIS ideology that refuses to tolerate anyone who does not conform to their beliefs. Even the Muslims who continue to be moderate citizens have publicly questioned the rational of introducing an extreme Arabic culture to Sri Lanka.
However, it took a tragedy of the Easter Sunday massacre magnitude for Sri Lanka to acknowledge that allowing this radicalisation to exist is presenting a threat to Sri Lanka. Yet, certain some without trying to empathise with the concerns of the larger population is brazenly flouting the law. This in turn is agitating rest of Sri Lanka. No one is fooled that they are wearing masks for health reasons.
Some Muslims highlight that the clues of the existence of a violent group were there, but were not followed. Some others remind us that they had forewarned us and it was not heeded. True as it is, they must also understand that the hands of a majority are tied when it comes to minority matters.
Muslim youth, especially in the East, have been disrespectful of the law. Some did not even wear a helmet whilst travelling on motorcycles. Today, the Police can take appropriate action because of the changed perceptions. The educated Muslim community should have addressed the alien dress code, especially when it was making others uncomfortable. They may have highlighted it, but their failure to effectively address it has led to the point where the law had to intervene.
Likewise, the educated Muslims must hold their clergy responsible for allowing weapons of the crudest form to be stored in their places of worship. They must not keep quiet as they did when an university exclusively for Muslims in the East was coming up, when the State cannot accommodate many of those eligible to a tertiary education. If the Muslim community fails to effectively integrate with the Sri Lankan society, the consequences could be dire for all.
The Colombo Crimes Division, in a joint search operation conducted with the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) at the Colombo office of a leading US-owned multinational software company, outsourcing services to global companies, have apprehended five of its employees on suspected connection to Islamist extremism and the Easter Sunday combined bomb attacks.
According to a top defence official, one suspect is still missing. According to sources, at least three suspects have gone missing since the Easter Sunday bomb blasts and the company was unable to contact them or find their location till two days ago.
However, when contacted, Police Media Spokesman, SP Ruwan Gunasekara confirmed that only one suspect named Mohamed Akram was arrested at his residence in Dehiwela. He was reluctant to reveal more details.
He said that the suspect is closely linked to the Easter Sunday bombings carried out by eight locals who were connected to the Islamic State (IS) ideologies.
The Police, armed forces and sniffer dogs conducted a search operation at the office in Dematagoda on 8 May and there was a massive traffic jam when the car park and the entire building of the company were searched.
Police said that there were no more, arrests but further investigations are in progress.
An investigation has been launched to determine as to how the son of Eastern Province Governor M.L.A.M. Hizbullah secured shares worth Rs 500 million in the controversial ‘Batticaloa Campus’ aka ‘Sharia University,’ State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardena yesterday (9) told Parliament.
This educational institute had been given to Sri Lanka as a grant from Saudi Arabia. Wijewardena made this remark in response to a question raised by UNP’s Parliamentarian, Heshan Withanage.
Withanage noted that suspicion had arisen as to how Governor Hizbullah’s son had got shares from a fund received by the country.
Withanage: This Sharia University is making news headlines these days. People are very curious about this particular institute which is being built in Batticaloa. But the most suspicious thing is how Governor Hizbullah’s son has got shares in this institute worth of Rs 500 million. How can a Governor’s son obtain shares from a project which the country received as a grant? This is a project which is being built from foreign funds. This is dubious. The public does not favour this institute too. What action would the Government take on this matter?”
Wijewardena replied that according to his knowledge, an investigation has already been launched into the controversial institute.
Both the Premier and the Speaker also inquired about this particular project. Right now, the institute is under the purview of the Higher Education Ministry. I am of the view that there should be an investigation into the concerns regarding this institute.”
Joining the discussion UPFA MP Dr. Bandula Gunawardena noted that Higher Education Minister Rauff Hakeem was in the Chamber. He requested Hakeem to make a clarification on the matter on the institute.
Hakeem: We have not taken any decision as to whether we should grant Degree awarding status to this particular institute yet. It should be done after a thorough study. I know that there are fears and doubts about it. If we are going to continue this project, first we should address these doubts. I will give the House a proper explanation at a future date.”
UNP MP Chaminda Wijesiri also said what they wanted to know was how Hizbullah’s son secured shares in the institute.
The Leader of the Opposition Mahinda Rajapaksa stated that the government should provide a guarantee regarding the security of the country especially in a background where the schools will be starting again from tomorrow (13).
Stating that the past government commenced the missions in search of extremists, he claimed that the current situation arose as a result of destroying the system where they had sent spies into these extremist organizations.
He says that the government needs to think twice on opening the schools tomorrow when there are warnings of a possible attack.
Rajapaksa says that there needs to have one voice between the President and the Prime Minister guaranteeing the security of the country.
Additionally, the Opposition Leader stated that Vesak should be celebrated with much more enthusiasm than usual, at the temples.
Police curfew has been imposed within Kuliyapitiya, Bingiriya and Dummalasuriya Police division with immediate effect, stated the Police Media Spokesperson.
The curfew has been imposed to diffuse a tense situation in the relevant area, the Police said.
Accordingly, the police curfew will in effect until 6 am tomorrow (13).
Meanwhile, police curfew is currently imposed within Chilaw city limits and is set to be lifted at 4 am tomorrow.
The attitude
of Yahapalana government to the bomb blast threat raises many questions. Yahapalana
had known that something was going on, but had not taken action.
President Sirisena
was asked whether the Government was aware that there were local Muslims with
ISIS links, prior to the attacks. The President said that there was information
about several individuals, but not enough evidence to apprehend them or to
confirm that they were attached to the ISIS.
For the last four years, these names came up
at the National Security Council meetings. However, there were no revelations
that they possessed weapons or bombs or planned attacks. They had been going
out of the country frequently. We cannot remand anybody without proper
evidence,” he added. Another excuse
offered was that the Emergency Laws were not in place.
The
government had known that Sri Lankan nationals who had joined the Islamic State
had returned to the country, but they could not be arrested, because joining a foreign terrorist organization is
not against the law, said Prime
Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe, blandly.
“We have
no laws which enable us take into custody people who join foreign terrorist
group,” he told Sky News UK.”Sri Lanka has a very narrow definition
of aiding terrorism. Therefore, we find that our existing laws are insufficient
to deal with the extraordinary situation we are faced with. In our country to
go abroad and return or to take part in a foreign armed uprising is not an
offence .
This
explanation is both false and silly, said Kishali Pinto Jayawardene, who is
herself a lawyer.’ I do not propose to
enumerate the laws that could be used for this purpose , but amendments to
existing laws could have been brought in, if the Government wanted to, she
said.’ “The existing laws are good enough to act against those with terror
links,” said Mahinda Rajapaksa. The laws that cover involvement with foreign
terrorists: are the Penal Code (Section 2), the Prevention of Terrorism Act
(Section 11) and the April 2019 Emergency regulations 2120/5 (Sections 26 and
27) said Lasanda Kurukulasuriya.
Yahapalana also
turned a blind eye to the insurgent activity that was taking place
under their noses. There was evidence that Zahran was an ISIS sympathizer and
had given sermons against the government and non-Muslims. This information was
readily available on social platforms. The Intelligence branch should have
immediately infiltrated the organization, also tapped the phones of the leaders
of NTJ, said an analyst. Yahapalana did nothing of the sort.
Instead, Yahapalana
blocked the intelligence and military from taking action, though these agencies
had all the information needed. Intelligence
said, when questioned after the bomb blast, that they had gathered information
on 160 National Thowheed Jamath members who had been trained by terrorists. But
it had not been possible to arrest them as the higher authorities would not
give them the necessary permission. Army
Commander Senanayake also said that the military had very good intelligence but
could not act as it lacked the authority to do so.
Yahapalana
did nothing to stop the Easter Sunday bomb blasts from taking place, though the
opportunity to do so presented itself on a plate. Several Buddha statues in
Mawanella were defaced in December 2018. Investigations led to a raid on a 75-acre coconut
plantation in Wanatavilluwa, Puttalam in January. Explosives and detonators
were found there. Valuable information on NTJ was obtained from those arrested.
If this had been followed up, the Easter Sunday carnage could have been avoided,
said DEW Gunasekera.
Instead the investigators were not allowed by higher
authorities to make arrests during the Wanathavilluwa investigation, though the Defence Ministry and
the police had been informed that these were terrorists reported the media. Law
enforcement authorities did
not pursue the matter even after the detection of a safe
house at Wanathavilluwa operated by the NTJ in January this year, critics
complained.
Two key suspects were captured in the raid at
Lacktowatta in Wanathawilluwa.
But due to the intervention of a powerful
politician, they had been released and one of them had been involved in
Sunday’s attacks, the media
reported. The Vanathavillu raid pointed directly at spice trader Mohammad Yusuf
Ibrahim, and his three sons. But the family escaped scrutiny and succeeded in
carrying out the bomb plot.
Security was
reduced to nothing, by Yahapalana. Security Council had not met for 6 months
prior to the bomb blast. During the past four years there was a significant
relaxation in overall security measures to the point that they did not seem to
exist at all, said Malinda Seneviratne.
Access to government ministries and to hotels was possible without
security checks. Road blocks by the security forces became a thing of the past.
The freedom of movement and access to buildings became taken for granted. Yahapalana turned Sri Lanka into the softest
of targets.
Yahapalana
had appointed persons who did not know the subject of defense to key positions
in the defense sector, including the two posts of Secretary, Defence and Chief
of Intelligence. Under President Sirisena, there have been four Secretaries of
Defence, B.M.U.D. Basnayake, Karunasena Hettiarachchi, Kapila Waidyaratne and
Hemasiri Fernando. None of them had any experience in defense and security. Basnayake was a SLAS officer, Hettiarachchi
was an engineer, Waidyaratne was formerly senior Additional Solicitor General and
Fernando has been the Chairman of various institutions such as Telecom, ITN and
Peoples Bank.
Fernando was
not the only Secretary who bungled the insurgency issue. Defense Secretary
Karunasena Hettiarachchi had also been evasive on the question of Muslim
insurgency. When asked whether Sri Lankan Muslims had gone to Syria to join the
ISIS. He said ‘we shouldn’t to discuss the matter’. Asked
about a threat from Islamic radicals, he said, Let the government and the
Security look after the matter. I think the media should keep away from these
things.” (News in Asia 31.7.16)
Persons without any experience of intelligence
work were appointed to the post of Chief
of National Intelligence. The present Chief,
Sisira Mendis has little or no knowledge in intelligence gathering, said
Merril Guneratne, former senior DIG. Mendis was a former Deputy
inspector General of Police
. His term was extended annually. The State Intelligence Agency is the
main intelligence agency of the country and should be headed by a
professional.
Sri Lanka
Podujana Peramuna said that the Inspector General of Police, Pujitha
Jayasundara, had on 18 April, authorized the transfer of 12 officials attached
to the State Intelligence Service, just days prior to the Easter Sunday
attacks. These 12 Intelligence officers
were those who tipped off the authorities regarding the Easter Sunday attacks.
The
Directorate of Military Intelligence was a highly professional entity. It had
systematically built a treasure trove” of intelligence information. The DMI was a major contributor to the
military defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in May 2009. Yahapalana reduced its position.
Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said the bomb attacks
could have been prevented if Yahapalana had not dismantled the intelligence network
and extensive surveillance capabilities that he built up during the war and
later on. Gotabhaya said that he had
set up a military intelligence cell in 2011 of 5,000 people, some of them with
Arabic language skills and that was tracking the extremist ideology in eastern
Sri Lanka. This cell was disbanded by Yahapalana government.
Gotabhaya has set
up two intelligence units to monitor security, at Giritale and Kurunegala army camps. “The 7th military intelligence
unit, set up in Giritale army camp did a lot to destroy terrorism in the east. The
unit was sealed by the CID, in 2016,
despite resistance from the army. Extremist groups benefited by the dismantling of
this unit, said National Freedom Front .
Col. Shammi Kumararatna, head of that Giritale
unit and Col.Prabodha Siriwardana, two of the best intelligence officers in the
army, were arrested in August 2015. They were then sent to secondary level
jobs. Kumararatna is at the Ranawiru Sewa Authority, while Siriwardana works at
a welfare shop. . Intelligence
officer Erantha Pieris was also in a welfare unit. Officer Rajapaksa was in the
Women’s unit. This is the fate
of a number of others as well, said analysts.
Yahapalana
tried to strangle the Intelligence service. 244 intelligence officers were
finger printed by the CID. 124
intelligence officers were arrested. These arrests were made on flimsy evidence. 44 of them are still in prison said Wijedasa
Rajapaksa. (Derana 6.55 news 23.4.2019.) Some intelligence officers left the
country and some, such as Suresh Sallay, got appointments overseas. No other
country in the world has persecuted and weakened their own armed forces and
intelligence services in this manner said Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Yahapalana
was slow to act after the event. MP Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka said it took
him 48 hours to get an appointment to meet the Prime Minister after the bomb
blasts. I am the most senior military official in the country and the most
experienced in defense matters, but no one sought my advice in this situation.”
At the time
of writing Yahapalana was still holding back on investigations. The military
was awaiting permission from the government to question suspects. At the moment
the army hands over suspects it takes into custody to the police. “We have
sought powers to question the suspect because we think it’s better to record
statements immediately after arrests. We hope the government will grant us
permission, Army Commander said on 6.5.19.
Yahapalana
government had offered Cardinal Malcolm Joseph a bullet proof vehicle. The Cardinal had
firmly rejected the offer. He was displeased with Yahapalana. Instead he strongly criticized Yahapalana for
inaction.
A joint media briefing
of Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith and Dr. Ittapana Dhammalankara Maha Nayake,
Chancellor of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura was held at Bishop’s House
in Colombo on 29.4.19. The Cardinal said the clergy and the people are not
happy about the manner in which the government is conducting investigations
into the Easter Sunday bombings. I see neither direction nor
coordination in the efforts that have been taken. Security forces tend to go to
places on tip-offs but much more needs to be done.
“The entire Negombo area needs to be
searched to prevent further disasters. When the authorities question some
people and release them, they can flee the country. At least, their passports
should be impounded. We will take to streets if these issues are not addressed,
he concluded.
Dr. Ittapana
Dhammalankara said the people had so far not taken the law into their own
hands, but warned the government not to test the patience of the people.If
another incident occurs, then the country will be plunged into chaos. Therefore,
I urge the government to not allow the situation to get out of hand.
On the 1st of May, 2019, at another
media conference, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith again expressed dissatisfaction at
the rate the investigations and search operations are proceeding, reported the
media.
He said the Army has still not been given the
required powers to search arrest and interrogate the suspects. Although the
government claims that the military has been given the power to act, they have
only been given the authority to carry out search operations but they don’t
have the authority to interrogate the suspects. Then what’s the point in
engaging the army? They must be given the power to search arrest and
interrogate and extract information.
He wanted the army to carry out an extensive
search operation in Negombo, especially the Periyamulla area. However, during
the search operations in the Periyamulla area, the houses that had been closed
had not been inspected. They have just gone to selected areas only. That won’t do.
They must search every house, especially the ones that are closed up.
Shamindra
Ferdinando thought security measures when he attended President Sirisena’s
meeting with the journalists were insufficient. The security measures were
wholly inadequate, he said. (Continued)
WORLD’S FIRST BUDDHIST UNIVERSITY DEMOLISHED BY MUSLIMS.NALANDA: lIustrious International Buddhist
University from 5th century CE to 12 century CE. At the end of 12th
century, Muslim invaders demolished the university, burnt down its priceless
library, and mercilessly massacred its scholars including Buddhist monks
In the 6th century BCE, Buddhism was
well established in ancient Magadha (1) in what is now modern Uttar Pradesh and
State of Bihar in India. Over the next 1500 years Buddhism became the dominant
‘religion’ spreading across the Indian sub-continent and beyond to the south,
north, east and west.
Even after the death of the Buddha, Buddhism saw rapid expansion in northern and central India. The Mauryan Emperor Asoka (2) of the 304 to 232 BCE period and later monarchs, especially of the Pala dynasty of mid 8th to late 12th century CE, promoted Buddhism throughout Asia through religious ambassadors.
WORLD’S FIRST
UNIVERSITY
In the 5th century CE, or more than
1500 years ago, the world’s first and the most illustrious International
Buddhist University developed at Nalanda, near Rajagaha, then
Capital of the Magadha Kingdom of Greater India. Nalanda is about 72 km off
Patna, the present capital of the State of Bihar. It was one of the greatest
Centres of Learning in ancient India.
In terms of Sri Lankan history, this
period falls within the heydays of the glorious Classical Anuradhapura era
marked by illustrious kings such as Datusena who built the great Kalawewa,
Kasyapa of Sigiriya fame and Vijayabahu-I who drove the Dravidian Chola
invaders out of Sri Lanka and reunited the country.
Ironically and incongruously, it also
coincides with the decline and fall of the Gupta empire (3) of Magadha, one of
the largest empires of India when peace and prosperity that prevailed enabled
the pursuit of varied scientific and artistic endeavors.
This period is called the Classical
or Golden Age of India and was marked by extensive inventions and discoveries
in science, technology, engineering, art, dialectic, literature, logic,
mathematics, astronomy, religion and philosophy.
The high points of this cultural creativity are magnificent architectures, sculptures and paintings primarily inspired by Buddhism. Wall murals flourished during this age the most famous being those of the Ajanta caves where the exquisite murals depict the life of Buddha.
It was unfortunate that the decline of the Gupta empire happened at the time of significant growth of the Nalanda University as the leading international Centre of Learning and strongly influenced by the liberal cultural traditions of the Gupta age of 5th to 6th centuries. The Gupta and Pala kings were great benefactors of Nalanda.
ASSOCIATION WITH THE BUDDHA AND EMPEROR ASOKA
Nalanda was a well known settlement
during the time of the Buddha who had visited and stayed at Nalanda. According
to the Kevatta Sutta, during the time of the Buddha, Nālandā was a thickly
populated influential and prosperous town. Nalanda is important
historically because it was near the birth places of the Buddha’s two main
disciples – Sariyuth and Mugalan Mahatheras. Sariyuth Mahathera was born and
died in Nalanda.
After the passing away of the Buddha, one of the earliest Buddhist Shrines was built in Nalanda. In early 3rd century BCE, Emperor Asoka improved this shrine by building two stupas in honour of the two disciples of the Buddha. He also built a monastery for Bhikkhus.
In the 1st century CE, this monastery built by Emperor Asoka evolved to become a well known Buddhist learning Centre and later, in the 5th century CE, it expanded and improved to become the illustrious Nalanda International Buddhist University, as the first University in the world and also as the first residential university of the world.
University of Nalanda was established during the reign of the Gupta Emperor Kumaragupta who was the ruler of the Gupta Empire for nearly 40 years, from 415-455 CE, and retained a the vast empire. Nalanda witnessed a significant growth as an Important Centre of Learning from the sixth century to the ninth, when it was dominated by the liberal cultural traditions inherited from the Gupta age of 5th to 6th centuries.
RECORDS OF FA HIEN, HIEUEN TSIANG AND I-TSING
Fa Hien, the famous Chinese pilgrim
visited Nalanda in the first half of the fifth century and has left records of
what he saw. Hieuen Tsiang, the other famous Chinese traveler, visited Nalanda
in the beginning of the 7th century CE. He provides much information on Nalanda
as a university. In fact, he was a student at Nalanda for seven years, before
working there as a professor.
Another Chinese scholar-pilgrim named It-Sing (I-Tsing), visited Nalanda a few years after Hieuen-Tsiang. Several inscriptions have been discovered among the ruins of Nalanda giving further details on how kings made rich endowments towards the maintenance of the university.
The Gupta and Pala kings were great benefactors of Nalanda. Kings outside India patronized Nalanda. In his records, Fa Hien refers to the Sariputhra chethiya and monastery built by Emperor Asoka, besides other important places within Nalanda. However, he does not refer to a university in Nalanda. The University perhaps developed during the latter half of the 5th century.
FIRST RESIDENTIAL UNIVERSITY IN THE WORLD
As the first ever residential
university in the world Nalanda had developed as an exceptionally impressive
university park complex which included colossal buildings, lecture halls,
meditation halls, libraries, monasteries, hostels, chetiyas, temples, lakes and
parks.
According to the Chinese pilgrim Hieuen Tsiang, Nalanda University was an architectural masterpiece. It was marked by a lofty brick wall and a single gate and had eight separate compounds and ten temples, along with many meditation halls and classrooms. The university grounds were marked by lakes and parks.
The Chinese scholar-pilgrim named It-Sing (I-Tsing), who visited Nalanda a few years after Hieuen-Tsiang, mentions eight halls and 300 big rooms used for teaching and meetings and a grand library.
There were ponds with lotuses, well devised footpaths, extensive pleasant lawns, mango groves and lovely flower beds. There were innumerable shrines embellished with a wealth of sculptural art. With endowments from successive monarchs, the Nalanda University became a site of imposing buildings.
There were eight colleges built by different patrons including the one by the king of Srivijaya of Sumatra, who had diplomatic relations with the king of Pala dynasty of Bihar and Bengal.
PROFESSORS AND STUDENTS
It is recorded that in the 7th
century, there were 10,000 students and 1500 professors in this university
(some sources indicate 2000 professors). The alumni of Nalanda were highly
respected both inside and outside of India. It gathered together some of the
best scholars of the country.
Scholar saints were the greatest attraction of Nalanda. Nalanda became world famous on account of its many brilliant professors and high standard of education. In addition, strict discipline was maintained.
Among the many outstanding scholars, thinkers and Chancellors of Nalanda were Nagarjuna, Aryadeva, Asanga, Vasubandhu, Dinnaga, Dharmakirthi, Shantharakshita, Dharmapala, Shilabhadra, Santhideva and Padmasabhava. It is important to note that, Aryadeva, the favourite disciple of Nagarjuna, hailed from Sri Lanka.
The brothers Asanga and Vasubandhu were successive Abbots of Nalanda. Tibetan sources indicate by name several other great Buddhists associated with Nalanda such as Rahulabhadra, Aka, the Mahasiddha Saraha, Buddhapalita, Bhaviviveka of 5th-6th c. CE., Prasangika Madhyamika of Candrakirti of 7th c.CE, Candrakirti, Candragomin, Santarakshita of the 8th.c.CE a brilliant Abbot from Nalanda who helped Guru Padmasambhava bring Buddhism to Tibet.
According to Tibetan sources, Nagarjuna was the first Principal of Nalanda University. According to Tibetan sources, Mañjuśrīmitra was a respected Yogachara scholar of Nalanda whose works dealing with Vajrayana Buddhism had great impact on Tibetan Buddhism.
Associated with Nalanda were several thousands of monks who were men of the highest ability and talent. Some of them were from different countries. The international character of Nalanda was quite prominent even during the time of Hieuen Tsiang’s association with Nalanda in the seventh century.
Students from far and near flocked to learn at the feet of the great scholars of Nalanda. According to Hieuen Tsiang, Nalanda University had students from all over the Buddhist world. There were students from Sri Lanka, Tibet, Nepal, China, Mongolia, Turkistan, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Central Asia, Vietnam, Sumatra, Java, Persia, Greece and Turkey.
There are reports that Jesus Christ spent several years at Nalanda University the only university that existed in the world at that time– check www.Utube.com – Where was Jesus for 18 years? By Yogeeshsharam who states that there are historical records to the effect in Tibet.
WIDE-RANGING UNIVERSITY CURRICULUM
While one school of Buddhism or the
other dominated at different periods, the all-inclusive and wide ranging
outlook of Nalanda was maintained in keeping with the spirit of the Buddhist
tradition.
Nalanda’s curricula covered a wide range of subjects including all branches of Buddhism, other Indian philosophical systems, Chikitsavidya or Medicine, Astronomy, Geography, Mathematics, Hetuvidya or Logic, Sabdavidya or Grammer and other arts and science subjects of the day. As the university was run by the Sangha, Buddhist Studies assumed importance and pride of place at Nalanda.
The subjects taught at Nalanda University covered every field of learning. According to records the curriculum of Nalanda University at the time of Mañjuśrīmitra who was a respected Yogachara scholar and practitioner at Nalanda, included virtually the entire range of world knowledge then available.
Courses were drawn from every field of learning, Buddhist and Hindu, sacred and secular, foreign and native. Students studied science, astronomy, medicine, and logic as diligently as they applied themselves to metaphysics, philosophy, Samkhya, Yoga-shastra, the Veda, and the scriptures of Buddhism.
They studied foreign philosophy likewise. The scholars and Chancellors of Nalanda played a significant role in the propagation of the Buddha Dhamma outside India, in Nepal, Tibet, Central Asia, China and Southeast Asia. Among the prominent ones were Atisa Dipankara, Shantharakshita, Kamalashila, and Padmasambhava.
A vast amount of what came to comprise Tibetan Buddhism, both its Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions, stems from the late 9th–12th century Nalanda teachers and traditions.
Most of Mañjuśrīmitra’s works deal with a tantric or Vajrayana Buddhism and these had a strong impact on Tibetan Buddhism. Other forms of Buddhism, especially of Mahāyāna Buddhism followed in Vietnam, China, Korea and Japan, flourished within the walls of this ancient university.
According to Hwui-Li, a Chinese visitor, at a certain time, Nalanda was held in contempt by some Theravadins for its emphasis on Mahayana philosophy.
Being basically a post-graduate institution, only advanced students were admitted to Nalanda. Those seeking admission were required to satisfy the test prescribed by the ‘Dwar Pandit’ or the the gatekeeper” of the Board of Admission.
Hieuen-Tsiang records that “the entrance examination was severe and only about two or three out of every ten applicants succeeded in passing it.” Students could specialize in any subject but Buddhist philosophy was compulsory with a strong emphasis on Mahayana philosophy. About 100 discourses took place each day. There were about 30 students under each lecturer. Teaching was mainly through discussions with active participation of professors and students.
GREAT LITERARY WORKS
The great scholars of Nalanda
produced a vast literature in all branches of knowledge. It is said that
it is in the field of logic that they made their greatest contribution. It rose
up to be a leading and an outstanding center of learning and intellectual
activities, and also as a leading center of dissemination of knowledge in
various fields.
Only very few of the great literary works of Nalanda scholars have come down to us in their original form. However, most of the work is available in their Tibetan and Chinese translations. Most of Mañjuśrīmitra’s works deal with a tantric or Vajrayana Buddhism. He was the son of an upper class Brahmin and was a respected Yogachara scholar.
Scholars have yet to study and discover the depth and magnitude of this vast store of knowledge. Nalanda’s monastery library contained the main collection of Mahayana texts in the ancient world.
The main library of Nalanda was known as Dharma Gunj which meant ‘Mountain of Truth’ or Dharmagañja or ‘Treasury of Truth’, and was the most renowned repository of Buddhist knowledge in the world at the time. Its collection comprised hundreds of thousands of volumes and manuscripts.
This main library had three main buildings each with nine storeys – Ratnasagara (Sea of Jewels), Ratnodadhi (Ocean of Jewels), and Ratnarañjaka (Delighter of Jewels). Inscriptional evidence (Yasovarmadeva) reveals that these were tall nine storey high buildings.
GRADUAL DECLINE OF NALANDA
Nalanda flourished up to about the
tenth century CE (about the end of the Classical Anuradhapura period of Sri
Lanka) when a gradual decline of this great seat of learning and research was
seen. The beginning of the decline of Nalanda was owing to increased pressure
and disapproval from Hindu Brahmins who at this time were both powerful and
influential.
The Jain community was also not quiet supportive of Buddhist teachings. Some Indian sources indicate that these two communities were envious of the stature and influence of this great Centre of intellectual activities in various fields of knowledge, which has developed as the leading center of dissemination of Buddhist knowledge and becoming the focal point of the Buddhist world for over 700 years.
The period of declining trend of Nalanda coincided with the heydays of the Pala Empire of the mid 8th to late 12th centuries, although the Pala kings were not in any way inimical or opposed to Nalanda. The Pāla Empire as major kingdom of ancient India was ruled by a Buddhist dynasty from Bengal.
The Palas were followers of the Mahayana and Tantric schools of Buddhism and supported Nalanda and other Buddhist universities such as Vikramashil, equally. The Pala Buddhist dynasty ushered in a period of stability and prosperity in Bengal. They created many colossal temples and exquisite works of art.
The Pala period is considered as the golden era of Bengal. Never had the Bengali people reached such heights of power and glory as during the Pala period. Palas were responsible for the introduction of Mahayana Buddhism in Tibet, Bhutan and Myanmar. The Palas had extensive trade as well as cultural influence in south-east Asia.
This is well evident in the sculptures and architectural style of historic sites in present-day Malaya, Java and Sumatra in particular. This remarkable Buddhist Empire eventually disintegrated in the 12th century, most drastically with the invasion of Bakhtiyar Khilji’s Muslim armies.
It is most unfortunate that at the time of arrival of the ruthless Muslim invaders, politically India had disintegrated without strong leaders and strong empires to confront the enemy. For example, the Gupta empire (3) of the Magadha kingdom was one of the largest political and military empires of ancient India covering much of the Indian sub continent.
This was the time of a significant growth of the Nalanda University near Rajagaha, then Capital of the Magadha Kingdom, as an Important international Centre of Learning when it was dominated by the liberal cultural traditions inherited from the Gupta age of 5th to 6th centuries.
With great kings like Chandragupta I, Samudragupta, and Chandragupta- II, political administration reached new heights. The decline and collapse of this empire since mid 6th century CE. led to political instability and weakness from which India suffered for several centuries. This situation was capitalized by Muslim invaders.
TANTRIC OR VAJRAYANA
OR ESOTERIC BUDDHISM
It is noteworthy that Tantric or
Vajrayana or Esoteric Buddhism and influence were dominant in the
Nalanda University during the Pala era. This was also the time when several
rival universities sprung up promoting Vajrayana Buddhism and practices.
Vajrayana is a complex and multifaceted system of Buddhist thought and practice
which evolved during the 6th to 8th centuries.
It developed out of the Mahayana school of teaching and also was strongly influenced by Hinduism which was also gaining ground during this period. Several Vajrayana texts were written at the Nalanda University. The Bodhisattva concept is dominant.
The personal goal of a bodhisattva is to almost achieve enlightenment, but to make the decision to return to the world in their next reincarnation in order to help others reach enlightenment. Unlike in Theravada teachings, a practitioner can attain full Buddhahood in a single lifetime.
A distinctive feature of Vajrayana is ritual as a substitute for abstract meditational practices. In fact, Vajrayana relies on various tantric techniques rooted in scriptures known as tantras. A sadhana” is a means by which a practitioner can attain enlightenment and it includes among other practices, a verbal repetition of mantras which helps to clear the mind and connect the practitioner to the spiritual.
Various Yoga techniques are also used such as ‘pranayama or breath control, mudra” or symbolic gestures made with fingers and hands. Visual aids in the forms of cosmic ‘mandala’ diagrams are popularly used.
In addition spiritual sounds by means of symbolic tools, musical instruments, thunderbolts, bells, hand drums are used to produce spiritual music and sounds that help practitioners to improve their spiritual potential and achieve inner transformation.
Vajrayanists believe that the best way to achieve the goal of overcoming desire, and to work towards enlightenment, may be to experience desire.
The ordained or monks and laity work closely in the practice of Buddhist rituals. In this esoteric relationship between the guru or teacher and student, the guru or teacher gradually releases hidden or inner knowledge to his student.
Vajrayāna Buddhists celebrate New Year’s, harvest festivals and anniversaries of the five important events in the life of the Buddha.
WANTON DESTRUCTION BY RUTHLESS MUSLIMS
The real blow to
Nalanda came with the arrival of the ruthless Muslim invaders who were
intolerant of other religions and cultures. They took delight in destroying
Indian cultural edifices and guardians of India’s indigenous religions and
cultures.
The destruction of Nālandā is in one of the greatest acts of cultural vandalism by Muslim invaders of India. The final dissolution of this once outstanding international university was evident in the 13th century when the world lost an unparalleled and inimitable institution of the ancient world that promoted globally, the path of virtue, compassion and wisdom.
In the year 1193, these invaders led by Mohammad Bakhtiar Khilji, attacked and burnt down and demolished this great Centre of Learning that existed for some 700 years. They destroyed its magnificent buildings and massacred its inmates, who at the time were mostly Buddhist monks.
Mirjah-i-Siraj the famous Persian Muslim historian in his chronicle Tabaquat-I-Nasiri has left a detailed horrid account of Khilji’s vandalism and violence. He reports that the gigantic library complex of Nalanda containing a total of over 9 million invaluable treasures of books, mostly manuscripts were set on fire and the burning continued for over six months.
He says that
“…smoke from the burning manuscripts hung for days like a dark pall over
the low hills”. This invaluable collection of works that were destroyed was the
products of centuries of scholastic studies. A few monks managed to escape with
a few manuscripts to Tibet, Nepal and other neighboring countries.
Mirjah-i-Siraj reports that thousands of Buddhist monks were burned alive and thousands beheaded as Khilji who tried his best to uproot Buddhism and plant Islam by the sword. He says that Buddhism virtually disappeared under the brutal impact of Muslim fanaticism. Nalanda which was a true spearhead of Buddhist learning in the world for several centuries became a deserted and desolate place and its ruins were covered by jungle.
A sharp decline of Buddhist Sangha and Buddhism was evident after the fall of the Pala dynasty in the 12 c. CE. continuing with later destruction of monasteries by Muslim invaders. Mughal invasions and rule contributed significantly to the decline of Buddhism in India.
In 1193 Muslim invaders seized control of Delhi, leaving defenseless the northeastern territories that were the heart of Buddhist India. The invading Muslim forces destroyed Buddhist temples and raided places in which Buddhism had flourished. Here, they mercilessly killed Buddhists including monks.
Buddhism of Magadha
suffered a tremendous decline with its invasion by Ikhtiar Muhammad Bin
Bakhtiyar Khilji who demolished many Buddhist shrines, monasteries and
the Nalanda Buddhist University. He massacred Buddhist monks and scholars. Some
Buddhist monks who escaped the massacre fled to Nepal, Tibet and South India.
The Generals of Qutb-ud-Din, the first Muslim Emperor of India, who ruled from Delhi, resorted to widespread destruction of Buddhist monasteries and killing their inmates. Many Buddhist monuments and sanctuaries near Benares were destroyed by these invading Muslim armies.
Mughal rulers like Aurangzeb destroyed Buddhist temples and monasteries and replaced them with Islamic mosques. There were deliberate and organized designs to convert Buddhists to Islam. Girls and married women with children were taken and converted to Islam.
Buddhism became virtually extinct in India by the end of the 19th century, excluding small isolated communities in eastern Bengal and Nepal. Buddhism saw some revival in India in the 20-21st centuries, through the influence of Anagarika Dharmapala and Dr. B.R.Ambedkar.
NEGLECT, EXPLORATIONS AND PRESENT STATUS OF NALANDA
The entire Nalanda area remained
abandoned and neglected until about the first quarter of the 19th century, when
a British Geographer Buchanan Hamilton visited Nalanda and reported on a number
of Brahmanical and Buddhist images.
The place remained neglected again until the 1860’s when Alexander Cunningham the first Director of Archeology and pioneer explorer of Buddhist heritage in India identified more details and discovered two inscriptions citing details on Nalanda. His excavation work helped to uncover a wealth of archeological remains and the findings were published in 1871.
In 1872, archeologist Bradley carried out some excavations in Nalanda and published a monograph. Systematic excavation work started by the Archaeological Survey of India in 1915, led to many more discoveries that are of archeological significance. A very large number of relics have been found and action taken to save monuments from further ruin. Some of the monuments and cultural treasures that were uncovered are kept in the Archaeological museum at Nalanda and also in the Calcutta and Patna museums.
Today, visitors and pilgrims to Nalanda find vast and well-excavated ruins, many of which are more substantial than the mere foundations remaining in other places. It has archeological remains of the great university, including monasteries, temples, and stupas built by different Buddhist kings. It is easier here to imagine the former glory of the monasteries and temples described by Hieuen Tsiang.
In the excavated area are the ruins of wonderful monuments, stupas, vihares, monasteries, hostels, image houses, images of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas, statues of deities of the Mahayana tradition, inscriptions, official seals of Nalanda, personal seals of university professors, coins issued by monarchs of different kingdoms, plaques, ornaments, pottery and a range of other antiquities of historical importance.
Among the ruins are remains of the most renowned stupa with a series of smaller stupas surrounding it. Five of these stupas are extremely well preserved. There are in all eleven monasteries, sites and several chaitya sites that have been excavated.
Among the Buddha statues recovered was one in preaching attitude and a colossal stucco statue of the seated Buddha in Bhumi sparsa mudra, which has been dated to belong to the 9th century CE. There is a large stone image of Bodhisattva Avaloketisvara. There is also a small shrine with an image believed to be that of Nagarjuna.
In 2006, Singapore, China, India, Japan, and other nations, announced a proposed plan to restore and revive the ancient site as Nalanda International University. India’s first Multimedia Museum at Nalanda was opened in January 2008, which recreates the fascinating history of Nalanda using a 3D animation film.
Dr. Daya Hewapathirane
Vancouver, Canada
——————————————————————————————- ADDITIONAL NOTES
(1) Magadha Kingdom was established around 1760 BCE by the Brihadratha Dynasty by king Jarasandha. Magadha kingdom covered mainly the area of Bihar south of the Ganges and later expanded to include Bengal and much of eastern Uttar Pradesh. Rajagriha or modern Rajgir was its first capital and then Pataliputra or modern Patn
Asokan Pillar.
Magadha expanded in time
to be one of the world’s largest kingdoms of its time, stretching to the north
along the natural boundaries of the Himalayas, and to the east stretching into
what is now Assam. To the west, it reached beyond modern Pakistan,
annexing Baluchistan and much of what is now Afghanistan, including the
modern Herat and Kandahar provinces. The kingdom was expanded into India’s
central and southern regions by the emperors Chandragupta and Bindusara, and
Asoka conquered the Kalinga (modern Orissa) region.
Two of India’s greatest empires, the
Maurya Empire (321 to 185 BCE) and Gupta Empire (320 to 550 CE) originated from
Magadha. These empires saw great advancements in philosophy, religion, science,
mathematics, and astronomy. Magadha kingdom is heavily mentioned in Buddhist
texts. Two of India’s major religions Buddhism and Jainism originated in
Magadha. From its inception until about 809 BCE, the Magadha kingdom was ruled
by many kings of that dynasty.
Haryanka Dynasty of Magadha
The Pradyota dynasty took over Magadha kingdom in 809 BCE and ruled until it was captured by the Haryanka dynasty in 684 BCE. Magadha was ruled by the Haryanka dynasty from 684 BCE to 424 BCE. Siddhartha Gautama was born at Kapilavastu in Kosala around the 5th century BCE, during the Haryanka dynasty. As the scene of many incidents in his life, including his enlightenment, Magadha is often considered a blessed land.
King Bimbisara of the Haryanka dynasty led an active and expansive policy, conquering Anga in what is now West Bengal. King Bimbisara was followed by his son Ajatashatru. Pataliputra became the capital of Magadha after Ajatashatru’s death. The Haryanka dynasty was overthrown by the Shishunaga dynasty which was subsequently overthrown by the Nanda Dynasty who ruled for about 100 years.
Mauryan Dynasty of Magadha
The Nanda Dynasty ended around 321 BCE and was followed by the famous Mauryan dynasty. Chandragupta Maurya founded the Maurya dynasty and established the Maurya Empire. During this time, most of the subcontinent was united under a single government for the first time. Capitalizing on the destabilization of northern India by the Persian and Greek incursions, the Mauryan Empire under Chandragupta would not only conquer most of the Indian subcontinent, but also push its boundaries into Persia and Central Asia, conquering the Gandhara region. Chandragupta was succeeded by his son Bindusara, who expanded the kingdom over most of present day India.
(2) The prominence of Magadha kingdom and the Maurya dynasty of kings peaked with the reign of the Asoka one of India’s most legendary and famous emperors. The Empire experienced half a century of peace and security under Emperor Asoka. Mauryan India enjoyed an era of social harmony, religious transformation, and expansion of the sciences and of knowledge. Chandragupta Maurya’s embrace of Jainism increased social and religious renewal and reform across his society, while Asoka’s embrace of Buddhism has been said to have been the foundation of the reign of social and political peace and non-violence across all of India.
The Mauryan dynasty under Asoka was
responsible for the proliferation of Buddhist ideals across most of the Asian
continent and beyond, fundamentally altering the history and development of
Asia as a whole. Asoka sponsored the spreading of Buddhist ideals into Sri
Lanka, Southeast Asia, West Asia and Mediterranean Europe. Asoka the Great has
been described as one of the greatest rulers the world has seen. The decline of
the Mauryan Empire began 60 years after Asoka’s rule, and it dissolved in 185
BCE with the foundation of the Sunga Dynasty in the Magadha kingdom.
The Sunga dynasty is associated with the period 185 to 73 BCE. It was replaced by the Kanva dynasty who ruled until 26 BCE. The Kanva dynasty collapsed and the Satavahana dynasty of the Andhra kingdom became the most powerful Indian state.
(3) The Gupta Empire was established around 240 CE and ruled until 550 CE. It was one of the largest political and military empires in ancient India covering much of the Indian sub continent. Its capital was at Pataliputra. The peace and prosperity created under leadership of Gupta’s enabled the pursuit of scientific and artistic endeavors.
This period is called the Classical or Golden Age of India and was marked by extensive inventions and discoveries in science, technology, engineering, art, dialectic, literature, logic, mathematics, astronomy, religion and philosophy. The high points of this cultural creativity are magnificent architectures, sculptures and paintings. Temples were mostly made of brick or stone. The doorways were very decorative. Wall murals flourished during this age the most famous being those of the Ajanta caves where the exquisite murals depict the life of Buddha.
The Gupta period produced scholars of
great repute such as Kalidasa. People led happy and prosperous lives.
This Empire gradually declined starting in mid 6th century CE and with the
disintegration of the cohesiveness of the former empire; India in general began
to be ruled by numerous less powerful regional kingdoms. This unfortunately was
the time when the Nalanda University was experiencing significant growth as a
leading Centre of learning in the Capital of the Magadha Kingdom dominated by
the liberal cultural traditions inherited from the Gupta age of 5th to 6th
centuries.
Dr.
Daya Hewapathirane
daya.hewapathirane@gmail.com
Our
sacred landscape of religious and ethnic harmony
The
recent tragic event on the ‘Easter Sunday’ saw a cataclysmic outpouring of
anger, condemnation and criticism, expressed mainly in newspapers and other
social media sites.
While
few resorted to a more subdued response and a somewhat in-depth analysis, the
majority’s anger and anguish was/is evident. The intervention of the Cardinal
and his sombre advice to the Catholics in particular, to remain calm played a
huge role in preventing a backlash of no small magnitude. He addressed all,
both the perpetrators or whoever was/is behind it and also the suffered, in the
same tone, though burdened and laden with sadness, yet still imbued with love,
patience and peace.
It was
also good to see that in spite of the water being terribly muddy and murky and
fishing in it could have produced a big catch of sorts to a few of them, almost
none ventured out too far into the torrents for fear of drowning, dragged down
by undercurrents and whirlpools of uncertainty and unpredictability.
And
the inaction of some them that most certainly proved fatal to some nearly three
hundred innocent people, may have discouraged them even more in pursuing that
familiar to most of us their hobby or pet game, namely the blame games, even
though they kicked off to a good start and began to be played on various venues
alongside equally varying menus just as the dust seemed to begin to settle.
Now
what? Where and how do we begin the process of repairing and treating the
wounds caused by anger, despair, destruction and distrust? Mere temporary band
aids and bandages wouldn’t and cannot do much here. So much so has happened and
so fast too that it won’t be an easy task to design and put in
to practice those re-conciliatory mechanisms and carry out
possible reconstruction without delay, all aimed at achieving an absolute
certainty that incidents of this nature so tragic and devastating would not
happen, ever again on Sri Lankan soil.
The
exercise, programs and projects need the whole-hearted participation
of all concerned representing all ethnicities, political parties, clergy
representing all faiths, academics and professionals from fields far and wide
as possible, who wish to have peaceful bright blue skies above a
beautiful Sri Lanka, always.
‘Trying
to gain political advantage and mileage’ in situations such as these at the
expense of the country’s welfare and well-being must be treated as
high treason and no less.
Think
about our present and future children, if not anything else.
Three
decades of mayhem and terror left that once serene landscape terribly scarred
and scathed. The next ten years were relative peace and the country was just
returning to its former glory, of even getting declared as one of the best
tourist destinations in the world. Then the unthinkable happened. All that
peace, which was gained and won at great sacrifice of the nation’s sons and
daughters, shattered in seconds amidst explosions and screams.
Now
the moment has come, for all Sri Lankans to get together and build those fallen
bridges; bridges of love, tolerance and understanding. Bridges that are going
to stand firm, unbreakable and unsinkable even in the face of the most
formidable, the hostile and the ferocious enemies of our nation.
We
shouldn’t allow anyone, big or small, from within and without to strip our
once-used to be beautiful and sacred landscape, of religious and ethnic harmony
and its diverse beauty found in appreciation and mutual respect amongst its
inhabitants.
Mayor John Tory City Hall 100 Queen Street Toronto, Ontario M5H 2N2
Dear Sir:
I refer to your proclamation Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day, May
18th, 2019. I am curious as to why you have chosen this date, May 18th for
remembering “Tamil Genocide”. For Sri Lankans the day reminds them
that it was on May 19th, 2009 that the leaders of the Tamil terrorist group
called the the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam were killed. Given the
wide publicity in the Canadian media of the terrorist attacks by the LTTE and
the fact that Canadian Tamils funded and supported them for thirty years, with the
public backing of Canadian politicians, it would be more appropriate for you to
issue a proclamation remembering the end of Tamil terrorism in Sri Lanka, the
liberation of all Sri Lankans from Tamil terrorism and the beginning of a
period of peace for all Sri Lankans. You use the word
“genocide”. Are you aware that the word genocide implies a conscious
and systematic plan to extinguish an entire ethnic group? The Tamils of Sri
Lanka are thriving in Sri Lanka and constitute 12% of the population.
There has been no reduction in this percentage over the last thirty years which
makes your claim a pathetic lie and indicates your ignorance.
In spite of wide media coverage in Canada of the acts of terror in
Sri Lanka by Tamil terrorists, you seem to be oblivious of the fact that a
group called the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) fought to divide Sri
Lanka for thirty long years using extreme acts of terror on the entire
population of Sri Lanka. These acts of terror were “celebrated”
in Toronto by the supporters of the Tamil terrorists who funded terrorism in
Sri Lanka and were backed by Canadian politicians of all political parties who
helped them raise funds and provided political backing to terrorize Sri
Lankans. Sri Lankans who were being killed by this callous disregard of
life and liberty by Canadian politicians knew that this support was just to get
a few Tamil votes in Canada although it caused thousands of deaths in Sri
Lanka. The media all over the world reported on these acts of terror by this
group of Tamil terrorists (LTTE) who earned the dubious distinction of being
rated as the most ruthless terrorists in the world. In spite of the funding and
political backing from overseas of these terrorists, Sri Lankan forces
liberated the country on May 19th, 2009 when the terrorist leader was killed by
the Sri Lankan forces. He died with a gun in his hand. Some of his hard core
fighters were also killed in this final battle. In your view, is the fact that
a group of ruthless terrorists were killed in battle “genocide”? If
so, are Canadian forces sent to countries such as Syria and Afghanistan to
commit “genocide”?
You state that you “gather on this solemn day to remember, to
commit that such a tragedy is never repeated and to continue to seek justice”.
Sri Lankans who were terrorised by these Tamil terrorists, gather to remember
the thousands killed in Sri Lanka, acts which were supported by politicians all
over the world who were merely counting votes in their countries with callous
disregard of the fact that their actions were responsible for death and
destruction in Sri Lanka. Sri Lankans also do not want such a tragedy
repeated but proclamations such as yours indicate that Canadian politicians are
again supporting the possibility of the same tragedy being repeated just to get
votes in Canada at the expense of lives in Sri Lanka. It also indicates that
Canadians who supported Tamil terrorism in Sri Lanka have been successful
in getting your support. You state that you “continue to seek
justice”, so do Sri Lankans; the difference is that Sri Lankans seek
justice that will bring an end to Tamil terrorism by holding those who
committed the acts of terror to justice whereas you seem to seek justice for
those who committed the acts of terror.
Since 2009 Sri Lanka has had relative peace in spite of the fact
that those who supported terrorism from Canada still continue to support a
division of Sri Lanka whether by terror or other means. Your proclamation
indicates that you have decided to support them to the detriment of peace and
the liberty of Sri Lankans who did not and do not support the division of Sri
Lanka. You have issued this “proclamation” to get votes. You
seem to forget that there are other voters who do not support your point of
view and you have lost their support by this “proclamation”.
By Anbarasan Ethirajan Courtesy BBC News, Sri Lanka
Image captionA statue amid debris at St Sebastian’s Church in Negombo, Sri Lanka, following the Easter Sunday bombing
For many Sri Lankans, it was a horrific shock to learn that local Muslims could have been behind the suicide attacks that killed more than 250 people last month. How could a small group have planned such a devastating wave of bombings undetected?
The clues were there in mid-January, when Sri Lankan police stumbled upon 100kg (220lb) of explosives and 100 detonators, hidden in a coconut grove near the Wilpattu national park, which is a remote wilderness in Puttalam district on the west coast of the country.
Police were investigating attacks on statues of the Buddha by suspected Islamist radicals elsewhere in the country. Four men from a newly formed “radical Muslim group” were arrested.
Three months later, suspected Islamists blew themselves up in packed churches and hotels in Colombo, Negombo and the eastern city of Batticaloa killing more than 250 people, including 40 foreigners.
But that arms seizure in the coconut grove was not an isolated incident. It was just one of several suspicious incidents in the months leading up to the bombings that should have rung alarm bells, especially given reports that several Sri Lankans who had joined the Islamic State group in Syria were back home.
It didn’t.
We now know the carnage on Easter Sunday happened despite repeated warnings about potential attacks from intelligence services in neighbouring India and the US.
It was only after the bombing that police identified links between two of those arrested in Puttalam in January and the suspected ringleader of the mass-casualty attacks.
Family circles
Political in-fighting and factionalism going all the way to the top of the Sri Lankan government is part of the reason warnings went unheeded, but complacency about the peace in Sri Lanka since the end of the civil war in 2009 also played a role.
Sporadic anti-Muslim riots since the end of the war between Tamil minority separatists and the government had fomented anger and discontent, but on the face of it nothing had pointed to a co-ordinated assault of this magnitude.
“The Islamists surprised everyone with the deadly bombings and at the same time kept the entire operation a secret,” said a former Sri Lankan counter-terrorism operative who had been keeping a tab on some of the radicals involved in the Easter Sunday attacks.
It would have required detailed planning, safe houses, an extensive network of planners and handlers, expertise on bomb-making and significant funding – so how did all of this slip so far under the radar?
Few of these questions have been answered, but sources linked to security agencies, government officials and local Muslim leaders have painted a picture of how, over the years, a small number of die-hard radicals and IS sympathisers clandestinely set up cells right under the noses of the security forces.
Investigators say that certain members of individual families became radicalised and operated as units.
“That’s how they kept their intentions and movements among themselves,” said the counter-terror agent, who requested anonymity to speak openly, given the sensitivity of ongoing investigations.
Each unit then liaised with other radicalised family groups, forming larger networks. The supposition goes that information was tightly protected within networks of loyalty that transcended ideology. Encrypted social media networks and messaging apps are believed to have facilitated communication and planning.
“The investigators are now trying to find out how these people communicated and co-ordinated,” the agent added.
So far more than 70 people believed to be linked to the radicals have been arrested. But not everyone is convinced the networks have been dismantled.
“The main people involved in the attacks and those who made these bombs are still at large… So there are suggestions that there may be a second wave of attacks,” a senior government official who did not wish to be identified told me last week.
“According to the theory of conventional terrorism, every suicide bomber needs at least five handlers. If you go by that there are 45 guys [for nine bombers] still out there. We are concerned.”
It’s a narrative at odds with what Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has been saying. He recently declared that all suspects connected with the bombings had either been apprehended or killed.
Image captionAt least 253 people were killed and about 500 injured in the attacks
The bombings have now put the spotlight on Muslims – the third biggest community in Sri Lanka, after the majority Sinhalese and Tamils. Muslims constitute around 10% of the country’s population of 22 million.
During the civil war, Muslims suffered at the hands of the Tamil Tiger rebels. About 75,000 Muslims were expelled from the north by the rebels in 1990. Around 150 people were killed in attacks on mosques in the east the same year.
Later on, hundreds of Muslims joined the Sri Lankan security forces. They were particularly sought after by intelligence agencies as most Muslims are fluent both in Sinhala and Tamil languages. But while the Sri Lankan government was tied up fighting the Tamil ethnic insurgency, an ultra-conservative Islamic movement was quietly establishing a foothold in the Muslim-dominated areas of the east.
Image captionMuslims make up about 10% of Sri Lanka’s population and only small numbers are believed to have become radicalised
“The process began nearly three decades ago. The Wahhabi brand of Islam attracted the young and it also had financial backing from abroad,” said Mazook Ahamed Lebbe, an official from the Federation of Mosques in the eastern town of Kattankudy.
The beachside town, which has a population of around 47,000, is almost exclusively Muslim. A few shops in the centre of town sell the Abaya – a full-length black robe worn by some Muslim women. The town is dotted with colourful domes and minarets.
Kattankudy has around 60 mosques and more are being constructed. Muslim community leaders say that while most mosques adhere to moderate and mainstream teachings, some preach an ultra-conservative version of Islam.
Image captionKattankudy’s Muslims fear reprisals because the preacher came from their town
One of those attracted by the fundamentalist brand was Mohammed Zahran Hashim, a radical preacher from Kattankudy who, the government says, blew himself up at the Shangri-La Hotel on Easter Sunday.
Hashim’s father sent him to a religious school for his education. But he soon started questioning the teachers, saying they were not following “true Islam”. He was kicked out of the madrassa but continued his religious studies on his own and later started preaching – challenging the established practices of local mosques.
“We disagreed with his views. So we didn’t allow him to preach in any of our mosques. Then he started his own group,” said Mr Lebbe.
Hashim initially set up a conservative group called “Darul Athar” and later founded the hard-line National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ) around 2014. This is the group that has been blamed by the Sri Lankan government for the attacks.
Image captionZahran Hashim has been identified as the ringleader of the bombers
Members of the NTJ had previously been known to police for vandalising Buddhist statues and clashing with other Muslim groups. The idea that they had the capacity to carry out the carnage of Easter Sunday left many perplexed.
In its early years, the NTJ managed to secure donations from overseas, particularly from the Middle East, India and Malaysia. The money helped the group to build its own mosque close to the beach in Kattankudy. The building has been sealed since the government banned the NTJ in the aftermath of the attacks.
Image captionThe NTJ mosque Zahran Hashim founded once had hundreds of followers – but has now been shut
As a preacher, Hashim drew inspiration from the Wahhabi tradition, whose followers practise a strict and austere form of Islam.
But Muslim groups in Kattankudy say he went further and embraced an extremist ideology. The NTJ campaigned against the town’s small community of Sufi Muslims, who follow a mystical form of the faith.
In 2017 Hashim and NTJ members clashed with a group of Sufi Muslims at an event, with his followers brandishing swords.
Ten members of the NTJ including the father and the second brother of Hashim were arrested. But Hashim and his brother Rilwan went into hiding. After widespread criticism, the NTJ said it had expelled him, but some Muslim leaders say Hashim remained influential in the group
While in hiding, he started releasing hate speech videos on social media in which he railed against “non-believers”. It appears as if Hashim managed to draw most of his family members into his extremist way of thinking and convinced them to pursue the path of violence.
“They were a normal Muslim family. Hashim’s father came from a poor background and was known to the community here. Hashim was a good preacher and well versed in the Koran… No one imagined that Hashim and his family could do such things,” said Mr Lebbe.
“I met Zahran’s father and one of his brothers a week before the Easter Sunday attacks. But they behaved in a normal manner. It is still a mystery to us how they got radicalised to this extent,” a relative of Hashim and former NTJ member said.
Amid the wreckage, police found white dresses usually worn by Buddhist women during prayers at temples. They suspect that the militants had planned to enter temples in disguise during the Buddhist festival of Vesak in mid-May to carry out further attacks.
“We were able to account for five of the nine sets of dresses bought from a clothing shop. Four sets are missing,” an officer at the site told me. Hashim’s wife and daughter survived with injuries.
Image captionChildren’s schoolbooks were found amid the wreckage in Sainthamaruthu
On 24 April, Mohammad Hashim Madaniya, the sister of Hashim, told the BBC she strongly condemned her brother’s actions and said she had lost contact with him two years ago. She said she had not seen or heard anything from her extended family since shortly before the blasts. By her version of events, she was one of few members of the family who was not part of the network.
A week later, police arrested Ms Madaniya, saying they had found nearly two million Sri Lankan rupees ($12,000) from her house during a raid. They alleged that she had received the money from her brother in Colombo a few days before the blasts. There has been no response from Ms Madaniya, who remains in custody.
Radicalisation
Some have wondered if anti-Muslim riots in the central district of Kandy in February 2018 might have pushed more people towards extremism.
At least two people were killed, a mosque was set on fire and hundreds of houses and shops were damaged by mobs in violence that led to a state of emergency being imposed. Local Muslims told me in the aftermath that they felt the state did not do enough to protect them.
But very small numbers of Muslim youth had become radicalised years before those riots. Authorities say dozens were drawn towards IS after the extremist group declared a caliphate in Syria and Iraq in 2014.
Image captionAnti-Muslim riots in Kandy last year led to a state of emergency being imposed
A school principal from central Sri Lanka, Mohamed Muhsin Nilam, was the first Sri Lankan to join IS in Syria. He died in Raqqa in 2015. “It is believed that he was the one who influenced or played a major role in radicalising some of the suicide bombers who attacked on Easter Sunday,” said the counter-terrorism agent.
It’s not clear whether any of the bombers actually travelled to Syria. Investigators say Abdul Latheef Mohamed Jameel made it as far as Turkey in 2014 but then returned home.
Jameel, who hailed from a wealthy family involved in the tea trade, studied in the UK and Australia before he tried to go to Syria. His target on 21 April was the luxury Taj Samudra hotel in Colombo but his bomb probably failed and he was seen leaving the premises. He later blew himself up at a motel in the suburb of Dehiwala, killing two guests.
Image captionA man believed to be Abdul Latheef Mohamed Jameel seen leaving the Taj Samudra Hotel
Investigators suspect that Jameel, a 37-year-old with four children, was the link between local radicals and IS or other Islamist groups based abroad.
Several years ago, his family became concerned about his hardline views and enlisted the help of a security official.
“He was completely radicalised and supported the extremist ideology. I tried to reason with him,” the official said. “When I asked him how he got into this… he said that he attended the sermons of the radical British preacher Anjem Choudary in London. He said he met him during the sermons.”
Friends of Jameel have said that the US invasion of Iraq was a major factor in shaping his hardline views. Investigators believe he became more radicalised after moving to Australia in 2009. When he returned to Sri Lanka four years later he was placed under surveillance, though it’s unclear how long this lasted.
The spice traders
It is not completely clear how Hashim, a cleric from the east, established contact with two sons of a well-known wealthy spice trader in Colombo – Inshaf Ahmed Ibrahim and Ilham Ibrahim. The brothers both carried out suicide attacks on Easter Sunday.
One Muslim community leader told me that Hashim had married a woman from the central town of Kurunegala. Ilham Ibrahim, who targeted the Shangri-La with Zahran Hashim, managed the family’s spice farm in Matale, about 50km away from Kurunegala. It is suspected that Ilham Ibrahim and Hashim came into contact in that area.
Hours after the first blasts, police raided Ilham Ibrahim’s family villa in the Dematagoda suburb of Colombo. Police say his wife, Fatima Ibrahim, detonated a suicide vest, killing herself, three of their children and three officers.
Image captionInshaf Ibrahim (R) and his father (C) accepted an award in 2016 from a Sri Lankan minister
Officials and security experts are clear that staging nine suicide operations would have required careful planning and huge financial support.
Two other suspects, Mohammad Abdul-Haq and Mohammad Shaheed Abdul-Haq, who hail from the central town of Mawanella, were arrested a week after the bombings. They are suspected of having had links to the Ibrahim brothers.
“Investigators have found a safe house of the Haq brothers in Puttalam district overlooking a lagoon. Investigators have found links suggesting that the advance money to buy the property came from one of the Ibrahim brothers,” said the former intelligence operative.
The father of the Ibrahim brothers, Mohamed Ibrahim, remains in custody. He is well-known among Colombo business circles, politically well-connected and once unsuccessfully ran for parliament. He has not been charged and has not been heard from since he was detained.
Investigators believe that Jameel influenced the Ibrahim brothers. The families knew each other.
The political factions
While Sri Lankans are still reeling from the shock and pain of the attacks, they are also equally appalled by the political bickering and official handling of the aftermath of the blasts.
President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe belong to two different political parties and have a hostile relationship. Their efforts to undermine each other appear to have created a communications gap at the heart of the government.
Image captionPresident Maithripala Sirisena (L) and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe (R) are at loggerheads
The president oversees the security forces and soon after the bombings, the prime minister said that an Indian intelligence warning about attacks had not been shared with him. President Sirisena has made a point of saying that top intelligence officers did not share the information with him either.
Bhavani Fonseka, a human rights lawyer, said bickering between the two leaders was affecting the country. “It is more to the point of how it has impacted the security…That’s a deeply troubling point,” she said.
The lack of communication between various arms of the government was also laid bare when two ministries blamed each other for providing wrong casualty figures. The number of dead in the bombings was lowered five days after the attacks by more than a hundred.
At one point, Sri Lankan police had to apologise after wrongly identifying a US woman as a suspect.
Media captionSri Lanka president: IS ‘chose Sri Lanka to show they exist’
Most government officials who spoke to the BBC admit that sleeper cells are likely still out there.
But that raises the question of why the Islamic State group is targeting a country like Sri Lanka, where Muslims are a minority.
The senior government official said the group – now physically decimated in Syria and Iraq – sees the island as “part of their caliphate”.
President Sirisena, meanwhile, told the BBC earlier this week that they had chosen a “country that recently established peace to make the statement that IS still exists”.
Sri Lanka is a war-scarred society and suffered extreme violence for decades. But this time, the forces it is trying to confront are invisible and drawing inspiration, and possibly support from global terror networks. The battle is likely to be long and drawn out and many fear that as long as politics remain fractured, the country will be vulnerable.
Sri Lankan army chief Senanayake said that India, China, United States, Israel, Australia and the United Arab Emirates were looking to provide high-grade military technology, including communication and surveillance equipment, to deal with future threats.
We have requested India for intelligence cooperation: Sri Lanka’s army commander Mahesh Senanayake | Photo from REUTERS
HIGHLIGHTS
Sri Lanka army chief said India to provide assistance to fight menace of Islamic terrorism in country
He rejected any idea of on-ground military help from any country
He added that Sri Lanka is working towards a system to ensure such attacks do not succeed in future
The army chief of Sri Lanka said that India would be providing Sri Lanka with counter-terrorism technology and capability to fight the growing menace of Islamic terrorism in the country.
Speaking to India Today TV on Saturday, army chief of Sri Lanka Lt Gen Mahesh Senanayake said, “We have requested India for intelligence cooperation, bomb disposal assistance, cyber warfare assistance and assistance of training and equipment.”
To a question on if India has agreed to Colombo’s demands, the chief said that they have been assured help and assistance since “this is not only good for Sri Lanka but the entire region. We have suffered a lot and we do not want others to suffer”.
He rejected any idea of on-ground military help from any country.
Sri Lanka fought the toughest battle during the war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and after the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF), they never sought any external military assistance.
“We do not encourage troop requirement here [Sri Lanka]. There is no reason for other countries to send their armed forces but, we need assistance for our interrogation and technical assistance to enhance our capabilities on conducting future operations. We really welcome friends who are actual friends in need. Our relationship with the Indian Army and military diplomacy with our neighbors, especially India, stand tall,” he said.
BLASTS IN SRI LANKA
Nine suicide bombers, including a woman, carried out a series of blasts that tore through three churches and three luxury hotels on April 21, killing over 250 people and injuring more than 500.
“The Sri Lankan Army was not informed of the critical intelligence that was shared by ‘friendly’ countries with Colombo,” said General Senanayake.
When asked on the massive intelligence failure, he said, “More than the failure, there was a gap between the agencies in terms of cooperation. Even after being informed by our friendly countries of this particular incident, it was not shared with other agencies on time. That created this situation.”
He added that the country is working towards an “integrated intelligence system” to ensure such attacks do not succeed in the future.
The Easter Sunday attackers, according to intelligence gathered by the forces, had travelled to many important cities of India, including Kashmir, to connect with Islamic terrorist groups.
Sri Lanka is looking into all the connections in the sub-continent, including links with groups in Pakistan.
“During the investigation very few cadres had travelled to India. Indian government did not help them. They had gone to make connections. They had outside links and visited abroad which their passports have revealed… they travelled to Bengaluru, Kochi, and parts of Kashmir. We can tell their exact locations and people they met, after the investigations,” he said.
Business tycoon Yusuf Ibrahim’s sons travelled under the garb of business to India.
Senanayake said that investigations had established that the plotters had links to Islamic State (IS), but currently they are trying to establish their location and the depth of contact.
“We had five Sri Lankan fighters in Syria, one died in 2017. They have connections with IS in Syria. Currently, we are not in a position to tell the exact location but investigations are going on,” Lt Gen Mahesh Senanayake said.
While they are investigation outside links, Sri Lanka is not ruling out help from former LTTE cadre who fled the country after they lost the war.
General Senanayake said, “Although 13,169 people surrendered, definitely some escaped to India and other countries, Germany, France, West Canada, the UK. We are seriously monitoring activities of ex-LTTE cadres within the country and other countries also. Revamping of LTTE is not an immediate concern but our current attention is to the particular incident of April 21.”
For now, investigators from eight countries, including the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Interpol, are helping Sri Lanka with the investigation.
Senanayake said that India, China, United States, Israel, Australia and the United Arab Emirates were looking to provide high-grade military technology, including communication and surveillance equipment, to deal with future threats.
He assured that the situation will return to normal and that the country is safe for tourists to return.
Iran traded 256,551 tons of non-oil commodities worth $141 million with Sri Lanka in the last fiscal year (ended March 20, 2019) to register a 53.58% growth in tonnage and 8.22% decline in value compared with the year before, latest data released by the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration show.
Iran’s exports to Sri Lanka stood at 233,453 tons worth $51.11 million, up 69.50% and 28.33% in tonnage and value respectively year-on-year.
Sri Lanka was Iran’s 39th export destination during the year.
Iran mainly exported bitumen, non-alloy semi-finished iron/steel products, urea and turbines to Sri Lanka during the 12-month period.
In return, Sri Lanka exported 23,097 tons of goods worth $90.69 million to Iran, down 21.22% and 20.92% in tonnage and value respectively YOY.
Sri Lanka was the 35th exporter of goods to Iran during the period.
The imports mainly included tea, cans and coconuts.
Sri Lanka has taken several additional security measures in the aftermath of the Easter Sunday attacks on churches and hotels that killed 258 people and injured nearly 500 others. Among these new measures is forbidding the wearing of the Niqab face veil by women.
The authorities in the country came to the conclusion that wearing of the Niqab raises several additional security risks to countries, Muslim and non-Muslim alike, since it conceals the identity of people and ends up posing grave security risks to peoples and countries equally.
Muslims across the Muslim countries have yet to decide whether wearing the Niqab has well-founded Islamic tradition, as women in the days of Prophet Mohammad joined men in battle against the enemies of Islam and were very active politically and economically in their society.
Many Muslims maintain that wearing the Niqab was never an established Islamic tradition in the era of Prophet Mohammad, and they continue to submit that while wearing the hijab was a well-founded Islamic custom, concealing the face completely for friend and enemy alike is not.
What Sri Lanka has decided on warrants a follow up by other Islamic nations, especially in an era when security concerns are on the rise. Surely, the minority Muslim women who wear the Niqab would understand and appreciate the decisions of Sri Lanka, and, indeed, other countries Muslim and non-Muslim alike, to forbid its wearing for imminent security reasons.
Jordan may not want to consider a similar move in that direction, even though the threats of terrorism are on the rise rather on the decline, until there is an overwhelming Islamic verdict that it is not necessary from a strict Islamic code to wear it.
Perhaps a fatwa from religious leaders on this issue would clarify the status of the Niqab in Islam before the government may outlaw the wearing of this cover on the face of Muslim women for security reasons.
Our own security people have apprehended even men wearing the Niqab to hide their identity in order to commit theft and other criminal offences, a phenomenon that encourages revisiting this issue as a matter of high priority.
Only a small minority of women in Jordan wear the Niqab, but even this minority have a right to ask for a fatwa (religious edict) on the issue before they may decide to stop wearing it. The majority of Muslim women who do not wear the Niqab have a stake in this matter and would very much appreciate an Islamic ruling on it.
Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana Courtesy The Daily Mirror
Non-Cabinet Minister of Economic Reforms and Public Distribution, Harsha de Silva said yesterday Madrasas or Muslim religious schools should be monitored by the Ministry of Education like what happens with Pirivenas.
However, the newly formulated Madrasa Schools Regulation Bill stipulates that it should be handled by the Muslim Religious Affairs Ministry.
Even Pirivanas are regulated by the Education Ministry. As such Madrasas should also be brought under the purview of the Ministry Education. Law should be applied equally to everyone,” the minister said adding that laws should be introduced to make it compulsory for Muslim Women to expose their ears when required.
Current gazette technically bans even the wearing of a hijab, a headscarf, unless the eras are exposed. I have suggested to let Muslim women continue to wear the hijab as they have always done, but if required by authorities expose the ears for identification purposes,” the minister said.
He said the claim made by some that swords were kept in houses for the householders’ safety is unacceptable as such a thing is practised only in countries such as Saudi Arabia.
The minister said he was ashamed as a member of the government that it was not able to save the country from the Easter Sunday carnage despite the prior warnings given by the intelligence units.
An officer attached to the United States (US) Embassy in Sri Lanka has taken several Sri Lankan Judges for a seminar in the US with the intention of interfering with the affairs of the Courts, United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Parliamentarian Udaya Gammanpila alleged yesterday (8).
Gammanpila made this allegation during the Adjournment debate on the current security situation in the country.
He claimed, The US is trying to intervene with local affairs by manipulating our Courts. The US Embassy in Sri Lanka recently organized a seminar for Sri Lankan Judges in the US. The topic of that seminar is ‘Money Laundering and the Recovery of Stolen Assets’. It was facilitated by the US Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Nine senior Judges participated in this seminar. They are Supreme Court (SC) Judges, Justices Buwaneka Aluwihare PC, Priyantha Jayawardena PC and Vijith Kumara Malalgoda PC, Court of Appeal Judges, Justices A.H.M.D. Nawaz, Janak de Silva and N. Bandula Karunarathna, and High Court Judges Sampath Wijeratne, Sampath Abeykoon and Champa Janaki Rajaratne. The Coordinator of the seminar, named Patrick Tillou, who is an officer at the US Embassy in Sri Lanka, during a dinner had reportedly asked these Judges as to what would happen to the case of former Chief of Staff of Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa, Gamini Senarath. The Judges replied that that case is a weak one. Then Patrick had said, ‘we hope you would give a ruling which would set an example for all the senior State officers. Now, who is this ‘we’? ‘We’ means the US Government. Patrick did not stop there. He asked what the reasons were for the delay in the case related to former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The Judges said that Rajapaksa files appeals with the Supreme Court against their rulings. Patrick requested them to give a final verdict on those cases as soon as possible. What is this? Patrick advised our Judges.”
Gammanpila further claimed that a patriotic Judge who was present on that occasion had recorded the entire conversation out of anger in his mobile phone. I have a copy of that recording. But I won’t table it as there is sensitive information in it,” he added.
Ceylon Today yesterday sought a response from the US Embassy with regard to the claims made by Gammanpila in Parliament. At the time of going into press, no response was received with regard to the query sent in this regard via electronic mail to Spokesperson of the US Embassy in Sri Lanka, Nancy VanHorn.
Sri Lanka’s security forces have made more arrests in connection with the Easter Sunday attacks as search operations continue across the island with the participation of thousands of tri-forces troops and police personnel.
A suspect was arrested in Kattankudy by Police, Thursday night (9). Investigations have revealed that the suspect had maintained close links with the suicide bomber Zahran and had even involved in financial transactions with him, the Defence Ministry said today (11).
The suspect has also attended some training sessions conducted at a safe house run by the terrorist group in Hambantota. Investigations have also revealed details of several bank accounts maintained by the suspect. Authorities are conducting further investigations, revealed the Police Spokesman SP Ruwan Gunasekara during the press briefing at the Media Centre in Kollupitiya, on Friday evening (10).
Another individual was also arrested by Slave Island Police upon information received that the suspect had links with the terrorist group. Police were also able to recover over Rs 8.3 million in cash and more than 776 grams of jewelry items during a search conducted at his office in Maradana. Details of a luxury house in Dehiwala and several bank accounts were also revealed during investigations.
A cache of explosives was found hidden in the Kattankudy beach. Police acting on information received had recovered this stock of explosives believed to be hidden by the Sainthamaruthu suicide bombers, the Police Spokesman further said. He also assured that all items hidden by the terrorist group will be discovered and everyone connected with them will be arrested and their assets seized.
The operating of drones and unmanned aerial vehicles within the country was prohibited following the 21st April bombings. However, there have been reports of sightings of suspected drones and unmanned aerial vehicles from a number of areas, the ministry said.
This has caused some concerns in the minds of the people about their safety. Most of these have turned out to be small toy drones and even kites which do not pose any danger. Given the fact that such operation of drones and unmanned aerial vehicles violate the law, we have to assume that those who operate such drones and unmanned aerial vehicles do so motivated by interests inimical to the national security.”
Therefore, the Security Forces and the Police have been advised to take whatever action necessary to bring down those drones and take into custody any individual or group operating such, said so the Air Force Spokesman Group Captain Gihan Seneviratne during the press briefing.
The Security Forces are fully committed to ensuring national security and an expeditious return to normalcy. It is reminded that the public cooperation in this regard is imperative. And also refraining from activities that can cause fear and panic and notifying the authorities of any individuals or groups engaging in such activities is the public’s contribution to restoring confidence in our country and to expedite the return to normal life, he further added.
Acting on information provided by the Akkaraipattu Police, the Navy was able to recover several sharp items, an unidentified grenade, a tablet PC, a personal computer and a binocular from the Morawdi lagoon. During a search operation in Marassana in Thalawathuoya, Navy personnel recovered 365 live ammunition, 72 empty shells along with three magazines. All items have been handed over to the Police for further investigations, said Navy Spokesman Lieutenant Commander Isuru Sooriyabandara at the press briefing.
