Dr. Daya Hewapathirane
The small communities of Tamils and Muslims
living in Sri Lanka, amount to a total of about 24% of the country’s total
population. These communities are descendants of groups of individuals,
exclusively males, who initially arrived in this island at different times in
the past for various purposes, and later settled down among the Sinhala people.
The Tamils came from southern India and observe the cultural traditions of
Tamilnadu which is their homeland where the Tamil culture and Tamil language
originated. Initially Tamils came to the island as invaders and mercenaries and
later, especially in the 19th century and thereafter, the British brought South
Indian Tamils to Sri Lanka to work as labourers in British-owned commercial
plantations. This was the time when our country was under the British invaders.
Most of this Tamil labour community stayed behind and were accorded citizenship in later years
after the country attained political independence. Tamils in general, therefore
are settler communities in the island with the rights and privileges enjoyed by
the indigenous Sinhala people. It is
important to note that Tamils are indigenous to the Tamilnadu which is the
birth-place of the Tamil culture and language. For all purposes, the national
and cultural homeland of the Tamils is Tamilnadu.
During a good part of the past four decades,
Tamil terrorists of the LTTE, took away from the indigenous Sinhala majority,
what they valued and cherished most as a nation – their freedom and peaceful
life. During this time, the large
majority of Tamils living within and outside Sri Lanka were openly or discreetly
supportive of terrorism and separatism propagated by the racist LTTE terrorists
under Prabakaran, their ruthless leader. The overwhelming majority of Sri
Lankan Tamils living overseas, were providing assistance, both directly and indirectly, often
using deceitful means to the Tamil terror movement in Sri Lanka thereby
promoting gruesome, hideous and horrifying terrorist activities against
the nation, its Sinhala leaders, Bhikkhus, military and police personnel.. They
provided assistance to bomb and destroy reputed historically significant
Buddhist monuments and sites in our country, and other public property of value
and took action to disrepute and undermine the legitimately elected government
of our country.
The Sinhala nation is eternally grateful to
the Ranaviru Sinhala sons and daughters for eliminating from our nation, this
treacherous racist terrorist menace in the year 2009. Sinhala leaders at the
time understood that for the emancipation of our nation, there can be no
compromise with terrorists and their cohorts both local and foreign. The
territorial integrity and sovereignty of our motherland is of fundamental
importance to us, and the nation is ever grateful to those who led our military
forces to eradicate Tamil terrorism and for restoring our nation for the
present and future generations. Thousands of true sons of the soil sacrificed
their precious lives while serving in the military forces. The nation will is
grateful forever for the sacrifices they made to bring peace to our people
Our heroic military personnel who were making untold
sacrifices to protect our people and the territorial integrity of our country
were subject to extreme forms of indignity, insult and disgrace by these
Tamils, especially during the period of conflict, using most deceitful and
dishonest accusations. Our illustrious national culture and our Buddhist Sangha
community responsible for nurturing, promoting and uplifting our
outstanding national culture for some two thousand three hundred years, were
subject to debase and disrespect by these treacherous Tamil racists and
extremists. Buying over and using the international media and other means,
these overseas Tamil extremists were involved openly in a widespread campaign,
using the basest forms of falsehoods and blatant lies of unimaginable proportions,
to demean, discredit and destroy the good image of our country
The average Sinhala
person has nothing against anyone who wishes to shed extremist feelings and
joining them to build a nation that is peaceful and prosperous, a nation which
shuns extremism and terrorism. The Sinhala people want all
other communities to join them, just the way how minority communities are
expected to do in other countries of the world, especially Canada, Australia,
USA, and UK. The Sinhala people want
others who live among them to help build the country as one nation, a
nation founded on the noble principles of non-violence,
tolerance, compassion, where peaceful co-habitation has been the
cornerstone from historic times.
HISTORY OF THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY OF SRI LANKA
The Muslim community
in Sri Lanka is a small non-indigenous minority settler community amounting at
present, to about 9% of the total population of the country. They are the descendants of small groups of
individuals, exclusively males, who came to the island at different times in
the past, basically as traders. Trade relations with the Indian region was started by the
newly Islamized Arabs in the early 7th century CE. (According to
Elliot and Dowson book , The History of India as told by its own
Historians”,
the first ship bearing Muslim travelers was seen on the Indian coast as early
as 630 AD. According to H.G. Rawlinson,
in his book: Ancient and Medieval
History of India, the first Arab Muslims settled on the Indian coast
in the last part of the 7th century AD.
However, it was much later, in the 9th and 10th
centuries that the Arabs expanded eastwards towards India and China in search
of trade and dominated overseas trade.
They initially established trading posts which eventually became permanent
settlements. By the late 13th century, such settlements were common
along the southern coast of India and later on the western coast of Sri Lanka.
In the 15th century, increasing numbers of Muslims from the Muslims
settlement on the coastal region of South India, came and settled in coastal
regions of Sri Lanka. They were the descendants of earlier Arab traders who had
settled in South Indian ports and married local women who spoke Tamil. By the early
16th when Portuguese vessels
first arrived in Sri Lanka, Muslims were well settled in the coastal regions.
They represented a mixture of Sinhala,
Arab and Tamil blood, and speaking Tamil with Arabic overtones.
In
Sri Lanka, as everywhere they went, the Portuguese made a special point of
ruthlessly persecuting Muslims, their business rivals. As a consequence, many
Muslims fled the western littoral which had passed under Portuguese control,
and settled in the north and east of the island. The Dutch were no different during their
period of occupation of the coastal areas. During the Portuguese period,
Muslims had to seek refuge in interior areas among the Sinhala people. Sinhala
kings such as Senerath and Rajasinghe-II, provided safety and shelter to
Muslims in the Sinhala kingdom among the Sinhala people. Large numbers of
Muslims were settled in the hill country and in Eastern Sri Lanka, saving them
from harassment by the Europeans and providing opportunities for them to
improve their livelihoods and practice their religion.
SPECIAL PRIVILEDGES AND
OPPORTUNITIES
The Muslim community
continued to benefit from various forms of special opportunities privileges
made available to them by the Sinhala-led governments, after the country gained
political independence. Not only were they given opportunities to improve their
commercial activities, but were accorded important Ministerial and professional
positions in the government. Also, although forming a small segment of the
nation’s population (09% in 2013),
Muslims have been accorded special privileges, some examples being Muslim religious holidays being declared as
public holidays in our country, and the representation of Muslims in the
national flag of the country.
Muslims are well known
to be running successful businesses in predominantly Sinhala majority areas with
the Sinhala people as their customers. They are involved in wealth generating
employment connected with tourism and travel. The per capita income of the
Muslim community is far higher than that of the Sinhala majority community. A
good part of buildings and land in most urban areas in the country, especially
in predominantly Sinhala areas are owned today by Muslims. Most importantly,
there are no restrictions in Sri Lanka for the construction of mosques in
predominantly Sinhala areas, in spite of the fact that no Muslim country
permits even the display of a Buddha image, let alone building Vihares. In
Mosque activities such as prayers using load speakers in predominantly
non-Muslim neighborhoods, the Muslims are causing a great amount of discomfort
and irritation to non-Muslims. The Sinhala people have been overly tolerant
about this unhealthy situation.
No comparable minority
in any major country in the world have been given such preposterous benefits,
which are not rights but ridiculously high privileges enjoyed by the Muslims
and Tamil settler minorities. Since the privileges of one person can only be
had at the expense of the rights of another, this shows that, in fact, it is
the indigenous Sinhala who account for
more than 75 of the population, who are discriminated against in Sri Lanka.
Whenever Muslims held ministerial positions, they made sure that members of
their community were accorded
preferential treatment in employment. That accounts for the large number of
Muslim employees in Ministries and related public agencies such as Education,
the Ports Authority, Justice, and Foreign Affairs which had prominent Muslim
Ministers. The important Ministry of
Education in Sri Lanka was held by Muslims Ministers for many years under
different governments. During this time, the Muslim children and youth were
given preferential treatment in the area of education and admission to
universities. Also, it was during this
time that several well- equipped exclusively Muslim schools were established in
predominantly Muslim areas. After securing so much from the country, and from
the majority Sinhala community who had all along provided them with hospitality
and generosity, it is disappointing to see many Muslim leaders and Muslim
people of today, especially those living in the Eastern province having the
audacity and ingratitude to claim autonomy for the lands that they are
occupying in predominantly Muslim areas. Do they realize that some of these
lands were given to them by Sinhala kings and governments led by Sinhala
leaders.
FURTHERING COMMUNITY
SELF INTERESTS
There was much
media attention in recent months, to undue exploitation and destruction of the
country’s natural resources by Muslims under the direct initiative of a Muslim
minister. This involves the illegal clearance of a part of the Wilpattu
National Wildlife Sanctuary for a housing scheme exclusively for Muslims. Similar illegal and
anti-national actions on the part of Muslims have been reported most recently
in the Yan Oya valley, Thiriyaya and Pulmuddai national forest conservation and
in Kalpitiya. These are instances of encroachment and illegal development of
exclusively Muslim housing schemes, with funds from Muslim countries and Muslim
INGO’s operating in this country. Muslim leaders and community leaders in
general, appear to show a greater interest in furthering the interests of the
Muslim community rather than the welfare of the public in general. It is a well
known fact that Muslim establishments refrain from hiring non-Muslims for
responsible positions in their establishments where the main clients are
Sinhala people. Also, the media has
highlighted several allegations of various covert practices by Muslims to
increase their population at the expense of the Sinhala population. The direct
involvement of Muslims in the illicit drug trade has often been reported in the
media.
ENCROACHMENT OF
HISTORICALLY IMPORTANT BUDDHIST SITES
There is clear evidence of
disregard and disrespect for the Buddhist cultural heritage of the country. During the past
two decades in particular, Muslims have illegally and forcibly encroached upon
land that rightfully belongs to Buddhist temples on the eastern and southeast
coast, THE Pottuvil region in particular. It was not long ago that Islamic
fundamentalists and armed Muslim extremists were inciting violence against
legitimate Buddhist activities in the East – Pottuvil region. Muslims were forcibly encroaching upon land
that rightfully belongs to Buddhist temples on the southeast coast. In addition
Muslim encroachment of Kuragala archeological site near Balangoda which is one of the oldest Buddhist historic
sites of Sri Lanka has led to serious confrontations in recent years. Also in more recent years
sites in the Northwest have been deceitfully encroached upon by the Muslim
community, and archeological remains and ancient Buddhist monuments in these
areas have been destroyed. It was not long ago that the exclusively Muslim, racist political party –
the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and several Muslim civil society groups opposed
the construction of Buddha’s statues on the southeast coastal areas which have
long been places inhabited predominantly by Buddhists.
THREAT TO THE NATIONAL UNITY AND CULTURE
From their attitude and actions, it is noticeable in recent years, that
the Muslim community in the
country has posed a threat to national unity and territorial integrity of the
country. They have resorted to actions that undermine the national cultural
heritage and to the way of life of other communities, and in a covert manner to
democratic principles and rule of law of the country, especially with the
adoption by them of the Sharia law. These Sharia rules of Islam appear to
govern politics, marriage and the day-to-day lives of its followers. Islam is
associated with a political ideology where the church and state are not
separate. Under the circumstances, one cannot expect Muslims to develop a sense
of patriotism and national pride in a predominantly non-Muslim country such as
Sri Lanka. In recent years, it is well evident that most Muslims do not appear
to be interested in integrating with other communities, perhaps because
assimilation is not permitted under the Islamic Shariah law. They rarely if at
all participate in national events. They do not participate in the singing of
the National Anthem in public events. They do not observe the traditional way
of greeting by placing both hands together in the form of worship. Muslim
children are taught not to worship their teachers which is a common practice
among other non Muslim school children.
There are schools that operate with government assistance, where not only
the Principal and academic staff, but all students are Muslim. Some of these
schools have been elevated as National Schools enjoying special privileges.
Muslims have established many private International schools in several towns,
where the student population and majority of staff are almost entirely Muslim.
The most threatening of all is the recent establishment of the so-called
Madrasas or Islamic schools, similar to those found in Muslim countries such as
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, where the curriculum is focused on the teaching of
the Koran and Shariah law. Saudi Arabian sources have funded the establishment
of most of these Madrasas. Here, the younger generation of Muslims are being
strongly exposed to the Saudi Arabian fundamentalist Wahhabi form of Islam
imported from Saudi Arabia. Scholarships are awarded to Muslim youth of these schools
to continue their Wahhabi Islamic studies in Saudi Arabia and other Muslim
countries such as Pakistan, where Wahhabism predominates. This type of
exclusive Islamic education and indoctrination is having a well-evident
divisive effect in our nation and is beginning to disrupt national efforts to
bring about overall unity and togetherness among communities that have made Sri
Lanka their home. Their new male and female attire displays the desire of
Muslims to look different and to be exclusive and separate from the nation’s
mainstream. This polarization tendency and divisive spirit of the Islamic
community is self-imposed. It is definitely not because they feel marginalized.
The Koran forbids Muslims to closely associate non-Muslims.
The long term implications of these extremist trends are highly
undesirable for the maintenance of peace and stability in the country. What is
well evident from the several Muslim instigated, disruptive, illegal and often
violent incidents that occurred in some places in the country in recent times,
is how these extremist trends are impinging upon the traditional cultural base
and integrity of this country, in particular on the wholesome Sinhala norms and
principles upon which this nation is built, and also on the rule of law of this
country. One should not overlook the fact and take for granted the
long-standing opportunity for peaceful cohabitation of different communities,
provided by the traditional cultural foundation established by the Sinhala
people of this nation.
HALAL”
PRACTICE AND ANIMAL WELFARE
There has been much discussion in recent times about the deceitful and
exploitative nature of the halal’ business venture of Muslims. Halal is a most repulsive and horrendous
practice that involves extreme form of abuse and cruelty towards animals? It is a gruesome method where animals are
tied down and their throats slashed, letting their blood ooze out slowly from
the animal’s body and making animals die on their blood, a slow, lingering and
agonizing death. What is most horrendous
is that this torturous practice takes place while the animals are desperately
struggling for their lives. It is a well evident fact that these animals are
conscious of what is happening to them. This is a most sickening and inhuman
way of killing animals. It is a practice that should not be tolerated in any
civilized society.
In a society such as ours where Buddhists
predominate, and where non-violence
towards all living beings is a fundamental tenet, criminal practices of
this nature cannot and should not be tolerated under any circumstances. Animal welfare has been a tenet of the rulers
of our nation from very early times, from the 3rd century BCE. It was at this time that the world’s first
bird and animal sanctuary was established in Sri Lanka. From ancient times, the
principle of animal welfare prevailed in our country until the arrival of
European colonial powers, starting with the ruthless Portuguese invaders, at
the beginning of the 16trh century. Besides hunting animals as a sport, the
slaughtering of animals as a vocation started with the entry of Christianity
and Islam to Sri Lanka.
CONFORMING TO NATIONAL CULTURAL NORMS AND VALUES
The non indigenous settler communities such as
the Tamils and Muslims are expected to conform to the norms and values of the
Hela Nation to which they belong today. They may have brought various ethnic,
cultural and religious customs, traditions, traits and values from their original
nation and homelands where their cultures evolved and consolidated. They are
free to maintain these cultural norms as long as they do not conflict with the
norms and practices of the Sinhala Nation of which they are now a part. Once
the non-indigenous persons become a part of the Sinhala Nation it not only
becomes their national obligation, but more importantly, it is to their
advantage to become a part of the nation by learning and understanding the
norms of the Sinhala nation where they now belong, and where they have been
accepted as non-indigenous nationals by the indigenous Sinhala people. When a
foreigner or a person not indigenous to a particular country migrates into the
country, and decides to make it his home, it is incumbent on that person to
learn about the history, norms and traits of the new country and its people.
The new immigrant is expected to acknowledge, subscribe to and integrate into
the new nation of which he now is a part. The same applies to all descendants
of non indigenous immigrants, who may have been born and raised in the new
nation
NATIONAL RIGHTS AND INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS
Indigenous Sinhala nationals or the Sinhala
people are the founders of the Sinhala or Hela Nation, and are entitled to
special national rights. Important in this regard is the promotion, protection
and preservation of their culture, language, social system and values that
characterize their Sinhala Nation.
Sinhala should be restored as the sole national and official language of
the country. Promotion and preservation
of the Sinhala Buddhist culture as the national culture, should receive
priority attention. It should be made a mandatory subject in the school
curriculum. The national anthem of the
country is sung in the Sinhala language. The minority communities are not
entitled to such special privileges, because the Sinhala nation was founded by
the Sinhala people and is the legitimate home of the Sinhala people. Sinhale is
not the home of other cultures and languages. These cultures and languages did not
originate or evolve in this land unlike
the case with the Sinhala culture and Sinhala language. Therefore, the cultures
and languages of minority communities cannot and are not entitled legitimately
to be accorded national or official recognition at par with the Sinhala culture
and language. However, these communities are free to observe and preserve their
cultural activities and their languages within their communities. As far as
ordinary human rights are concerned, members of minority settler communities
are entitled to the same human rights as those enjoyed by members of the
mainstream Sinhala community.
As a nation with a
historic cultural tradition that extends to over 2200 years, where the founding
principles have been freedom, compassion, tolerance and accommodation of people
of all faiths and ethnicities, it is necessary that the true patriots of
Sinhale, the Sinhala nation, get to the forefront, mobilize themselves and take legitimate actions to protect and uphold
these wholesome cultural traditions, and thereby reinforce the Sinhala
nation – Sinhale. All
citizens of the country who subscribe to the Sinhale Nation and respect the
cultural norms and values that characterize this nation, will find acceptance
as members of the Sinhale nation, irrespective of their ethnic and religious
affiliations and differences. The Sinhale Nation incorporates the tremendous
cultural wealth of the Sinhala people recognized the world over for its
richness and uniqueness. This should be preserved and promoted for posterity.
Those who undermine the nation’s cultural heritage, sovereignty and territorial
integrity are enemies of the nation and should be confronted and subdued
forthwith, for the welfare of the nation.
STRENGTHEN AND REVITALIZE THE SINHALA NATION
For the patriotic and caring nationals of this
island, especially those of the Sinhala community, irrespective of their
religious affiliations, there is one moral law that stands above everything
else, and that is to do everything possible to strengthen their Sinhala Nation
and to curb the efforts of anti-national elements both local and foreign,
engaged in violating and undermining
Sinhala Buddhist national interests. It was with such an attitude and approach
that enabled our valiant Sinhala soldiers to wipe out anti-national, separatist
Tamil terrorists who were hell-bent on destroying the integrity of this
nation.
The present generation of Sinhala nationals
has a moral obligation to protect, preserve and promote the greatest of their
inheritance, their unique nation, for the survival of their Buddhist cultural
heritage and for the benefit of future generations. Concerned Sinhala nationals
will under no circumstances allow the sovereignty, the distinct territorial
integrity and the all-pervasive Sinhala Buddhist cultural character of the
island be subject to any form of disarray or disintegration. They will not
permit any force, internal or external, ethnic or religious, to subjugate or
undermine the integrity of the Sinhala Buddhist culture of this island nation.
.
Sinhala history is replete with valor and
courage in battles against overly superior forces. The struggle against
extremism and the looming division of this Sinhala island nation of ours
demands our full national strength. Let all Sinhala nationalists rise to the
occasion, forgetting for a moment their ‘other’ differences, and swear
allegiance to the unity of this country by giving unswerving support to those
commendable organizations that have emerged in recent times to save the nation
from undesirable elements. The renewed loyalty that is fast emerging among the
Sinhala nationals, particularly among the contemporary youth, is most
encouraging.
VIOLATION OF SOVEREIGNTY AND NATIONAL INTEGRITY
Sinhala nationals should not tolerate any
individual or community who, whilst living in the Sinhala Nation and
considering it their home, deliberately misusing such a privilege by scheming
and adopting extreme means or contributing to such actions, in violation of the
sovereignty and territorial integrity of this only nation of ours. This
includes both direct and indirect efforts on the part of these extremist
elements living among us, with ridiculously unfounded claims to carve out
ethnic and religious enclaves within our country, merely because some of them
had lived in specific places for extended periods of time. These individuals
and communities with self-serving attitudes and objectives should be considered
as traitors or enemies of our nation and should be dealt with accordingly.
There is no place in our nation for such
traitors, double crossers, renegades, turncoats, collaborators of enemies,
criminals and terrorists, conspirators, connivers, schemers and emissaries,
spies, secret agents, undercover agents and double agents of the enemies of
this Sinhala Buddhist Nation.
BUDDHIST
MONKS, SINHALA SCHOLORS AND PATRIOTS
The majority of present day monks are
better educated and possess a broader outlook. Our monks are fully capable of
providing the necessary leadership, patronage and helping in the organization
of Buddhist cultural pursuits. Our Buddhist scholars have stayed too long in
the background. It is time that they came forward and jointly with our monks
took the initiative to counter the negative forces harming Buddhism and Sinhala
culture. They owe it to their children and youth. Buddhist cultural pursuits
should be encouraged and receive increased patronage. The mass media should be
used to the utmost in the accomplishment of these pursuits. In spite of all the challenges of recent
decades, our monks continued to be accorded attention and respect by our
people. On their part our monks have continued to be close to people and
participate at all notable events in people’s lives. This should continue with
more vigor.
In recent times, movements and organizations have sprung up
under the initiative of some concerned Bhikkhus and members of the Sinhala
community across the country, with an increasingly large following of the
nation’s youth, to highlight and draw attention to the vital and pressing need
for necessary action to restore, protect and uphold the legitimate national
rights and privileges of the Sinhala people and the traditionally and
constitutionally accorded foremost place to Buddhism, which in recent times appear
to be subject to threats and challenges from both local and foreign sources.
There is evidence of attempts both direct and indirect, overt and covert, to
undermine these legitimate rights and privileges by extremist elements,
especially of the minority Muslim and Tamil communities evidently with the
involvement of extremist, racist, uncaring and unpatriotic politicians with
their own vested interests and ulterior motives.
Dr. Daya Hewapathirane
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