{"id":101249,"date":"2020-04-17T22:03:44","date_gmt":"2020-04-18T05:03:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=101249"},"modified":"2020-04-17T22:03:45","modified_gmt":"2020-04-18T05:03:45","slug":"easter-sunday-attack-by-islamic-jihadists-in-sri-lanka-a-crime-against-humanity-lessons-to-be-learnt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2020\/04\/17\/easter-sunday-attack-by-islamic-jihadists-in-sri-lanka-a-crime-against-humanity-lessons-to-be-learnt\/","title":{"rendered":"Easter Sunday Attack by Islamic Jihadists in Sri Lanka \u2013 A Crime against Humanity – Lessons to be learnt"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The multiple attacks launched by the Islamic Jihadis on April\n21, 2019 on a number of selected targets including places of worship and\nleading hotels in Sri Lanka resulting in mass murder were tantamount to\ngenocide and a crime against humanity.  Over\n300 innocent civilians lost their lives and scores were injured, some were\nmaimed for life. A large number of families lost their bread winner. In some\ncases husbands who had remained in their homes lost the rest of their family members\ni.e. wives and children while at prayer in the church.  It was the worst of times. The country was\nplunged into despair and mourning, and converted to a funeral house overnight with\nmass burials. Even foreign guests to Sri Lanka ended up in coffins. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was a watershed moment in the history of Sri Lanka. The\ncountry witnessed an unimaginable level of crisis arising between the Muslim\ncommunity and all other communities inhabiting this country. In the past Muslims\nwere seen as a relatively peaceful community unlike the fractious Tamils who\nare persistently engaged in an unrelenting tug of war with the Sinhalese. That\nimage of the local Muslims as a law abiding ethnic community minding their own\nbusiness was shattered beyond recovery on the last Easter Sunday. Never has\nviolence instigated by a group distinctly Islamic been able to cause such a\nhigh number of fatalities of innocent people over 300 in one single day and\nbring the country to a standstill. The multiplier effect of this mass murder was\nfelt far and wide. Every single idea of foreign origin that had been foisted on\nthe people of this country in recent times, without consent proved fatal\nfailures – such as Reconciliation, Multiculturalism, Secularism, Diversity and Appeasement, Accommodation and\nthe like, fell overboard instantly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All over the country people began to question the wisdom of placing trust\nand faith in foreign born rather than home grown propositions if the final\noutcome of such misplaced trust was a tragedy of genocidal proportions. The\nsequel was logical. Even the Christian Community the most affected by the\nJihadist violence and closest to western religious values began to call for the\nfirst time for strong arm military type leadership nationalist in character\nthat would resonate with the exceedingly tight protection given to the \u2018Rata,\nJathiya Agama\u2019 by Sinhala Kings of yore. The unequivocal cry everywhere was\nthat there should not be any further compromise with any minority, ethnic or\nreligious, pursuing an Agenda, aimed at undermining at any level the control\nand management of this country by the elected representatives of the majority.\nEnough is enough. Time for experimentation with ideas more applicable in a\nforeign context no longer mattered.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we approach the 1st<\/sup> year anniversary of this horrifying\nand unspeakable tragedy that rocked Sri Lanka, we need to re – focus on some\nimportant issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lessons for the Nation: NO MORE APPEASEMENT OF MINORITIES<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2015 as a result of regime change a bandwagon of fragmented\nelements, united only by sheer greed for power and desire for siphoning of\npublic funds e.g. Bond Scam,    joined hands to create a legally questionable\n\u2018national government\u2019 making sweeping legislative changes and propping sets of unsavory\ncharacters to various public and important roles. That laid the foundation of\nsubtly and slowly collapsing the administrative system of Sri Lanka without\nnotice. It also meant closure of intelligence units tasked to shadow\nsuspected jihadi groups while at the same time well trained intelligence\nofficers were simply thrown into prison without framing charges for arrest.\nWith leadership lacking, it was natural that the defense establishments would\nnot have been given the freedom to monitor and protect the territorial\nintegrity & sovereignty of Sri Lanka. Numerous controversial appointments\nsome even ending up contesting elections showed the nature of penetration into\nthe heart of Sri Lanka. The diabolical intent was to break the back bone of the\ntwo pillars that have historically protected Sri Lanka, namely, both the military\nand Sangha.  A sizeable number of\npatriotic elements drawn mainly from the aforesaid two groups ended up being\nput into prison for trivial reasons. With the administrative set up neutralized\nit was only a matter of time that all the vultures and hyenas would descend on\nSri Lanka. Wherever countries are weak, the same bandwagon of nefarious rogue elements\ncreep in incrementally to further destabilize, maximizing and manipulating the\nshaky set up that was keeping Sri Lanka afloat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What or where were Sri Lanka\u2019s elected leaders? The rulers were\nfollowing an un restricted appeasing line. Everything external elements\nrequested was given with open arms. Nothing was refused. Nothing was\nquestioned. Nothing was investigated and nothing was monitored. Nothing was non\n\u2013 negotiable, including the deeply respected national Sinhala Buddhist heritage\nof the country. In the light of what happened on 21\/4 this more or less answers\nwhy the government was hypnotized or rather paralyzed by following an appeasement\npolicy. In the end, it did not know what to do and in the power vacuum created the\ndefense establishment took the reins to quickly round up the Islamic jihadis\nthey had kept watch over until their units were closed.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

No Government can afford to adopt an appeasement policy. A\nGovernment is elected to represent the People and protect the People and not to\ngive into whims and fancies of external troublemakers, that consistently\nmaintain an unceasing line of demands on the footing \u2018little now, more later\u2019\nand aimed at finally destroying the hold of the Sinhalese majority on the\ncountry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lessons for the Majority: Questioning Multiculturalism or\nSecularism<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The majority must not fall prey to new concepts that are being\nshoved with foreign funding as an incentive for governments to launch but with\na hidden objective to usurp or downplay the role held by the majority in building\nand protecting the nation. It is the primary duty of any Nation to duly\nacknowledge the role played by those who built the nation. The role of the\nmajority in this endeavor cannot be downsized just because some elements\npromote the notion that it hurts others. The fact that the Sinhalese over a\nperiod of 2,500 years built the unique Buddhist Civilization that is the\nfoundation of this nation is undeniable. It was they who defended the nation\nagainst every invader that tried to conquer\/invade it. Surely, that role cannot\nbe set aside just because some feel they or their forbears had no role in it.\nThat is probably because they were not around when the majority was defending\nthe nation or some were working in step with the foreign invader. Betrayal of\nthe country, race and religion does not sit nicely in our Buddhist Sinhala sub –\nconsciousness. That is why History must be taught again comprehensively with a\npatriotic flavor beginning in our kindergarten. It is the majority of the\ncountry who must be empowered to define who we are, our roots and our ambitions\nand aspirations. The moment this function is delegated to external elements\ntrouble starts. Invariably the historical narrative will then be written distorting,\nsidelining and diluting the role of the majority. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bhoomiputras (Sons of the Soil)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though Sri Lanka is the homeland of all its citizens a special\nplace has to be reserved for the Bhoomiputras (sons of the soil) – those who\nbuilt the nation. Sinhala Buddhists are the undisputed Bhoomiputras of Sri\nLanka just as much as Muslim Malays are constitutionally recognized now as the\nBhoomiputras of Malaysia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fundamental collective group rights of the Sinhala Buddhists\ncannot be usurped by new nomenclatures. No one denies or wishes to change that\npeople of many faiths and ethnicities live in Sri Lanka. All of them have\nrights to practice their faith but that cannot mean that they can demand the\nsame status of the majority or those who built the nation, or demand that\ncontributions of the majority be marginalized or erased and everyone brought in\none line.   The contributions and sacrifices made by the Sinhala\nBuddhists in developing the civilization and the foundations of the country\ncannot be glossed over. They far exceed that of any other group that has entered\nthis country later in point of time. On this score of group contribution to the\ncommon weal of the country over a period of time spanning more than two\nmillennia, there are no co\u2013equals to the Sinhala Buddhists.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Multiculturalism \u2013 a flawed concept<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The primary reason to promote notions like multiculturalism and\nsecularism in short is to ensure that \u2018nationalists\u2019 i.e. people who are proud\nof their history & heritage and wish to maintain that status quo, do not\ncome to power. The concept of multiculturalism was conceived and promoted by\nJews. In the international arena it is called Jewish multiculturalism. Their unfortunate\nsituation leading to ethnic cleansing during the Second World War is attributed\nby Jews and fellow travelers to the nationalism of the German Nazis, despite\nthe undisputed fact that anti \u2013 Semitism is of Christian origin and rooted in\nBiblical scriptures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We, in Sri Lanka need not necessarily follow Jewish or Western\nscripts to solve problems created mainly by troublesome elements of minority\nbackgrounds. Patriotism and Nationalism constitute the ideological underpinning\nthat have inspired the heroic Sinhalese warriors throughout the long drawn\nhistory of the country to defend the country sacrificing both life and limb in\nconflicts with country\u2019s enemies. This hard stubborn fact must be acknowledged\nand repeated in the public discourse i.e. schools, places of worship, parliament.\nPatriotism is sweet. It is the life line that can keep the people and country\ntogether.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those who accept the flawed notions of multiculturalism and\nsecularism are ever ready to appease and wish to bargain by reducing Sri\nLanka\u2019s innate values to enable external values to be brought on par till they\ncompletely annihilate the native values & replace them with foreign ones.\nThis landscape can also be understood by the many initiatives and programs that\nget funded by UN\/USAID\/WF\/IMF\/and other international entities with plenty of\nfunding as ruse. Several other Asian countries have also fallen victim to this\nshameful foreign conspiracy to undermine and destroy the traditional Asian\nvalue systems and then replace them with failed western monotheistic belief\nsystems and western models of governance and development. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In particular, Right wing groups in USA, backed by the US Govt.\ncontinue to fund a huge missionary campaign in India, to convert the locals\nwith use of financial inducements, despite widespread misgivings about the\nconversion strategy of Christian missionaries, among the majority Hindu public\nin India.   One of the silver linings of\nthe on-going Coronavirus Pandemic is the universal acceptance of the failure of\nthe Western model of development, which is based on destruction of the natural\nenvironment and its living creatures, to sustain the unrestrained greed of\npeople living mostly in western countries. \n  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lessons for the Minority<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Divide and rule colonial policy fast forwarded to post-colonial\npowers ensured that the same divisions were manipulated and exacerbated to\npresent the notion of siding with the \u2018discriminated \u2019minorities against the \u2018aggressive\u2019\nmajority. In so doing, the minorities have come to use this as a tactical political\nploy for the gaining of undue advantages upon themselves. Minorities have\nenjoyed making unfair and unreasonable demands and when these are not met they unhesitatingly\ntake their \u2018grievance\u2019 to international levels, mostly former western colonial\ncountries (who have yet to compensate the uncompensated victims or their\ndescendants in Sri Lanka for colonial crimes), who are waiting anxiously to name\nand shame the majority again and again ad nauseam. We need not give instances\nof how external elements have manipulated internal friction to their advantage,\nusing the country\u2019s ethnic and religious minorities as their cat\u2019s paw to\ndestabilize Sri Lanka.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The minorities are always taught to play the victim card at the\npoint their actions reach levels of questioning by the majority. The next\noption has been to play the \u2018we are all for peace\u2019 \u2018national\nunity-reconciliation\u2019 chant. Flag these internationally and external media is\nable to quickly shift the notion against the majority in favor of the\nminorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The minorities are told to follow the Goebbels theory of\nrepetition and so we see constant reference to a handful of incidents repeated\nand repeated sans much detail but plenty of sensational news. But total up\nthese incidents and you get hardly 10 fatalities to count. But then when they\nstrike it is to eliminate hundreds and hundreds of people. Mentioning these\ncannot offset against the killings of nearly 300 killed in a matter of a few\nhours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Easter Sunday attack killed in one crippling blow nearly 300 people.\nOne year on some are still in hospital beds while others are crippled for life.\nNot many like to have these statistics repeated and when they are done its\nalways \u2018let\u2019s forget and move on\u2019 but this standard is never applicable for\ntheir citing of incidents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not many like when mention is made of the Jihadis abortive plan to\nblow up the Buddhist Temples and unique heritage sites in the sacred Buddhist\ncitadel of Anuradhapura. It was by sheer stroke of luck that the cache of explosives hidden at Lacktowatta in Wanathawilluwa<\/strong><\/em>, Puttalam<\/strong><\/em> were discovered in time. The\nnarrative would have been different had that Plan succeeded. The Sinhala\nBuddhist majority have to be lucky all the time from Islamic Iconoclasts. The\nMaldives, once a Buddhist land and historically related to Sri Lanka is now a\nstrict Muslim state that has totally erased its Buddhist heritage from the\nland. Even Buddhist statues kept in Museums in Maldives have been removed and\ndestroyed by Jihadis.      <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lessons for international community claiming to be battling\nterrorism<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If there is a war against terrorism there cannot be preferred terrorists\nand disliked terrorists and then some favorites becoming hated and some hated\nbecoming favorites. What we see is that terrorists are getting imported and\nexported to fulfill the geopolitical goals of countries whilst pretending to be\nworking towards eliminating terrorism and helping countries with countering\nterrorism. It simply does not make sense in saying something but doing the\nexact opposite. Eventually the terrorists\u2019 pawns who learn from the master\ndecide to take charge and become the master and innocent people end up dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ONE COUNTRY ONE LAW \u2013 NO PARALLEL SYSTEM OF LAW<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If citizens of Sri Lanka truly believe in the concept of one\ncountry-one law, it means there can be no parallel systems of law e.g. Sharia\nlaw or personal laws. It is ridiculous to have some citizens be charged for\nmarrying multiple times without divorce while another citizen can legally have\nmultiple wives. The same marriage rule has to apply across the board for all\nmen and women and polygamy cannot be allowed. Similarly, there cannot be\nexclusive banking system based on one religion or food labeling based on one\nreligion simply because the issue has been internationalized to a level that\nunless a certificate is issued with compliance countries where the exclusive\nfaith buys the product refuses to buy. The power of political correctness has\nbeen raised to such levels that because of the economic bullying the moral\ncorrectness ends up being set aside. If Article 12 of Sri Lanka\u2019s constitution\nclaims all citizens are equal before law there cannot be exclusive\nethno-religious privileges for any particular minority community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lessons from Overseas in tackling\nthe threat of extremist Islamism (Jihadism)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Myanmar deals with extremist\nIslam<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Myanmar Govt. has passed four <\/strong>Laws to Protect Race and\nReligion\u201d in 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Polygamy\n– Polygamy has been made illegal.  Under the new law, people found\nguilty of having more than one spouse or living with someone other than their\nspouse can face a maximum jail sentence of seven years.<\/li>
  2. Religious\nconversion – the new law i.e. Religious\nConversion Act, requires individuals wishing to change religion to seek\nofficial approval from a state body that is authorized to question applicants\nto determine whether the conversion is voluntary or coercive.<\/li>
  3. Restriction on interfaith marriage – Buddhist Women\u2019s Special\nMarriage Bill explicitly regulates the marriage of Buddhist women with men from\nother religions.<\/li>
  4. Population\nControl – Population Control Healthcare\nBill establishes a 36-month interval between childbirths for women in certain\nregions of the country.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    How Russia deals with extremist Islam<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Russia has been a victim of Islamic terrorism and consequently has\nadopted strict regulations. Kremlin uses the phrase \u2018traditional Islam\u2019 and\nsays only \u2018traditional Islam\u2019 is an integral part of the Russian cultural code.\nKremlin has also defined hijab as not part of \u2018traditional Islam\u2019. Russian law\nallows the government to prohibit any activity of a religious association for\nviolating public order or engaging in missionary \u2018extremist activity\u2019.\n\u2018Fundamentalist Wahhabist, Salafist, radical\u2019 is seen as a challenge to\nKremlin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Russian court is also able to declare any material (book,\nleaflet, song, slogan, video website, webpages) as \u2018extremist\u2019 or \u2018not\ntraditionally Islamic\u2019. The Justice Ministry can list these \u2018extremist\nmaterials\u2019. In January 2019 a Russian court in city of Samara banned a\ntranslation of Quran & blacklisted it as extremist. Kremlin says all\nforeign Muslims are to blame for the radicalization of Muslims in Russia. Which\nis why Russia seeks to \u2018domesticate\u2019 Islam so that the Muslims in Russia are\npart of Russia and not another Islamic state. Polygamy is illegal in Russia<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    How China deals with extremist Islam<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Only religions that are permitted in China will have status in\nChina<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    No one may use religion to make an attack on the order of\nsociety, harm the physical health of citizens, or impede the activities of the\nstate’s education system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Religious groups and religious affairs shall not be subject to\nthe power of foreign domination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    All adherents are first beholden to the State of China not to\ntheir foreign heritage faith<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Religious sites, religious ministers, religious schools,\nreligious publications and collective religious activities in general need\ngovernment registration or approval<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Religion is not allowed to interfere in the performance of a\nbusiness duty. For example, If a Muslim obtains a registration to sell goods,\nhe cannot decline to sell Pork or Alcohol on ground of religion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Polygamy is illegal in China. No multiple wives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Only one child per family. Women cannot be used as Baby\nfactories on a planned and deliberate basis to beget multiple children to naturally\nincrease the number of any minority community in the country with a view to\nchallenging in the future the power of the majority and its replacement.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    China<\/strong><\/a> will rewrite the Bible and Quran\nto ‘reflect socialist values’. New editions must not contain any content that\ngoes against the beliefs of the Communist Party. Paragraphs deemed wrong by the\ncensors will be amended or re-translated. The party has called for a\n‘comprehensive evaluation of the existing religious classics aiming at contents\nwhich do not conform to the progress of the times’. The order was given in\nNovember 2019 during a meeting held by the Committee for Ethnic and Religious\nAffairs of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political\nConsultative Conference, which oversees the ethnic and religious matters in\nChina. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Conclusion – Steps to be\ntaken by the Govt. of Sri Lanka <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n