{"id":87524,"date":"2019-04-23T15:25:04","date_gmt":"2019-04-23T22:25:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=87524"},"modified":"2019-04-23T15:25:04","modified_gmt":"2019-04-23T22:25:04","slug":"hostility-and-violence-within-the-muslim-community-of-sri-lanka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2019\/04\/23\/hostility-and-violence-within-the-muslim-community-of-sri-lanka\/","title":{"rendered":"HOSTILITY AND VIOLENCE WITHIN THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY OF SRI LANKA"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

Sufism or the Sufi Muslim Ideology<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traditionally, Sufism or the Sufi Muslim ideology had been the\npredominant Islamic spiritual tradition observed throughout Southern Asia,\nincluding Sri Lanka. Sufism is   considered to be the mystical,\nascetic branch of Islam which emphasizes personal experience with Allah. Sufis\ncan be members of either the Sunni or Shia divisions of Islam who share most of\nthe basic principles of Islam. These two divisions stemmed from ancient\npolitical strife among Muslims.  Of the total global Muslim\npopulation,  87-90% are Sunni Muslims and 10-13% are Shia Muslims. Most\nShias live in just four countries \u2013 Iran, Pakistan, India and Iraq.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Threats to the Dominance of Sufism<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sri Lanka\nhas a long history of Sufism dating back several centuries, although some\nmodern elements have been imported in recent years. During the past five\ndecades the dominance of Sufism has been undermined by the increased presence\nof other Islam sects. Among them is Tabligh Jamaat, which has been active since\nthe 1950s and has developed a mass following in the last two decades. Initially\nit avoided explicit political activity and concentrated on encouraging Muslims\nto engage more actively in religious rituals. It particularly focused on\nencouraging performance of daily prayers and religious rituals, and also\npromoted rigid dress codes for its members. It promoted and encouraged a more\nconservative view of Islam.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                                                                                                         Tabligh\nJamaat was initially a religious movement founded in India in 1926 as a\nresponse to the deteriorating values and negligence of fundamental aspects of\nIslam which was becoming a threat to Muslims. Subsequently it became a\ntransnational movement with followers in many countries. This ultraorthodox\nIslamic sect preaches that Muslims should replicate the life of Muhammad and\ntells them it is their duty to travel across the country converting\nnon-believers to the Islamic faith. It has become common practice for Tabligh\nmembers to make regular journeys around the country to propagate the virtues of\nIslam. Young members are particularly encouraged to do so. This is said to be\ngiving the younger generation of Muslims a chance to mix with other ethnic\ngroups. Although Tabligh was of appeal to different classes of Muslims, its\nrather simplistic approach to religious belief and antipathy towards political\nand social action made it less popular among the educated, middle-class\nMuslims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jamaat-i-Islamiya\n(JI)    <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jamaat-i-Islamiya\n(JI) became active in Sri Lanka since the 1950s, and gained many adherents\nduring the past fifteen to twenty years. The JI was founded in Pakistan in 1941, starting as an Islamic\npolitical party with the objective of establishing an Islamic state<\/a>, governed by Sharia law<\/a>. The JI opposes Ideologies such as capitalism<\/a>, socialism<\/a> and secularism<\/a>, and practices such as bank interest and liberalist\nsocial mores. In its operations in Sri Lanka, the more intellectual approach of Jamaat-i-Islamiya (JI)\ngenerated greater appeal among the more educated middle class Muslims. It\nlargely concentrated on religious orthodoxy and did not openly advocate radical political ideas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emerging\nTrends of Ultraorthodox Islam<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According\nto reports, in Sri Lanka, since the late 1980s there has been a strong growth\nin ultra-orthodox interpretations of Islam that have provoked conflicts with\nMuslims who traditionally profess Sufism. There are several emerging trends,\nwith issues of identity and Muslim separatism also coinciding with the influx\nof some religious ideas from the Middle East, particularly Saudi Arabia,\nPakistan and elsewhere. These new trends appear to presage more difficult\ndevelopments in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arrival and Expansion of Wahhabism  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wahhabism as opposed to Sufism, is an ultra conservative branch\nof Sunni Islam which is dominant in Saudi Arabia. It is a movement that started\nin the 18th<\/sup> century, in Saudi Arabia, among fundamentalist Islam\nbelievers who were promoting a return to the earliest fundamental Islamic\nteachings of the Quran and Hadith or religious law and moral guidance\nenunciated by Prophet Mohamed.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                                                                                                         After\n1973, with the Arab oil embargo resulting in the enrichment of Saudi Arabia,\nthe ultra-fundamentalist Wahhabi sect, dominant in oil-rich Saudi Arabia, began\nto have impact on Muslims living in other countries. Soon, it began encroaching\nSri Lanka and having impact on adherents of the traditional form of Sufi Islam\nprevalent in Sri Lanka. Wahhabis began establishing itself in Sri Lanka despise\nthe Sufis. They started operating through a movement called Thawheed funded by\nSaudi Arabian sources. They were instrumental in the establishment of numerous madrasas\nin Sri Lanka where young Muslims are being subject to various forms of\nindoctrination and brainwashing in Wahhabism including the jihad approach and\nSharia law. During the last few decades, many Sri Lankan Muslims found\nemployment in Saudi Arabia. Also, many young Sri Lankan Muslims were awarded\nscholarships by Saudi Arabia to study Wahhabism in Saudi universities. Upon\ntheir return to Sri Lanka they undertook in an organized manner the propagation\nof the ideology of Wahhabism. They were instrumental in the establishment of\nnumerous madrasas where young Muslims were subject to various forms of\nbrainwashing in Wahhabism including the jihad approach.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                                                                                                         In\nArabic<\/a>, the word jihad translates to mean “struggle”.\nPersons engaged in jihad are called mujahideen<\/a>. Jihad is an important religious duty for Muslims.\nThere are two meanings of jihad: an inner spiritual struggle and an outer\nphysical struggle. The “greater jihad” is the inner struggle by a\nbeliever to fulfill his religious duties. The \u2018halal\u2019-haram- practices are\nrelated to this type of struggle. This is a non-violent struggle. The other\nmeaning of Jihad is the physical struggle against the enemies of Islam. This\nphysical struggle can take a violent form or a non-violent form. The proponents\nof the violent form translate jihad as “holy war”. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Increased Propagation of Wahhabism <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With increased funding by the Saudi Arabia with their petro\ndollars, and other forms of penetration, the Wahhabi followers have increased\nin Sri Lanka during recent decades. This was clearly evident in the Eastern\nprovince. Wahhabis claim that the Sufis or the moderate Sri Lankan Muslims are\nignorant of the basic teachings and practices in Islam. They claim to be the\nreal scholars of Islam. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This has led to sectarian clashes among peace loving Sri Lankan\nMuslims. There appears to be an increasing trend in this unruly behaviour\npattern of some sections of the Muslim community, in the East and elsewhere\nwhere they predominate. It is a fact that there is a rising trend of Wahhabi\nJihadism in Sri Lanka. Wahhabi fundamentalism has advanced so quickly in Sri\nLanka partly because the House of Saud has financed the building of many\nmadrasas and Mosques. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                                                                                                         Scholarships\nare offered to Muslim youths to go to Wahhabi institutions in Saudi Arabia and\nEgypt with the condition that those who complete their Wahhabi studies should\nreturn to Sri Lanka and propagate Wahhabism. This is happening extensively.\nSaudi Arabia remains a critical financial support base for al-Qaida, Taliban,\nLashkar-e-Taiba and other Wahhabi terrorist groups. Saudi Arabia spends 87\nbillion US dollar per year to spread Wahhabism world-wide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wahhabis are trying to take the peaceful Islamic community in Sri\nLanka down the path of extremism and violence. The Wahhabis have already\ncreated deep divisions in among Sri Lankan Muslims and have formed gangs that\nintimidate moderate Muslims who speak out against Wahhabi fanatics. Like the\nChristian fundamentalist groups using NGOs to convert innocent poor families to\nChristianity, Wahhabis help poor Muslim families by providing cash and other\nmaterial benefits to convert them to their cult. Wahhabis appear to be using\nSri Lankan Government agencies to propagate Wahhabi  activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clashes between Sufis and Wahhabi Muslims<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wahhabism in Sri Lanka is headquartered in Kattankudi is a new\npolitico-religious movement that is sweeping the Eastern province of Sri Lanka\nwith more than sixty Muslim Wahhabi organizations helping in propagating the\nmovement throughout Sri Lanka and has raced ahead and taken control of the\nJihadist and Al Fatah groups in Sri Lanka under their wings. Wahhabism is\nimported and planted in the midst of peace-loving Muslims in Sri Lanka, mostly\nthrough the lavish inflow of Saudi money pumped into Sri Lanka has overtaken\nother Islamic organizations by threats, intimidation and coercion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n


\nClashes between Sufis and Wahhabi Muslims in Kattankudi and Oddamavadi are\nregular occurrence. More than 200 homes of Sufi followers were burnt down by\nWahhabi Jihadists in Kattankudi during similar clashes occurred in October\n2004. One of the Sufi leaders Abdul Payilvan died in Colombo was buried at in\nKattankudi the next day. Wahhabi Muslims observed a hartal and demanded the\nremoval of the body from the burial grounds. Wahhabi Muslims claim Kattankudy\nsoil is sacred and bodies belonging to those who preach views contradictory to\nWahhabism should not be buried there. Wahhabis demanded that the body of Abdul\nPayilvan, who is from Maruthamunai in the Ampara district, should be exhumed\nand buried elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wahhabis had dug up the buried body of another Sufi Muslim from\nMosque burial grounds and dumped the body on a local road as an act of protest.\nKattankudi Police recovered the body, re-buried it in the original burial\nground and guarded burial ground for few days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                                                                                                         In\nKattankudi, the hatred between Wahhabis and Sufis has widened in the last few\nyears and has grown in intensity, left many injured, and caused damage to\nseveral houses and vehicles. Though residing in Sri Lanka illegally, P Jainul\nAbedin \u2013 a powerful Wahhabi preacher from Tamil Nadu \u2013 is now leading the\nWahhabi Jihadism in Kattankudi. A more recent 2009 clash in the south-western\nMuslim coastal town of Beruwala reflects similar religious tensions between a\npopular Sufi sheikh and a nearby Wahhabi congregation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                                                                                                         Saudi\nagents have successfully penetrated Sri Lankan Muslims social fabric and have managed\nto defeat the Sufism in their game. Due to the training afforded by the House\nof Saud now the Wahhabis have prevailed over the Sufis. The Muslims in Sri\nLanka have been subdued due to the Wahhabi influence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The House of Saud pretending to be the leaders of the Islam\npromote their Wahhabi ideology world-wide. The result has been the birth of\nal-Qaida, Taliban, Lashkar-e-Taiba and other Wahhabi terrorist groups which are\nkilling Sunni and Shia Muslims alike in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. \nAll the \u2018Islamist\u2019 terror attacks in South Asia including in Mumbai,\nAfghanistan and Pakistan had the hallmarks of Wahhabism. Wahhabi Jihadists are\nblinded by faith to believe that they have the mandate of Allah to rid the\nworld of \u2018infidels\u2019 and \u2018heretics\u2019. Until this Wahhabism is thoroughly\ndiscredited, combating Wahhabi terrorism is impossible. Since the Western\ncountries subterfuge to destabilise Sri Lanka, by surreptitiously supporting\nthe LTTE failed, now the Western countries will promote Wahhabi Jihadism to\ncause strife and trouble to destabilize Sri Lanka. Wahhabi followers \u2013\nal-Qaida, Taliban, Lashkar-e-Taiba and other Wahhabi terrorist groups \u2013 have\ncaused untold misery in several countries including Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan\nand India. Sri Lanka appears to be their next target. Wahhabis have already\nbuilt several illegal Mosques in Sri Lanka using Saudi Arabia\u2019s petro dollar. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indoctrination of Younger Generation in Madrasas<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zachary\nAbuza, in his book titled  Militant Islam in Southeast Asia (Crusible of\nTerror), highlights the role of Madrasas or exclusively Islamic schools\nestablished by Muslim extremists in indoctrinating the younger generation. The\nauthor comments that “In their pursuit of the creation of Islamic states,\nmany Southeast Asian jihadis established Islamic schools to indoctrinate,\npropagate, and recruit. The leaders of many militant groups in Southeast Asia,\nreturned from training in Mid Eastern countries and established madrasas as the\nbase of their operations and recruitment.” These radical Islamic madrasas,\nwith unrestricted material support from foreign Muslim countries, especially\nSaudi Arabia,  have begun to recruit and brainwash many Muslim children\nand youth in Islamic Jihadist movement and Islamic fundamentalism.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trend of Intolerance and Extreme Forms of Violence<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Newspapers have reported a significant influx of Wahhabi\npreachers and activists from Saudi Arabia and South India during the past three\ndecades in particular. The Saudi Embassy in Sri Lanka, has admitted that\ncertain wealthy Saudi persons are helping various Muslim religious groups in\nSri Lanka to put up mosques. The Wahhabi jihad trends have revealed their\nambition to control South Asian Islam communities even by means of using\nviolent methods. The traditionalists such as the Sufis of Sri Lanka, appear to\nbe resisting this Saudi initiated Wahhabi- jihad aggression, hostility and\nviolence.                   \n                     \n                     \n                     \n                     \n      <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is evident that the\ntraditional practices of Islam of the island’s Sufi Muslim community, are under\nthreat by the Wahhabi group. Sufis are under attack not by adherents of other\nreligions but by their own Muslims brothers. Worship of saints practiced by the\nSufi Muslims of Sri Lanka is frowned upon by the Wahhabi group. Owing to increasing\nthreats, many Sufi Muslims appear to be distancing themselves from their\ntraditional practices such as mosque feasts and the worship of saints. Wahhabi\ngroups are violently opposed to these  traditional practices. They are in\nactual fact promoting the theology endorsed by senior scholars in Saudi Arabia.\nThey claim that  the religious practices of Sufi Muslims are impure,\ntinged with superstition and mystical rituals and they are determined to make\n\u015ar\u012b Lanka’s Muslim community conform to more orthodox strictures and they are\nwill use violence if necessary to achieve their ends.\n                                                                                                     <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sufis in the meanwhile has begun a campaign against the\nWahhabis appealing to Sri Lanka authorities for an impartial inquiry into\nWahhabi activities in the country, to disarm the Wahhabis and to enable the\nreconstruction of its headquarters in Kattankudy which was destroyed by the\nWahhabis and the Sufis affected and displaced to be compensated by the Wahhabis\nso that they can rebuild their ruined homes and businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


\n
\nThareekathul Mufliheen Organization of Sufi Muslims <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wahhabi<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In late 1980s, the Sufi Muslims formed an organization known as\nAll Ceylon Thareekathul Mufliheen organization defining itself as a peace\nloving and non-violent Religious Society, where  members are expected to\nbe patient and tolerant even in times of grave injustice and calamity brought\nabout by the Wahhabis. This organization was founded by Sheihul Mufliheen M.S.M. Abdullah, known as Rah,\u201d in the\nsoutheastern Sri Lanka village of Maruthamunai.  It was registered as a\ncultural society with the civil authorities in 1989. The headquarters of\nThareekathul Mufliheen is now located in the small eastern coast village of\nKattankudy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This organization maintained that\neach human being is free to choose a path of faith and that there should not be\nany compulsion to embrace the views of the organization. This was published in\na book in Tamil, in 1980, by the founder of this organization titled  Imanin Unmaiyai Nee Arivaya<\/em>, or Do You Know the Truth of Iman<\/em>? \u2013 iman<\/em>\nreferring to Islamic belief. This led to serious problems. A book was\ntranslated into English as The Court of Reason<\/em>, and was published in\n2010. The country\u2019s official Council of Islamic Scholars, the All Ceylon\nJamiathul Ulama, purportedly without reading the book or holding a hearing to\nexamine it, published a fatwa or religious opinion on September 10, 1989,\ndeclaring Abdullah (Rah) and his followers as murtadd<\/em> or apostates, who renounced\nIslam, in the judgment of the clerics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Abdullah (Rah) the founder of Thareekathul Mufliheen organzation filed a defamation suit against the All\nCeylon Jamiathul Ulama in 1990 in Colombo which led the All Ceylon Jamiathul\nUlama (ACJU) revoked the fatwa in 1996, and settle the complaint. Besides the\nfatva, the AUJU also took action to deny the Thareekathul Mufliheen to register\nmarriages and the burial of the dead in conformity with Islamic practice. \nHowever, through legal action these rights were restored. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thareekathul Mufliheen organzation of the Sufis opened a Meditation\u201d\nCentre at Kattankudy in 1996.  Wahhabi extremists struck the building\nsetting fire to it. Abdullah (Rah) and the members of the order were targets of\nshooting and grenade attacks, and other physical aggression, as well as\nthreats. In 2004, many Wahhabis organized under the title Jihad\u201d again set the\nMeditation\u201d Centre ablaze, destroying its library, along with homes and\nbusinesses owned by Sufis. Financial loss to the injured parties was\nconsiderable, and one Sufi was shot and killed while another was wounded by\ngunfire. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2005, a protest was filed by the organization, with the Sri Lanka\nHuman Rights Commission (HRC) in 2005. The HRC found in favor of the Sufis,\nstating that their constitutional right to adhere to the belief of their will\nand choice had been violated. The Meditation Centre and headquarters were\nrebuilt in 2006. Sheihul Mufliheen M.S.M. Abdullah (Rah)  the founder of\nthe Thareekathul Mufliheen organzation died in December  2006. Wahhabi preachers and the armed\nJihad\u201d incited the local clerics and politicians (Jamiathul Ulama Kattankudy,\nthe Muslim Federation of Mosques, and the Urban Council of Kattankudy) to\noppose his burial according to Islamic rites, in the Meditation Centre, as he\nwas a supposed apostate.\u201d According to the Wahhabis and their accomplices, apostates\u201d\ncould not be buried in Kattankudy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Jihadis, armed with lethal weapons, rioted after the death of Abdullah\n(Rah), causing widespread social disruption in Kattankudy resulting in a\ngeneral work stoppage, shutting down of schools, government and private\noffices, banks and businesses. Some banks and shops were looted and burned in\nthe process. The official clerics of All Ceylon Jamiathul Ulama, Jamiathul\nUlama Kattankudy, the Muslim Federation of Mosques, other Islamic\norganizations, and the Kattankudy Urban Council initiated a judicial argument\non December 11, 2006. They denounced Abdullah (Rah) as defying Muslim norms and\ntraditions and charged that Thareekathul Mufliheen organization had failed to\nseek permission from the authorities for the burial. The petition by the\nofficial clerics and Wahhabis was dismissed in 2007. The Sri Lanka Human Rights\nCommission declared in 2007 that it could not interfere in the disputes\nbetween various sects of a religion\u201d and recommended the conflict be referred\nto the Council of Ulemas \u2013 All Ceylon Jamiathul Ulama, or to the Ministry of\nReligious Affairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In December 2006, in a separate controversy, the Urban Council in\nKattankudy had ordered the dismantling of the minaret at the Meditation\u201d\nCentre, as an unauthorized structure.  Although the Police tried to\nprevent the commencement of the demolition, Wahhabi extremists interfered with\nthe police resulting in shootings and the death of three rioters. A police post\nand police vehicle were assaulted.  However, subsequently members of the\nUrban Council joined a Wahhabi mob and invaded the Meditation\u201d Centre and\nknocked down the minaret, removing the body of Abdullah (Rah), either burning\nor reburying it in a location yet unknown. The houses of 117 Sufis were leveled\nby fire. Many were threatened and fled the district. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n                                                                                                                         Since\nthen, however, abuses against the Sufis of Kattankudy have continued, with the\nWahhabi Thawheed faction in the forefront of violence. Official ulema and the\nvillage authorities attempted unsuccessfully to prevent celebration of a Sufi\nfestival in 2008. That year, a Sri Lanka Supreme Court order, providing that\n200 members of Thareekathul Mufliheen be allowed to return to their homes in\nKattankudy and practice their beliefs in freedom, was obstructed by armed Jihad\nmembers. In response to the campaign against it, Thareekathul Mufliheen has appealed\nto the Sri Lanka authorities for an impartial inquiry into Wahhabi activities\nin the country; to disarm the Wahhabis; to provide for reconstruction of the\nheadquarters of Thareekathul Mufliheen in Kattankudy; to enforce the revocation\nof the fatwa issued by the All Ceylon Jamiathul Ulama against Abdullah (Rah)\nand his disciples, as ordered by the Colombo District Court, and to compensate\nthe displaced Sufis, facilitating restoration of their lost heritage, ruined\nhomes, and businesses. The Sufis of Kattankudy seek peaceful resettlement with\nhonor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is\nclear evidence of increasing tension and extreme forms of violence between\ntraditional and more fundamentalist Islamic groups in Muslim communities across\nSri Lanka. During the latter period of the war with Tamil LTTE terrorists,\nMuslim Home Guards were recruited by the Sri Lankan government to fight the\nterrorists. In the East some of these Home Guards deserted with their weapons\nand joined the Wahhabis rebels to fulfill its demand for Jihad\u201d against\ntraditional Sufi Muslims. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Beruwala Violence<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most\ncruel and crude nature of violence   was well evident in the 2009\nattack and devastation of the Beruwala Rahuman Masjid Mosque during its annual\nBuhari feast, which has been a practice in this mosque for over 130 years. A\nfundamentalist group of Muslim extremists armed with knives, swords and axes stormed the mosque, yelling that all those participating in the feast were\ninfidels who had deviated from the path of Islam. The attackers set fire to the\nmosque and caused millions of rupees of damage. Two men were brutally hacked to\ndeath in the violence. They damaged cars, motor cycles and bicycles, and a\nspecial Police team had to be deployed in control the situation. A curfew was\nimposed in the area and some of the perpetrators were arrested but some had\nescaped. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2009 the Wahhabis vandalized and destroyed a 150-year old\nshrine located in Ukuwela near Matale. This was associated with violent clashes\nbetween Muslim groups.  According\nto Muslim community leaders and groups this violence contradicts the\nfundamental teachings of Islam. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saudi\nArabian funding for fundamentalist groups<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sri Lankan Muslims, especially young males found easy employment in\nSaudi Arabia during the past few decades.  Some were awarded scholarships\nby Saudi universities. Those who completed their studies returned to Sri Lanka\nand started to propagate the ideology of Wahhabism. In pursuit of their mission\nto expand their sphere of influence among Sufi Muslims and others, these\nWahhabis resorted to violence and intimidation culminating in death and\ndestruction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most\nMuslim problems in the country at present appear to stem from foreign,\nparticularly Saudi Arabian funding for fundamentalist groups. Also, the young\nMuslims who have been exposed to Saudi Islamic religious norms and who are\nbeing indoctrinated in madrasas and universities in Muslim countries such as Saudi\nArabia and Pakistan and reading Wahhabi texts which are opposed to \ntraditional practices such as those of Sufi Muslims. What is wrong with this\ntrend is the approach adopted by these extremist groups to propagate and\npromote their ideology, thinking and practices among the traditional Sufi\nMuslims of Sri Lanka. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their\napproach is unacceptable because it is causing disharmony and violence within\nthe Muslim community. They should be aware of the fact that they are living in\na non-Muslim country where Sinhala Buddhists form the mainstream dominant\ncommunity. The approach to change by the extremist Muslim groups are not\ncompatible with the  social values of the country.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harmonious Community Relationships threatened<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\ntraditional Sufi Islam practiced by Muslims in Sri Lanka for centuries, and\nrelated lifestyle of Muslims facilitated harmonious relationships with other\nreligions and communities in the country. Maintaining such relationships was\nnecessary for most Muslims who were businessmen dealing with a market\nconsisting mostly of non-Muslims. Owing to their living among Buddhists most\nMuslims were inevitably influenced by, and learnt to respect the social values\nof Sinhala Buddhists marked by tolerance and non-violence in\nparticular.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 It\nis unlikely that the more fundamentalist Muslim groups and related extremist\nattitudes and practices that appear to be emerging will help Sri Lankan Muslims\nto coexist successfully with the island’s other religions, as before. In fact\nthe Wahhabis  do not seem to be able to coexist peacefully with their own\nMuslim brothers.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a nation\nwith a historic cultural tradition that extends to over 2200 years, where\nfreedom, compassion, tolerance and accommodation of people of all faiths and\nethnicities have been the founding principles, it is necessary that we as a\nnation take necessary steps to protect and preserve these noble and wholesome\ncultural traditions. We cannot allow them to be undermined under any\ncircumstances. It is necessary that all communities living in this country\ndevelop respect towards the social values and norms of other communities inhabiting\nthis land and not pursue policies and activities that would jeopardize the\nquality of life and stability of our nation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Dr.\nDaya Hewapathirane<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane Sufism or the Sufi Muslim Ideology Traditionally, Sufism or the Sufi Muslim ideology had been the predominant Islamic spiritual tradition observed throughout Southern Asia, including Sri Lanka. Sufism is   considered to be the mystical, ascetic branch of Islam which emphasizes personal experience with Allah. Sufis can be members of either the Sunni […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[101],"tags":[155],"class_list":["post-87524","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dr-daya-hewapathirane","tag-muslims"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87524","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87524"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87524\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}