{"id":89820,"date":"2019-06-04T16:43:54","date_gmt":"2019-06-04T22:43:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=89820"},"modified":"2019-06-04T09:01:35","modified_gmt":"2019-06-04T16:01:35","slug":"dharisha-bastians-mujib-mashal-new-york-times-how-dare-you-call-a-buddhist-thero-as-mr-ratana-kindly-retract-your-story-apologize","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2019\/06\/04\/dharisha-bastians-mujib-mashal-new-york-times-how-dare-you-call-a-buddhist-thero-as-mr-ratana-kindly-retract-your-story-apologize\/","title":{"rendered":"Dharisha Bastians & Mujib Mashal\/New York Times \u2013 How dare you call a Buddhist Thero as \u201cMr. Ratana\u201d \u2013 kindly retract your story & apologize"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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3rd<\/sup> June 2019 New York Times published article titled All 9 of Sri Lanka\u2019s Muslim Minister\u2019s Resign, as bombing backlash intensifies\u201d <\/em><\/strong>flagrantly violates all forms of journalistic ethics, attempts to flair ethnic disharmony by intent to flame ethnic tensions and these paragons of virtue eternally accusing others of racism and ethnic discrimination has the audacity to use an international publication to call a Buddhist thero as \u2018Mr. Ratana\u201d twice while Gnanasara Thero is referred to as Mr. Gnanasara once. This demands not only a retraction of entire article but a public apology by Dharisha Bastians for overstepping her boundary. Buddhist Organizations\/Associations are requested to adopt the following measures against this malicious and insensitive article. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who is Dharisha Bastians?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

She was appointed Editor of\nSunday Observer by yahapalana government but resigned after Ranil\nWickremasinghe was sacked as PM in October 2018 and Mahinda Rajapakse appointed\nas PM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let us first question some of the\nerroneous and purposely distorted versions the Sri Lankan correspondent of NYT\nis making<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All nine Muslim ministers\nin Sri Lanka\u2019s government and 2 Muslim provincial governors resigned on Monday\nas the fragile, Buddhist majority country grappled further with the communal\nbacklash of the Easter Sunday bombings\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

communal backlash of the Easter\nSunday bombings\u201d what are they referring to? The government organized mob\nattacks 3 weeks after the Easter bombings? Everyone knows that revenge attacks\ngenerally happen immediately after a sudden catastrophic incident. When attacks\nhappen 3 weeks it smells of more than a rat. Obviously the 2 correspondents are\nmisleading the international readers because the mobs attacked Sinhala shops as\nwell and the Sinhalese residents were keeping Muslims in their homes. But that\nis never newsworthy enough to print! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what has angered these two\ncorrespondents? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is it that Ratana Thero commenced\na hunger strike demanding 3 Muslim politicians who were linked to the suicide bombers\nwho killed over 300 people. So it\u2019s alright for politicians to be linked to\nsuicide bombers that killed innocent worshippers, foreigners and people having\nbreakfast at the 3 targeted hotels, but not alright for anyone to demand their\nremoval and its an \u2018act of solidarity\u2019 for 8 Ministers to resign. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whose law is this? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the article Rauf Hakeem\nthe head of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress claims our people fear a blood bath\u201d\n\u2013 he may feel fear but there was an actual blood bath in not just once place on\n21st<\/sup> April 2019 but in 9 venues where Islamic terrorists struck.\nThat bloodbath is far more gruesome than a feeling because all citizens are now\nfeeling fear of bloodbaths with the daily updates of swords, ammunitions and\nother dangerous equipment found in Muslim homes, shops and even mosques. So all\ncitizens are now living in fear for their lives after seeing how educated, rich\nand successful Muslims could become suicide bombers \u2013 as no one knows what a\npotential suicide bomber looks like! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If Muslims are facing suspicion,\nit is only they who can now help hand over any radicals to the authorities so\nthat no more innocent people face untimely deaths. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the 2 authors trying to\ninsinuate by saying support of Muslim voters and ethnic minority Tamils was\ndecisive in the election victory of Mr. Sirisena in 2014\u201d \u2013 is this to say just\nbecause minorities voted a country has to look the other way ignoring their\nextremisms? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is absolutely shocking that\nthese supposed to be \u2018unbiased\u2019 correspondents claiming to give both sides of\nthe story are lavishly spewing venom against Sinhala Buddhists calling them all\nthe names under the sun and accusing them of inciting violence against Muslims\nbut never bother to mention some of the racist comments that the Muslim\npoliticians make which is the main reason to react.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The article ends referring to statements\nby 3 characters who are not representative of the people, they are clueless\nabout their own communities, they careless about any of the communities so long\nas they are in some seat of power & influence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These writers are using their pen\nin wicked and evil ways. They claim to be independent & unbiased but they\nare exactly the opposite. For too long they have got away as Sinhala Buddhist\nmajority have chosen to ignore their slander. However, this time round these\nwriters should be taken to task & their wicked and vile acts presented to\nthe world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A content analysis of these\nrabble rousers will prove beyond all doubt that their writings are nothing but\ngutter journalism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As regards the disgraceful manner\nthat a Buddhist thero has been called \u2018MR\u2019 \u2013 Buddhist organizations are\nrequested to immediately take up the following course of action. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. File\ncomplaint with Sri Lanka\u2019s Attorney General\u2019s Department citing violation of\npenal codes and attempting to incite racial flames and ethnic disharmony<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    P.O.Box 502,\nHulftsdorp, Colombo 12<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    administration@attorneygeneral.gov.lk<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    +94 (11) 2147888<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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