In Sri Lanka, Muslims replacing Tamils as perceived enemy

Attacks on mosques stir anew religious tensions in Sri Lanka, where about 9 per cent of the population 1.4 million practise Islam.

Attacks on mosques in Sri Lanka have stirred anew religious tensions in this country, where about 9 per cent of the population 1.4 million practise Islam. Here a Muslim woman walks past a police barricade outside a mosque vandalized in Colombo in August, 2013. By: Rosie Dimanno Toronto Star, Published on Mon Jan 13 2014 !L!"#! ellphone cameras capture$ the ugl% scene& "uslims being chase$ through the streets b% ma$$ene$ #u$$hists. 'he (an$als ha$ )ust attacke$ a mosque in the *ran$pass neighbourhoo$ on the capital+s outskirts, falling upon "uslims at ,ri$a% pra%ers, smashing win$ows, then pursuing the worshippers with clubs, hurling stones. At least fi(e people were hospitali-e$. 'hat was in earl% August an$ stirre$ anew religious tensions in this countr%, where about 9 per cent of the population 1.4 million practise Islam. "ost are known as "oor "uslims, $escen$ents of Arab tra$ers who plie$ their tra$e along Sri Lanka+s

coast as far back as the eighth centur%. 'here ha$ been similar mob assaults on mosques an$ "uslim businesses last "arch, incite$ in large measure b% .enophobic rhetoric from Sinhala #u$$hist e.tremists aligne$ with two fringe groups Sihala /a(a%a 0Sinhalese /oar1 an$ #o$u #ala Sena 0#u$$hist 2ower ,orce1. 'hree #u$$hist monks an$ four others were arreste$ with the arson attacks but were later free$ because the (ictims $ecline$ to press charges. !thers saw it an$ the stan$3aroun$ $o3nothing response b% police at *ran$pass as more e(i$ence of how bigote$ clerics operate with impunit% from law enforcement an$ a go(ernment that (alues the en$orsement of politici-e$ monks. Intimi$ation of "uslims an$ $amage to their propert% hasn+t been confine$ to olombo. In the past %ear, upwar$s of 45 mosques ha(e been attacke$ across the countr% b% #u$$hist fanatics, accor$ing to the presi$ent of the Sri Lanka "uslim ouncil a worrisome mirroring of the wi$e3scale (iolence in #u$$hist3ma)orit% #urma, which has seen a surge of attacks against "uslims with monks at the forefront. 6e ha(e li(e$ peacefull%, unite$, with other faiths for centuries,7 sa%s Sheik ,a-il ,arook, me$ia secretar% for the ongress of "uslim 'heologians, an organi-ation of 8,555 scholars in Sri Lanka. 9!nl% in the recent past has there been turbulence b% a (er% few groups who are tr%ing to $i(i$e the communit%, har$liners who claim to be #u$$hists. 'he ma)orit% $o not appro(e of them.7 They say were going to bring in Sharia law, even though we tell them over and over again that we have no interest in doing so. This is not an Islamic country. SHEIK FAZIL FAROOK MEDIA SECRETARY FOR THE CONGRESS OF MUSLIM THEOLOGIANS "uslims, most of whom speak an i$iomatic (ersion of 'amils intersperse$ with Arabic, ha(e for some replace$ 'amils as the percei(e$ enem% a threat to the nation+s Sinhalese3#u$$hist ethos $espite the fact that "uslims suffere$ brutall% un$er the fist of the 'amil 'igers in northern areas the% controlle$ $uring nearl% three $eca$es of ci(il war. An estimate$ :4,555 were forcibl% e.pelle$ an$ hun$re$s slaughtere$. In$ee$, a "uslim group recentl% proteste$ on the si$elines of the ommonwealth ;ea$s of *o(ernment meeting, $ecr%ing #ritish 2rime "inister <a(i$ ameron+s call for an international inquir% into allege$ human rights (iolations $uring the war against the L''=. 'his turbulence is new to us. I think the% fear the e.tremism, the terrorism that pre(ails in other parts of the worl$,7 speculates ,arook, a si.th generation Sri Lankan. 9#ut "uslims in Sri Lanka are (er% well e$ucate$. 6e ha(e a 99 per cent literac% le(el. 6e+re not going to support terrorism. 6e ne(er ha(e in the past. 'he% sa% we+re going to bring in Sharia law, e(en though we tell them o(er an$ o(er again that we ha(e no interest in $oing so. 'his is not an Islamic countr%.7 >et <efence Secretar% *otabha%a /a)apaksa, who co3or$inate$ the go(ernment+s final smashing of the L''= an$ is wi$el% (iewe$ as the most powerful man in the countr%, foun$ it necessar% in a recent speech to warn against a 9bree$ing groun$7 for Islamic ra$icalism in Sri Lanka+s "uslim communities. 'hat enrage$ ?ustice "inister /auff ;akeem, a "uslim an$ important member of the central coalition go(ernment. 9I woul$ like to publicl% contra$ict the assertion of the

secretar% of $efence,7 he countere$ in an unusual public outburst. 96e are e.tremel% $isturbe$ b% the specific reference to the "uslim communit%.7 If an%thing, "uslim lea$ers here ha(e gone to great lengths to assert their lo%alt% in statements an$ actions that some consi$er too obsequious. ,ollowing the August riots, which resulte$ in a brief night curfew as arm% troops patrolle$ the cit%, mosque officials agree$ to aban$on their newl% built house of worship in *ran$pass. 'he mosque ha$ been targete$ because local #u$$hists resente$ its construction close to a temple. 'he ol$ structure was earmarke$ for $emolition as part of the cit%+s bol$ re$e(elopment plans. 6ithin $a%s, the cit%+s "uslim ouncil announce$ the% were going back to the pre(ious facilit% an$ the go(ernment woul$ be pro(i$ing fun$s for reno(ations. It was a swift capitulation. 'hen #u$$hist reactionaries ob)ecte$ (ociferousl% to the practice of ;alal the "uslim $ietar% laws that prescribe certain proce$ures for the slaughtering of animals an$ $eman$e$ the ;alal logo be remo(e$. 'his reall% shocke$ us,7 sa%s ,arook. 9#ut we $eci$e$, !@, we+ll gi(e it up. 'his was meat going into their houses too. !nl% one of A4 companies with$rew their certificate. #ut the%+re still ;alal, so it reall% ha$ no impact. !ur concern was that the ma)orit% might feel we are $oing a racist act b% not consuming their pro$ucts, not going to "c<onal$+s, hurting their business.7 'he $ispute o(er ;alal meat was actuall% about economics, ,arook conclu$e$. 96e+re 15 per cent of the population but the ;alal companies ha$ capture$ 45 per cent of the market. 'hat+s reall% wh% the% were angr%.7 ;ow far will "uslims allow themsel(es to be pushe$, thoughB ;ow often will the% conce$e to a(oi$ antagoni-ing a minorit% of fire3breathing ultra3nationalist #u$$histsB ,arook sighs. 9'his is the 2rophetic approach be calm, be peaceful. 'he more %ou aggra(ate him, the more forbearing he becomes. 6e ha(e ne(er $egra$e$ an% religion, certainl% not the i$eolog% of #u$$hism. 6e gi(e the highest amount of $ignit% to religious communities. 6e respect a monk more than the #u$$hist communit% respects them. "uslims ha(e li(e$ in this countr% since the time of ancient kings an$ we ha(e ma$e a lot of sacrifices. "uslims supporte$ the go(ernment to bring an en$ to the war. 6e ha(e been lo%al. All we want is for the rule of law to pre(ail for us too.7