Sri Lanka Muslims at the cross roads 9

By Izeth Hussain-July 25, 2014

The focus of this article will be on the external dimension of the Sri Lankan
Muslim ethnic problem !ay back in the se"enteenth century the #reat
$n#lish poet %ohn &onne declared in one of his sermons' ()o man is an
island( It has had much "o#ue as a *uotation o"er se"eral decades for
more than one reason It fi#ures in the epi#raph to Hemin#way+s best-
sellin# no"el ,or !hom the Bell Tolls' which was followed by an endurin#ly
popular film starrin# -ary .ooper and In#rid Ber#man More importantly'
the *uotation could ha"e been expected to ha"e much resonance durin# a
period when the perception was #rowin# that the !est was sufferin# from
an excess of indi"idualism $"en more importantly' the "o#ue of the
*uotation corresponded to a time when the #reater part of the world was
#oin# throu#h a process of modernization' which amon# other thin#s
entails a loosenin# of traditional social bonds In that situation there was a
deep need to affirm collecti"e solidarity
.ountries that ha"e serious ethnic problems will do well to bear in mind
that people ha"e a deep need for identity' which holds people apart from
each other' while at the same time they ha"e a deep need for unity' which
brin#s them to#ether /ur leaders in their obsession with the unitary ha"e
lost si#ht of the people+s need for unity I am writin# here of processes that
take place within a country !e need to understand also a process that is
#oin# on in the world outside The world is becomin# a unit 0 process of
#rowin# interdependence that has been #oin# on for decades has been
acceleratin# because of the ad"ance of technolo#y' so that the #lobe is
becomin# a "illa#e This can be seen in the contrast between 1234 and
5617 The sa"a#e horror unleashed on the Tamils by the racist State in
1234 resonated far less powerfully internationally than the much smaller
horror "isited on the Muslims by the racist State in 5617 !hat happens
internally in a country today carries with it an external dimension in a way
that it did not in 1234
There are two thin#s to be borne in mind in approachin# ethnic problems
/ne is this8 ()o man is an island( The other' takin# into account the
realities of the 51st century' is this8 ()o island is an island( In the context
of ethnic relations' ()o man is an island( should be taken to mean that no
ethnic #roup can remain in isolation' it has to interact with the other ethnic
#roups within the country' and it has to interact in a way that brin#s about
some sense of unity amon# all the ethnic #roups The ma9or responsibility
for brin#in# about this sense of unity rests with the ma9ority community
But up to now the Sinhalese power elite has shown no understandin# of
the need for some sense of unity in this island Instead' it has shown a
compulsi"e dri"e towards hierarchy and di"ision
I don+t think the power elite understands the external dimension either :
that )o island is an island ,rom the late ;forties onwards' our Tamils
constructed a special relationship with Tamil )adu and made a brilliant
success of it' so much so that Tamil )adu became an external but inte#ral
part of Sri Lanka+s Tamil ethnic problem Howe"er' the response to the
1234 holocaust came immediately from Tamil )adu and the &elhi
-o"ernment while the response from the rest of the world was tardy By
contrast' o"er the 0lut#ama horrors of 5617' there were immediate
responses from the /r#anization of Islamic .ountries' the <)' the $<' and
e"en the &alai Lama made a statement The SL Muslims did not create an
external dimension to their ethnic problem It was already there :
irrespecti"e of whether our Muslims wanted it or not : and it came into
operation immediately after the 0lut#ama horrors It is e"en truer today
than it was in 1234 that ()o island is an island(
Howe"er' our Muslims should be extremely wary about turnin# to that
external dimension It seems to me commonsensical to assume that those
behind the anti-Muslim pro9ect will want to find fault with the Muslims in
e"ery way ima#inable so as to find seemin#ly rational 9ustifications for
their pro9ect I ha"e 9ust seen a report that the Thawheed %amaath has
called for inter"ention by Muslim countries to safe#uard the SL Muslims' a
call that has #reatly upset our security establishment That upset is *uite
understandable because the present situation most certainly does not
warrant any drastic action by Muslim or other countries I ha"e not seen
the T% statement' but if indeed it is pro"ocati"e' I will ha"e to raise a
*uestion Some time a#o the T% leader made some preposterous
deni#ratory remarks about Buddhism : entirely atypical of Muslim "iews :
which led to a furor My *uestion is this8 Is the T%' an insi#nificant #roup'
bein# used' without its members bein# aware of it' as an a#ent
pro"ocateur by those behind the anti-Muslim pro9ect= This should be
looked into by Muslim politicians' the Muslim .ouncil' and the Shoora
.ouncil
I ha"e earlier ar#ued the case for turnin# to the external dimension Sri
Lanka has no national parties except in name' all of them bein# ethnic
parties' and the ma9or opposition party is also a racist >arty dedicated to
assertin# Sinhala supremacy The ci"il society is certainly dynamic
compared to what it was in 1234' but it is not yet effecti"e enou#h to
make the State #i"e fair and e*ual treatment to the minorities In this
situation' with possible #enocide loomin# o"er them' can the Muslims be
blamed if they look abroad for their sal"ation= Since I ar#ued that case'
there has been a de"elopment that pro"ides the answer to my *uestion
>ractically e"ery Sri Lankan across the len#th and breadth of this island
belie"es : with a rare "irtual near-unanimity : that had ?huram Shaik
been a Sri Lankan his murderer and those who #an#-raped his #irl friend
would ne"er ha"e been brou#ht to book' since some of the politically
powerful are abo"e the law in Sri Lanka Had his Sri Lankan brother turned
abroad for help would anyone ha"e blamed him= The Muslims ha"e been
facin# a -o"ernment-backed hate campai#n for two years' a campai#n in
which behind the bull-like bellowin# there has been clearly audible a
bayin# for blood The Muslims cannot be blamed if they a"ail of e"ery
resource to sa"e themsel"es' includin# a turnin# to the international
community
!hat is important is that the Muslims should not resort to precipitate and
intemperate action' such as callin# for forei#n inter"ention They should
only resort to action that can be seen as 9ustifiable by unpre9udiced non-
Muslims !hat is re*uired 9ust now is a Muslim counter-thrust to the
on#oin# -o"ernment campai#n to incriminate the Muslims o"er what
happened in 0luth#ama It is bein# made out that it was a Muslim assault
on a Buddhist monk that started it all : an alle#ation that until recently
was made only by Buddhist extremists @ecently the )ational Shoora
.ouncil put out its "ersion of what really happened' brin#in# out horrifyin#
details that ha"e ne"er appeared in print before There is not the sli#htest
hope that the -o"ernment will allow an impartial en*uiry to establish the
truth about the alle#ed assault on that monk In this situation the Muslims
ha"e no alternati"e to turnin# to the international community' amon#
whom the )ational Shoora .ouncil+s findin#s should be widely
disseminated
The Muslims should make their stru##le to be allowed to li"e in peace and
di#nity part of a national stru##le to restore the rule of law and a fully
functionin# democracy This is possible because the ci"il society is now
acti"e' which means that the Muslims can make common cause with the
other ethnic #roups I ha"e in mind particularly a recent communication of
the B0SL to the 0ttorney -eneral : AIsland of %uly 55B It points out that
there is sufficient prima facie e"idence to prosecute the BBS -eneral
Secretary under the >T0' the I..>@ 0ct' and the >enal .ode' and adds
that no meanin#ful steps had been taken in that connection It refers to
the >olice claim that "iolence in the ?alutara district had arisen from a
clash between the Sinhalese and the Muslims' and states (!e' in the B0SL
ha"e "isited most of the affected areas and met a lar#e number of people
The >olice reports of a clash are absolutely misleadin# In almost all cases
it was a case of mobs attackin#' lootin# and settin# fire to Muslim
businesses and houses /"er 2CD of the dama#e had been caused to
Muslims and Muslim owned properties' while a few Sinhala houses and
shops had also come under attack The attacks on the Muslim community
had come mostly from unidentified persons who seemed to ha"e brou#ht
from outside and not the surroundin# "illa#es !e ha"e also #athered first-
hand eye witness accounts that the attacks took place in a number of
instances in the presence of the >olice and the ST,' who took no action in
certain instances to either tear #as' disperse or arrest any one of the
attackers on the ni#ht of %une 1C In a few instances they had facilitated
the attacks that had taken place after the curfew had been imposed( I
ha"e pro"ided this substantial *uotation to show that the Muslims should
now see themsel"es as en#a#ed in a national stru##le to promote the rule
of law and a fully functionin# democracy
izethhussainE#mailcom
Posted by Thavam