Colonel R Hariharan | 30-06-2017
|
Sri Lanka’s infamous Buddhist monk Gnanasara Thero, who
led his followers of the Bodhu Bala Sena (BBS) fringe group to attack Muslim businesses,
places of worship and property in 2014, has staged a comeback to energise
anti-Muslim activities once again.
During the last two months, anti-Muslim hate crimes have
escalated; according to Reuters 20 attacks on Muslims have been recorded since
April 2017. In the Vesak period in the second half of May 2017 alone, 12
attacks have been reported. These include attack on Muslims, destruction of
shops belonging to them and mosques.
By and large the Sinhala community has cordial relations
with the Muslim community. However, a small number of Buddhist fringe elements
had been spreading hate campaign against Muslims for a few years now. The BBS
group led by Gnanasara is perhaps the largest among the loose knit Buddhist
fringe organisations; these include the Sinhala Ravaya, Ravana Balaya, Sinhale
and Sinhala Jathika Balaya. These fringe
groups accuse some Muslim organisations of radicalizing the community and
forcibly converting people to Islam. Muslim leaders have strongly denied these
accusations. However, Saudi-funded efforts to spread the fundamentalist Wahabi
sect in Sri Lanka coupled with the spread of Islamic terrorism in the Arab
world and gulf countries have not helped in allaying the fears of jihadi terrorism spreading to Sri Lanka.
Though Gnanasara Thero had been stoking the hate
campaign, the BBS had denied its involvement in hate attacks. However, many of
the recent attacks have followed Gnanasara Thero’s provocative speeches made while
visiting the area. He was reported
present during an attack in Onagama in Polonnoruwa on May 14 and during an
attack on a mosque in Kurunegala on May 21, 2017. However, the police present on
the location did not arrest him. Police seem to be lethargic both in preventing
such acts of violence, as well as in taking up follow up action after receiving
complaints.
This has given rise to a feeling of déjà vu among
minorities, particularly Muslims, at Maithripala Sirisena government’s abysmal
failure to put an end hate campaigns just as the Rajapaksa government dithered
during the 2014 anti-Muslim violence. In fact, minorities voted to elect Sirisena
as President after he promised to investigate anti-Muslim hate crimes and put
an end to them.
Nothing illustrates the ambivalent political attitude to
anti-minority campaigns better than Justice and Buddha Sasana Minister
Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe’s threat to debar human rights lawyer Lakshan Dias. In a
TV discussion, the lawyer had alleged that over 190 incidents of violence,
harassment and intimidation against Christians and churches had taken place in
Sri Lanka since January 8, 2015. The
minister demanded a public apology from the human rights activist within 24
hours for making the “anti-national” statement. Describing him as a traitor,
the minister said the lawyer’s mission was to spoil the reconciliation process.
However, the Minister did not use such strong language to condemn Gnanasara
Thero and the BBS, though they were causing more damage to ethnic harmony in
the island. The human rights activist is
reported to have fled the country to seek safe refuge abroad after he received
many threats to his life.
Quite a few
Sri Lanka columnists have pointed out the political context for the resurgence
of violence against minorities. Writing in the Colombo daily Island columnist
CA Chandraprema said “the latest spate of anti-Muslim violence” unleashed by
the BBS was “orchestrated by elements within the Yahapalana government” to win
over a section of the Sinhala Buddhist vote gravitating “heavily” to the joint
opposition. He further added that the Minister for Megapolis and Western
development Champika Ranawaka and President Sirisena “had an interest in using
the BBS to split the Sinhala Buddhist vote” and that “the impunity enjoyed by
the BBS in the past several weeks is due to patronage at highest levels of the
government.”
Champika
Ranawaka, leader of the right wing Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) party, has a history
of absolving BBS’ role in inciting anti-Muslim activities, including the
Aluthagama riots, during the Rajapaksa rule in 2014. Gnanasara was in fact a
member of JHU. So even if media comments
on Ranawaka’s role in the present situation are conjectures, minorities will
always view his role with some trepidation.
Gnanasara
had been taking advantage of the government’s hesitation in taking action
against Buddhist monks and fringe elements for fear of political backlash among
Buddhist majority. Moreover, the
government is generally chary of offending the Mahanayakas, Buddhist prelates
who oversee and regulate clergy. The Mahanayaka of Asgiriya chapter, though he
does not condone the behaviour of Gnanasara Thero, has warned the government
and public not to refer to the errant monk in disrespectful terms, presumably
in a bid to safeguard the reputation of monkhood. This would explain why the
police pussy footed for three weeks after charging the BBS leader for blasphemy
and instigating religious violence but failing to arrest him. However, Gnanasara
was formally arrested when he surrendered at the Fort Magistrate’s court on May
21. He was released on bail the same day after the police recorded his
statement.
The moot
point is will Gnanasara Thero and the lumpen followers of BBS be brought to
book to put an end to the hate campaign against minorities? It is doubtful as
long as political parties continue to fringe groups to whip up religious
passions among the people.
The inept
handling of the anti-Muslim violence has shown the Sirisena government’s
failure to live up to its repeated promises to bring in good governance. Western diplomats including those of the US,
Canada and Australia have called upon the government to take strict action to
ensure security to Muslim minority. This
is likely to further tarnish of the reputation of the Yahapalanaya (good
governance) government eroding its credibility even before it completes two
years in office in August.
Col R Hariharan, a retired MI
officer, served as the head of Intelligence of the Indian Peace Keeping Force
in Sri Lanka from 1987 to 90. He is associated with the Chennai Centre for
China Studies and the International Law and Strategic Analysis Institute,
Chennai. E-mail: haridirect@gmail.com Blog: http://col.hariharan.info
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