Letting The Extremists In Again
By Kath Noble -
Kath Noble
Kath Noble
The execution of migrant worker Rizana Nafeek in Saudi Arabia touched the hearts of people around the world. That a girl of 17, left to care for a baby, in addition to being charged with the supervision of the other children of the household, plus the cooking and cleaning, should be punished – let alone beheaded – for what could well have been an accident, was appaling.
Equally distressing was the careless attitude of the Government. Appeals were made to the king, but it was negotiations with the family on blood money that were needed. Were they even attempted? And how is it that diplomats were so little in touch with her case that a minister claimed in a statement made after her death that she would be released very soon? The extra time that she got as a result of her appeal was due to the efforts of the Asian Human Rights Commission, an NGO based in Singapore, which raised the funds to pay for a lawyer. Would she have been convicted if the embassy had provided her with legal assistance as soon as she was arrested?
These questions have to be answered. While the remittances of workers in the Middle East are so important to the Sri Lankan economy, the Government must have the capacity to deal with the problems that they will inevitably encounter.
However, there is an even more important and pressing job to be done at home, in tackling communalism.
Sri Lanka is fortunate that Rizana was a Muslim.
These days, Sinhalese extremists are so keen to advance their campaign against Muslims that the execution of a Buddhist in a Muslim country would have become yet another of their ‘grievances’. They would have been out on the streets protesting, perhaps even burning an effigy of the Prophet Mohammed. There would have been posters and emails and a whole lot of ugly words.
It wouldn’t have mattered that Muslim countries consistently back the Government on matters equally close to their hearts, with regard to Tamils.
This is part of Sri Lanka’s post-war mess.
In the last year or so, these people have been increasingly active. We have seen the emergence of several very unpleasant websites, in Sinhala and English, dedicated to vilifying Muslims. And they are constantly on the look-out for new ways to draw the majority into their communalism. Recently, they have been talking about the ‘tax’ Sinhalese have to pay towards the construction of mosques as a result of the money some businesses spend on halal certificates, with absolutely no concern for the fact that the funds are likely used only to administer the system and that this is anyway an incidental cost for manufacturers, and one that they only bother to pay if they feel that they can sell enough of their products to the mere 9% of the Sri Lankan population that are Muslims. In other words, it is a non-issue.
But extremists are never ones to let facts get in the way of their preconceived notions. They are now urging Sinhalese to boycott shops and companies owned by Muslims, in an attempt to establish some kind of commercial apartheid.
More seriously, there have also been attacks on Muslim shrines and mosques, notably in Anuradhapura in June 2011 and in Dambulla in April 2012.
There was a time not long ago when the JHU was the vanguard of Sinhalese extremism. Its leaders were the ones who talked of sending Muslims ‘back’ to Saudi Arabia and other such nonsense.
But it would seem that something changed with the party’s success in the 2004 elections, when it secured nine seats in Parliament under Chandrika Kumaratunga, subsequently entering into an alliance with the administration of Mahinda Rajapaksa. The need to interact in even a very flawed democratic framework had an impact, if not on the views of its leaders then on their understanding of what can be done about them in a country like Sri Lanka, and some of the least moderate of the JHU’s members broke away.
Groups like the Bodu Bala Sena and the Sinhala Ravaya came up.
The Ven Akmeemana Dayaratne, who leads the Sinhala Ravaya, inadvertently became one of the JHU’s MPs in 2004, as the fourth man on its list in the Colombo district, when the party forced the third man to resign his seat on discovering that he had become a bit too attached to the SLFP. The leader of the Bodu Bala Sena, the Ven Galagodatthe Gnanasara Thero, was also in the JHU at that time.
No doubt the slight moderation of the JHU was not their only motivation for moving away from the party. They seem to be at least as interested in boosting their own profiles, in particular in competition with the Ven Athuraliye Rathana Thero, whose humble beginnings in a tiny temple (actually a converted house) in Matara would not be easily accepted by monks from the orthodox Siyam Nikaya with thousands of acres vested in their temples by the kings of yore.
Having broken away, they need to show their strength. Yet their supporters are actually very few in number.
That is what the Anuradhapura and Dambulla attacks were about.
The monks who led the mobs on those occasions were making a point. They wanted to chase Muslims away, but with as many people watching as possible, since their objective was to demonstrate to Sinhalese that they are the people who can deliver.
What is crucial to note is that the Government encourages this behaviour.
Violence shouldn’t bring the perpetrators anything other than prosecution and imprisonment, but nowadays it is the easy way to get what you want.
In Dambulla, Ven Inamulawe Sri Sumangala Thero could have negotiated the relocation of the mosque away from the sacred area. The temple has plenty of land to offer, and Muslims were not implacably opposed to moving. Yet that would have required discussions that could have gone on for weeks. He got what he wanted within a matter of hours when he stormed the mosque, ably supported by the Sinhala Ravaya. The Prime Minister declared that the mosque was illegal and would be removed forthwith. (Fortunately his enthusiasm to reward the mob did not endure – it is reported that more reasonable leaders subsequently managed to resolve the matter amicably.)
The Government is now doing exactly the same thing in response to protests about the Law College Entrance Exam.
Various people questioned the results when they were announced last month. According to news reports, while in almost every year until 2010 less than ten Muslims qualified, in 2011 the number was 51 and in 2012 it was 78. The three toppers were Muslims, as were 28 of the first 50. This naturally raised suspicions, since it was in 2010 that Rauff Hakeem took over as the Minister of Justice. It was alleged that he was involved in leaking the question paper, using Muslims who serve as English-Tamil translators. Equally naturally, Rauff Hakeem denied it, saying that responsibility for admissions to the Law College lies with the Council for Legal Education rather than with his Ministry, while the Entrance Exam is conducted by the Department of Examinations, but it is hardly surprising that this did not dispel all doubts.
Politicians regularly interfere in such matters, so there was no need to treat it as a communal issue. The only special feature of this scandal, if the allegations are proven, is that it was uncovered because those involved belonged to just one community.
What was needed was a credible investigation.
But although the Government immediately took action when a leak was alleged in the O Level, resulting in the arrest of five people, including a tuition master and an official from the Department of Examinations, it ignored the Law College Entrance case. This is despite the fact that unlike the O Level, the Law College Entrance is a competitive examination, meaning that one person’s success necessarily means the failure of another, which makes it a much more controversial issue.
It was only when the Bodu Bala Sena stormed the Law College that anything was done. The Principal immediately decided to suspend registrations.
People thus got the message that it pays to be violent.
Even more important is the space that this kind of response opens up for extremists.
As things stand, the vast majority of Sinhalese are not at all interested in the Bodu Bala Sena and the Sinhala Ravaya, or indeed in the JHU. They are content to live peacefully with Muslims, and they have no intention of acting on any prejudices they may have developed. They don’t read the disgusting websites that such people maintain, and they have not been roused by the shouting about halal certificates and other such red herrings. They are not stupid.
But their common sense cannot be taken as given forever.
The relationship between Sinhalese and Muslims is far more sensitive than the relationship between Sinhalese and Tamils, due to the more obvious cultural differences.
Having just concluded a generation long conflict, the Government should understand the danger.
The Government has a tremendous responsibility to stop the further growth of Sinhalese extremism, yet it actively helps in the creation of ‘grievances’, and it consistently allows communalists to do as they please, even when this includes violence.
Sri Lanka is fortunate that there are as yet no comparable groups among Muslims.
When Rizana Nafeek was executed, they could also have taken it as a reason to protest against Sinhalese. They could have argued that the Government didn’t bother with her precisely because she was a Muslim, while it is an administration that is interested only in Buddhists. They would have been wrong, but there is no reason to expect one set of extremists to be smarter than any other.
The sad truth is that the girl died because she was poor.
*Kath Noble’s column may be accessed online at http://kathnoble.wordpress.com/. She may be contacted at kathnoble99@gmail.com.
This is a strategy of the govt to keep the cauldron of racism on the boil in order to maintain its support base amongst the sinhala buddhist community. By playing the card of racism, racial superiority, patriotism, the govt is able to invoke the blind support of the sinhala majority. Thereby carry out their own agenda of corruption and grabbing power.
Safa - January 16, 2013
1:20 am
Kath Noble:
Have the scales really dropped from your eyes or is this just a spot of aberrant behaviour – being critical of your erstwhile hero who could do no wrong, Mahinda, and his government?
Aney Apochchi! - January 16, 2013
8:17 am
Sorry Kath, Noble as you sound you don’t understand us.
01. Here are the facts. – We are the first citizens of this country and should have better rights than anyone else.
02. We have a history and culture of over 2500 years and everyone else must fall in line. We don’t wish to see any other form of expression, culture language or religious
03. Though the minorities are small in number they dominate all businesses and we have to stop them. if not they will use the money to annihilate the Sinhalese
04. We must continue to practice all forms of apartheid, frequent “our peoples shops” maintain race/religion based schools, and make sure the minorities are not represented in the armed forces and the government services. This is the only way to protect our religion
05. I am saying this because if we allow them to do so they will take over our country. We are very scared, there are international conspiracies, NGO conspiracies, Islamist conspiracies, and Tamil Diaspora conspiracies.
So we arm ourselves to the teeth, we fight on many fronts, and tolerate a bit of lawlessness here and there. That is the only way we know how to protect our religion, our race and our country.
And you white lady, you are of no help
Gona Parte - January 16, 2013
2:41 am
Gona,
01. Here are the facts. – We are the first citizens of this country and should have better rights than anyone else.
From where did you get this idea? Who told you that you are the first citizens of this country?
02. We have a history and culture of over 2500 years and everyone else must fall in line. We don’t wish to see any other form of expression, culture language or religious
Sri Lanka has a 2500 years of multi- cultural, multi-lingual, multi-religious history. The Hindu temples/ruins in Sri Lanka are as old as or even older than the Buddhist. Just because the native Veddas and Tamils are minorities today, the majority do not have any right to tell the minorities to fall in line. Who are you, just another indo-Aryan migrant from North India.
03. Though the minorities are small in number they dominate all businesses and we have to stop them. if not they will use the money to annihilate the Sinhalese
Every citizen in Sri Lanka has the right to do business. If the minorities are dominating, that means there is something wrong with the majority. Instead of improving yourselves you are trying to use the law of the jungle to stop the minorities.
04. We must continue to practice all forms of apartheid, frequent “our peoples shops” maintain race/religion based schools, and make sure the minorities are not represented in the armed forces and the government services. This is the only way to protect our religion
In order to protect your religion which was imported from India, a Buddhist monk by the name Mahanama wrote a historical fiction called the Mahavamsa. Why don’t you Gona start writing another book incorporating all what you have said above?
05. I am saying this because if we allow them to do so they will take over our country. We are very scared, there are international conspiracies, NGO conspiracies, Islamist conspiracies, and Tamil Diaspora conspiracies.
If you try to do all what you have said to oppress and suppress the minorities, eventually some country like India will invade with the blessings of America, EU and UN to save the minorities.
So we arm ourselves to the teeth, we fight on many fronts, and tolerate a bit of lawlessness here and there. That is the only way we know how to protect our religion, our race and our country.
Buddhism was a good religion once upon a time but people like you have converted Buddhism into Barbarism.
It takes my breath away when I hear people whose ancestors came all the way from distant North India calling the people who lived in the South India-Sri Lanka region (Tamils) as outsiders/invaders. If Tamils were invaders, I suppose Sinhalese (Vijaya’s descendants) must be tourists.
Just imagine if king Elara had chased out his son and his cronies because they were bandits, molesting women etc, and their boat drifted and landed in Sinhapura, North India and then they started calling the North Indians as invaders/outsiders?
It is like the white Australians calling the aborigines as invaders or the white people in Africa calling the black Africans as invaders.
Siva - January 16, 2013
10:35 am
Siva,
Gona’s reply is clearly tongue-in-cheek. He’s lampooning the arguments of race-supremacists, not only of Sri Lanka but of the world over, and of all time. Starting with the fallacy of being the “first people” to establish legitimacy, he moves on to stoking the fears of the masses against a weaker, but distinct minority, to finally inciting violence in order to garner power for himself.
Quite disingenuous, and frankly I’m tired of hearing it, in fact as in fiction. Anyone who has real conviction in his beliefs doesn’t need a mob behind him, nor a veil of lies and half-truths to hide behind.
Navin - January 17, 2013
5:52 am
Gona Parte - January 17, 2013
12:33 pm
Even I realized after I read Gona Parte again (after my reply) that he is only Sarcastic/ironic and quite good at it. He should be encouraged to write more such comments.
Siva - January 18, 2013
4:39 am
Readers:
Please watch the following Derana Video interview with Bar.Association President Wijedasa Rajapakse tell How MARA along with ex.CJ Sarath N. Silva made Golden Key Collapse by restricting Hon.Lalith Kotalawela to sell Golden Key assetts to settle his 10,000 odd customers.
http://www.derana.lk/index.php?route=programs/programs/programdetails&pid=85&vid=6192&page=1
I told long ago How MARA made Golden Key to Collapse …..and subsequently wanted to buy those assets.
MARA is nothing but a BIG NOTORIOUS HAMBANTOTA CRO…K…….A WORST EVER ROB….R IN SRI LANKA’S HISTORY.
Jayantha - January 16, 2013
10:29 pm
Gona Parte
” I am saying this because if we allow them to do so they will take over our country.”
My people will take over my ancestral land one day from Kallthonies both Tamils and Sinhalese.
You say:
” That is the only way we know how to protect our religion, our race and our country.”
Buddhism is not your religion but originated from North India. Your race according to Mahavamsa originated in Sinhapura, Venga. This is not your country but our ancestral land.
Therefore please go back to India where you will be comfortable with your lost tribes.
However I find your comment ironic. Keep it up.
Native Vedda - January 17, 2013
12:50 am
Gona…..
You are nothing but a Gon Haraka. Your type are the ones who ruined everything that British built and gave us free when they left.
Your type of Big head Gon Harak are ever Sinhala Buruvas (Donkeys) who cannot think beyond your Bal…s.
Go and eat Pol Kudu and Grass…..at least you will have harak Brains.
Give the country back to British to administer…..because you are ever uncorrectable Modayas.
Mahela - January 17, 2013
2:22 am
I feel that Rizana Nafeek had to die not only because she was poor, but for a complex mixture of causes. Notwithstanding the fact that the Saudi legal system is quite different in the way it deliberates on matters, to ones Sri Lankans have been used to (ie Roman – Dutch – British common Law)the background needs examination.
Sri Lankan babysitters / housemaids cater to the lower end of the market in the Mid East, whereas Phillipinas, Indonesians and even Bangladeshi’s occupy higher positions.
The major export earner of hard currencies remains the slave labour of Sri Lankan women overseas. Hence, payment for imported goods have to be largely financed by their remittances.
The lack of dignity in labour in Sri Lanka compels lower socio-economic workers (ie motor mechanics, labourers, carpenters, housemaids, drivers and the like) to leave Sri Lanka and work under perhaps worse conditions, outside the glare of local public scrutiny overseas, encouraged by the higher income to boot.
Sri Lankan workers in diplomatic missions in most countries lack substance by way of knowledge of diplomatic protocol, international conventions on labour and human rights, language proficiency and even common courtesy and decency.
Contractual arrangements made with potential labour-type employees and employers for expatriate Sri Lankans are often not legally binding and steeped in corrupt practices and shady deals.
Bipartisan relationships between poor countries value more economic returns than the lives of their citizens, unlike in Australia or Japan, for example.
Rizana’s parents would have acted out of desperation rather than conviction of their consciences, and now console themselves that it was their god’s will that such a fate befell their daughter. With such thinking, the system of injustice can be perpetuated in the interests of the guilty.
Lasantha Pethiyagoda - January 16, 2013
3:45 am
Paying blood money by Govts is not on.
But the AHRC could have used the money that was paid to the Barrister to save this poor girl.
If they want to put thier money where the muoth is , it is not too late still to save the Tamil guy who is on death row now in Qatar, for killing an Indian.
The family of the victim is asking only LKR 1 Million, which must be just peanuts for the Internationally financed AHRC.
My mind blew away by the intricate knowledge and inside info this Euro woman has about our Sinhala Buddhist Clergy and their extremist activities.
K.A Sumanasekera - January 16, 2013
3:57 am
Buddhism was a good religion once upon a time before it got into the hands of the Sinhalese. Unfortunately, today the Sinhalese have converted Buddhism into Barbarism and renamed it as SinhalaBuddhism.
Siva - January 16, 2013
10:01 am
buddhism thrived and was protected in the hands of the sinhalese for thousand years. The current wave of sinhala buddhism is a recent invetion going back to the beginning of 1900s. So dont take arguments from ur a88 abt things u dont knw.
sach - January 18, 2013
3:15 am
There was one extremist by the name of Gamanpila who was on swarnawahini yesterday. What a shameless nincompoop! He even said that as per his learnings mismanaging the electricity board, and increasing prices was normal. Cost of living spiraling out of control was normal and not a country in the world has experienced other wise. Shame on Australian universities? Is this what he spent money to learn there?( obviously not, you can not point fingers as prestigious universities for producing barefaced liars.
He justified the , impeachment, he even said the threat to CJ was from Golden key depositors! Was he serious? Who organized the whole circus? Not Basil? Not, Sumathipalaand Hennayake ? Who was on TV serving Kiribath? Who bought coconuts to the Supreme Court. The golden key depositors who have no food to eat?
BUDDHISTS HAVE TO REALIZE THAT BUDDHISM WILL BE DESTROYED BY THESE TWO BAREFACED, PARTIALLY EDUCATED , VULGAR, LYING SNAKES GAMANPILA AND PATALIPUTRA. Sri Lankans be aware of these two wolves in sheepskin clothing
P.B - January 16, 2013
5:10 am
PB,
Now that your much hyped haultsdorp spring is gone with the CJ idol, it seems you are now concerned of saving Buddhism in Sri Lanka even more than that noble man Gammnpila and the JHU. Write what you want, but you are in the company of born losers.
noble - January 16, 2013
11:50 am
well said Safa
Lawyer - January 16, 2013
5:40 am
Can Kath name a single person who can arrive in a country on a tourist visa (who is forbidden to work or engage in any commercial activity) writes as a columnist putting down the natives of that country?
Can Kath also respond to why a fear psychosis prevails across Europe and even Australia because they have woken to the fact that their country is likely to become Islamized. Is David Cameron or Merkel or Sarkozy extremist because they have openly declared multiculturaism has failed…
In the case of the law college exam results when there are obvious reasons to raise alarm – what is wrong to ask for an independent inquiry?
Shenali - January 16, 2013
6:03 am
First of all, Kath is not writing to a local (Sri Lankan) news paper or engaged in any commercial activity in Sri Lanka. Who should write to CT is purely their discretion.
Secondly, who are these so called natives? In Sri Lanka only the Veddas are natives. All other races and religions came from outside.
What is wrong to ask for an independent inquiry?
Why doesn’t this Shenali ask the same question from the government regarding the thousands of Tamil civilians gone missing after the 2009 war without witness? What is wrong in the Tamils asking for an independent inquiry?
Shenali is a third class dirty racist who thinks that only the Sinhala-Buddhists are natives who should only be praised and not put down. I personally thank CT for letting Kath Noble write in your column instead of dirty racists like Shenali.
Siva - January 16, 2013
9:56 am
Please don’t embarass us with your ignorance. Go plough your paddyfeild you idiot
mahanama - January 16, 2013
2:22 pm
Shenali,
What is wrong to ask for an independent inquiry?
Yes! I couldn’t agree with you more. Why not an independent inquiry?
As you request why not start with events that took place a few years back.
Go on Shenali, you can do it!
Chandra - January 16, 2013
10:17 pm
ps Shenali: are you suggesting that inquiries in Sri Lanka have not been independent?
Chandra - January 16, 2013
10:21 pm
Here Kath has given us a very good presentation of the things happening. As an outsider she can be impartial. I find her articles to be a lot enlightening than many local writers ones. If u find anything wrong with what she writes come up with a proper argument. Dont insult the writer. It shows the lack of an arguement and makes one feel Kath’s point is correct.
sach - January 18, 2013
3:28 am
Shenali,
I was shocked when I read the article written by you and published by the Daily Noise. I thought CT was the place for people with some intellect. Not racists!
Since you seem to be cutting and pasting stuff from dubious internet sources, claiming that they are of your own without knowing what is said therein, I am venturing to expand on your comment above
On Multiculturalism: My understanding is that it is a western concept with which they are experimenting. It has nothing to do with Islam or any other religion. What the west did is open their doors to economic migrants to boost their own economies. Now they are finding that most of the migrants forming ghettos of their own without integrating into the host country, learning English etc. In Western USA Spanish is becoming the language of choice. Sri Lankans in Melbourne are a case in point. Isn’t it bizarre and incongruous how Sri Lankan origin Australians cheer the rival team instead of the home team? Now that is the failure of multiculturalism as seen by the west.
Sri Lanka has a history of a multi racial, multi religious society going back thousands of years. There are no parallels between Sri Lanka and the west.
Islam in the West- In the UK France and Australia the Muslim population is 4.8 %, 3% and 2.5% respectively and is ethnically very diverse. So your attempt to tar Muslims with their inability to integrate doesn’t hold water. Western Islamophobia as described by you doesn’t exist either. The problem is with culture and not religion. The West sees cultures as Asian, African and Middle Eastern and don’t seem to be nit picking like you do.
I have no quarrel with you on the law college issue. If anyone cheated, then they must be caught and punished
Being a mother of two, haven’t you not learned where fighting the Tamils took this country that you want to take on Muslim? Is a racist ghetto that you want to leave behind for your children?
Please refrain from vituperative innuendo, and having yourself labeled a rabid racist. Lets work together to do away with racism for good.
Surely Shenali…………
Nabil - January 25, 2013
6:56 am
Well Said Shenali
Kath Noble knows next to nothing about Sri Lanka . Who is she to give opinion about something that she doesn’t know a fig leaf.
Her motherland is be leagued by anti Islamic fervor as Britishers are rightly alarmed about Islamization and radicalization with political correctness making things difficult.
She should first preach her own countrymen before trying to “civilize” us here.
Typical White supremacist mentality
Paul Devereaux - January 16, 2013
10:23 am
If Kath Noble knows next to nothing about what is happening viz Sinhala-Moslem tensions why dont you tell us Paul Deveraux? We await with bated breath..
dingiri - January 16, 2013
11:00 am
Hi Wimal! Did you gel your hair today?
mahanama - January 16, 2013
2:20 pm
Just like Sinhala supremacist mentality!
Piranha - January 16, 2013
9:21 pm
Shenali should realise that if Kath Noble was on a tourist visa and was found criticising the Govt. or the Sinhalese or Buddhists she would have been sent packing long ago like many others before her.
I find Shenalis’ first sentance most interesting and symptomatic of the delusions many Sinhalese are suffering from.
1. First Assume that the person has a Tourist visa.
2. Then assume that contributing an opinion piece to a website is tantamount to “engaging in commercial activity”
3. Accuse her of “Putting down the natives of Sri Lanka”
4. Ignore that she is only voicing alarm at the rise of Sinhala-Moslem tensions and blaming it on a small sliver of the Sinhalese i.e. the BBS and its supporters.
5. Assuming that Noble is the first person the world over to visit a country and criticise its politics and claim that no other country would be as tolerant as Sri Lanka in this regard.
Having said that, I believe she is wrong about the Halal issue being a non issue. Apparently there are 4000 manufacturers in the Halal register. Each paying Rs. 175,000 for the license anually, which is then added to the cost of the product. That is Rs. 700 million a year being raised for the Halal board from predominantly non-moslem consumers. This amount of money as we all know can fund a lot more mere office expenses.
The BBS will no doubt market this with a lot of emotive language.. “extortion”, “blackmail” “A tax on the Sinhalese for Moslem causes” etc. etc. It is therefore high time for Manufacturers and Moslem and Buddhist religious men to get together in a civilised way and sort this out before inter-ethnic relations take a further dive.
All thats needed is some means by which the cost of the Halal certification is passed on the Moslems who need it rather than to the entire population. There are many many ways by which this can peacably be achieved without shedding blood.
dingiri - January 16, 2013
10:55 am
Well said shenali.
Siva; Who the hell are you commenting about Sri Lanka?
Sulary - January 16, 2013
11:09 am
Sulary and the rest of the racist horde:
Considering you are a bunch of illiterate idiots and probably can’t read in any language, you should have someone read what should be your bible to you in whatever language you CAN understand. You know the name of the book? Its called Mein Kampf and was written by a guy called Hitler.
Aney Apochchi! - January 16, 2013
1:28 pm
If some corporates feel that it is in their commercial interest to obtain halal certification why blame the muslims? Many corporates are exporting to ME or Islamic countries and require such certification to sell their products. It is purely a commercial proposition for them. Spending 175,000 an year is peanuts when you have a turnover of over 100 Mn.
Safa - January 16, 2013
4:31 pm
Kath Noble,
You say Asian Human Rights Commission of Singapore got extra time for the Rizana Nafeek. Sri Lanka government says; she got extra time due to direct request by the President, and I believe that. Is there anyone in Saudi saved by Singapore NGO before this? All this NGO had done was writing letters to Kohona and filing an appeal through some lawyers in 2007. But government says that many a Muslim ministers had gone to Saudi on this matter alone and contacted relevant officials and blood money was offered but the Saudi family had adamantly refused it. Can Kath Noble need to understand Sinhala to evaluate these and other things that were discussed at open TV discussions?
Above all, does Noble know anything about Koran and Hadith on which Saudi Moulavis or Muslim clerics had passed the sentence to chop off Rizana’s head. Koran is the word of God and Shariyah is Allah’s law and the law there. Muslims say none can oppose it. Rizana can’t oppose it anyway for she is a Muslim and her word is worth a quarter of a man’s word. It’s a case of interpreting of Shariya law. That is what a Moulavi in Sri Lanka said in our TV when he approved the sentence. So what nonsense Noble is talking.
After praising a Singapore NGO for buying time for Rizana’s head chopping and claiming Sri Lanka is in a post war mess, Noble moved on to her usual rhetoric and accused Sinhalas as extremists sighting few disputes as attacks on Muslim shrines and mosques. She blames us for not tackling communalism. We do not have communalism dear lady. It is you home where communalism is imbedded. I know it for I was there from mid sixties to early eighties. I have seen shop window ads that said “NO DOGS, NO CATS and NO BLACKS.” I have seen and heard skin heads shouting; “Enoch, Enoch, Enoch; One Down And Million To Go”. Deny it if you can. When did Sinhalas shouted like that? Eh.
Now I’ll tell you about English seen not then but during last few years with all you race relations acts in force: On November 21, 2010, three men who joined a hooded and masked gang to attack Kingston Mosque with sticks and bottles have been jailed today revealed at Kingston Crown Court on 27th April 2012. On Remembrance Day 2010, the Masjid-E-Umar in Darlaston, West Midlands was vandalised on the morning of what is suspected to be a hate crime in retaliation against the fifty Muslim individuals who took part in burning poppies. On July 2011, a Luton mosque was attacked in the early hours of the morning. The attackers broke the mosque windows and spray painted graffiti with the initials ‘‘EDL,’’ which stands for Britain’s most notorious far-right group, the English Defence League. At the Redbridge Islamic Centre, an incident was reported where attackers shouted racial abuse and threw bricks at the building while worshippers were inside, injuring one man. Sinhalese are doing nothing like that here are they? The situation for mosques in Dambulla and Anuradhapura is different. If you have queries on that, I shall answer your questions.
Like in some parts of the US and in Europe some Muslims here openly and others on the sly wanted to enforce shiria code on Muslims and/or where Muslims are the majority in Sri Lanka meaning the East. These people have conveniently forgotten that it is King Senerath who first settled Muslims in the East. Read our history Noble for you to understand our mindset. Now some of the Muslims want a piece of it for them to rule according to their laws and live the way they want. Such people do not accept our constitution but Koran.
We have seen such people in violent action much much more than by Sinhalas in Dambulla and Anuradhapura when Muslims fought Muslims in the form of Wahabis or Salafists in Katthankudy, Beruwala and so many other places in Sri Lanka. These are there in the web, so you can read most of it.
Bodu Bala Sena is afraid that this violence would spread: Recently two Maldives MPs – Dr Afrasheem Ali & Aishath Velezinee – were killed by Wahhabi Jihadists. We wonder how long would it takes to copy it by Wahabis in our East?
In the Eastern district of Batticaloa, there exists a small town called Katthankudy. The populace is completely Muslim. It is said to have the largest number of mosques per square kilometer in the world. All in all, there are at least 65 mosques in that small town. No matter what age group, practically every woman is shrouded from head to foot. In fact; under the influence of the Saudi Wahabi sect, Katthankudy has become an exceptionally orthodox place. Perhaps it is only a matter of time before entire populace would become Bin Laden type extremists.
Leela
Villager - January 16, 2013
5:16 pm
Herold,
Oh dear!
You are indeed losing the plot!
Chandra - January 16, 2013
10:10 pm
Holy Cow. What a diatribe, what invective. Muslims don’t accept the constitution but the Qur’an. By the same logic the Christians would accept only the Bible and the Hindus the Bhagwath Geetha.
Its only the Sinhalese who accept the constitution! What traitors the minorities are,gosh I can imagine why this country is in this perilous state.
Leelo please make them all patriots by sending them to boot camps such as the Menik farm where lessons on patriotism can be taken by Gota’s War experts.
By the way in England when you break the law you go to jail. In Sri Lanka we grin and cheer them on. So no comparison there Leelo.
Of course you broke down the Mosque which is more than 400 years old very peacefully, and thousands went in procession to the Dambulla mosque in peace, the head Priest exposed his privates, very peacefully mind you and then made such a calming speech even Gauthama Buddha would have been envious. And BBS is the epitome of non-violence.
The problem with the Kaths of this world is that they are poking their noses into our tiny Isle of Pearl,rabble rousing all the time. Please let people like Leela live in hope, that another pogrom will happen so that she can profit, her boys can vent their frustrations on hapless minorities and enjoy their patriotic fervor with milk rice.
viva la racism
Nabil - January 17, 2013
7:15 pm
If you can read the article u will realize what Kath has done is discuss the current happenings in SL. They are disturbing. She has not tried to do a review of Koran or Saudi system. So your question, “does Noble know anything about Koran and Hadith” is irrelevant.
Koran or Hadith or even other religious scripts do not matter in SL. It does not matter what is used in KSA what matters is what we have here. If u are knowledgeable abt the things happening in our country, u will understand we have a lot to do in terms of our own constitution. Use the time that you spend on other countries’ law to discuss what happens to SL law. Sri Lankan muslims are largely against this Saudi verdict on Rizana though some do agree with that. That was a sorrowful period for all the Lankans and a reminder to both muslims and Sinhalese the moment they are out of Lanka, the rest of the world do not see them differently. I have seen many muslims saying they are not with the Saudi system of law and it does not represent them. It might be true considering there is a large cultural element in Saudi laws. It is sad that many Sinhalese extremists have used this sad incidence to sling mud at their fellow countrymen.
“After praising a Singapore NGO for buying time for Rizana’s head chopping and claiming Sri Lanka is in a post war mess, Noble moved on to her usual rhetoric and accused Sinhalas as extremists sighting few disputes as attacks on Muslim shrines and mosques. She blames us for not tackling communalism. We do not have communalism dear lady. It is you home where communalism is imbedded. I know it for I was there from mid sixties to early eighties. I have seen shop window ads that said “NO DOGS, NO CATS and NO BLACKS.” I have seen and heard skin heads shouting; “Enoch, Enoch, Enoch; One Down And Million To Go”. Deny it if you can. When did Sinhalas shouted like that? Eh.”
Anyone with some understanding on SL issues would no doubt accept that SL is IN A POST WAR MESS. How much u ppl shout or try to hide your head in the sand that fact does not change. Tell me what is functioning well in this country. Economy, law and order, defence, communal relationships, education and even foreign relations all are in a mess. I didn’t see Noble accusing the Sinhalese as extremists. Actually she mentioned majority of the Sinhalese do not buy into the claims made by BB ppl. Her blames on not tackling communalism is completely reasonable. Just look at how the gov bowed down to extreme elements in Dambulla case. They don’t look at this country’s future but their vote bank politics. And ppl like u are helping them. We do have communalism dear Leela. Nobody here dispute racism against blacks and Asians in Europe. It was severe in 60s, 70s and 80s. Now their politicians and civil rights groups have controlled the situation. In those countries racism is looked down upon. No one in western world today shout like that. Also even if they did, it doesn’t make us look good saying hey we didn’t do that.
“Now I’ll tell you about English seen not then but during last few years with all you race relations acts in force: On November 21, 2010, three men who joined a hooded and masked gang to attack Kingston Mosque with sticks and bottles have been jailed today revealed at Kingston Crown Court on 27th April 2012. On Remembrance Day 2010, the Masjid-E-Umar in Darlaston, West Midlands was vandalised on the morning of what is suspected to be a hate crime in retaliation against the fifty Muslim individuals who took part in burning poppies. On July 2011, a Luton mosque was attacked in the early hours of the morning. The attackers broke the mosque windows and spray painted graffiti with the initials ‘‘EDL,’’ which stands for Britain’s most notorious far-right group, the English Defence League. At the Redbridge Islamic Centre, an incident was reported where attackers shouted racial abuse and threw bricks at the building while worshippers were inside, injuring one man. Sinhalese are doing nothing like that here are they? The situation for mosques in Dambulla and Anuradhapura is different. If you have queries on that, I shall answer your questions.”
There are hate crimes in all these countries but their authorities control them before these acts go out of control. Our authorities do NOT do that. Also there is a large intellectual base in these countries that condemn such acts and guide their societies. But you don’t see that in SL. Our so called Sinhala intellectuals are the biggest problem creators. Even a road side appa kade mudalalis have better intellect on race relations than so called Sinhala intellectuals.
“Like in some parts of the US and in Europe some Muslims here openly and others on the sly wanted to enforce shiria code on Muslims and/or where Muslims are the majority in Sri Lanka meaning the East. These people have conveniently forgotten that it is King Senerath who first settled Muslims in the East. Read our history Noble for you to understand our mindset. Now some of the Muslims want a piece of it for them to rule according to their laws and live the way they want. Such people do not accept our constitution but Koran. ”
Koran is a religious script and those who wish to live according to that can do. There is no harm in it. I have seen many muslims in SL who are great human beings. Where have muslims ever asked to enforce sharia in SL constitution and when did they asked for a self rule? Are u nuts or day dreaming? Muslims are citizens of this country and they do abide by the constitution of SL. Actually those who go against the constitution in SL are the very politicians and MR whom u steadfastly support. After all what is good in our constitution? It has downgraded into a license for the executive to exploit all sections of SL society and to exert their own will on ppl. It is no more a constitution of a democratic republic. Let’s fight for a new constitution that upholds the values of equality and justice. And we can defend that constitution with our life.
“We have seen such people in violent action much much more than by Sinhalas in Dambulla and Anuradhapura when Muslims fought Muslims in the form of Wahabis or Salafists in Katthankudy, Beruwala and so many other places in Sri Lanka. These are there in the web, so you can read most of it.”
You can’t justify the actions in Dambulla pointing out to other violent actions by different groups. How would it sound if LTTE sympathizers justify dehiwala train bombing by pointing at the 1983 violence against tamils by Sinhala mobs? At whatever scale violence cannot be justified. And most importantly riots between mosques do not develop into communal riots but riots between a temple and a mosque do have every possibility to turn into a communal riot. Fortunately the ppl in Dambulla were wise and did not fall prey for the extremists who came from outside and the whole episode did not develop into a larger matter. If extremism is being developed among SL muslims don’t you understand that it is fuelled by Sinhala Buddhist extremism? Larger part of the SL muslims are moderate patriotic people. And when ppl like you help to spread Sinhala Buddhist extremism it does not give the country a chance to handle muslim extremism that you allege. Now country faces another problem apart from all the other important problems and that is campaign of hatred by the likes of Bodu bala. Don’t you realize that SL has to devote some of its time and resources that are for solving other problems in the country to tackle these Bodu bala fellows? As you seem to be an ardent fan of Bodu Bala I ask you what you have achieved so far.
“Bodu Bala Sena is afraid that this violence would spread: Recently two Maldives MPs – Dr Afrasheem Ali & Aishath Velezinee – were killed by Wahhabi Jihadists. We wonder how long would it takes to copy it by Wahabis in our East? ”
Your claim that BB is afraid that violence would spread is laughable. The only thing they have done so far is inciting hatred. If you have a look at their FB posts you will understand how horrendous they are. Some of them are very dangerous and shames the Buddhists like me. Do u want the muslims in SL to copy such acts? It seems that is your target. SL is unlucky to have people like u here.
Leela can u answer the question raised by me?
sach - January 18, 2013
7:16 am
Leelo
I quote
“In the Eastern district of Batticaloa, there exists a small town called Katthankudy. The populace is completely Muslim. It is said to have the largest number of mosques per square kilometer in the world. All in all, there are at least 65 mosques in that small town. No matter what age group, practically every woman is shrouded from head to foot. In fact; under the influence of the Saudi Wahabi sect, Katthankudy has become an exceptionally orthodox place. Perhaps it is only a matter of time before entire populace would become Bin Laden type extremists.”
Why does it affect you Leelo, when individuals choose to do as they please? When they don’t break the law of the country?
If there are 62 mosques my hope and wish is that there ought to be a 100! As a matter of fact let every house in Sri Lanka be a Pansala, Church Mosque or Kovil! We would a very spiritual nation!
Honestly I can’t understand for the life of me how the presence of Muslim places of worship is offensive to people like Leela!
Nor do I understand how she can tolerate western attire and men decked from head to toe in long sleeve shirts neck ties pants and socks , while still not accept a woman who chooses to cover herself for reasons of modesty?
Also remember Muslims can leave Kathankudy if they wish and live anywhere else if they don’t accept the lifestyle you describe as oppressive. If they continue to live there, they must obviously prefer the lifestyle?
The last sentence of yours is unwarranted fear mongering and I don’ t want to dignify it with an anser
NAbil
Nabil - January 25, 2013
7:20 am
Supreme court should check all Bank statements(Both Local and Foreign) and other Assets pertaining to DEPUTY CJ Mr.MOHAN PIERIS as there may be some questionable dealings and transactions.
IT’S TIME TO DIG DIRT.
Mahela - January 16, 2013
10:48 pm