By Rifai Naleemi –

Dr. Rifai Naleemi

A group of nearly three hundred radical Buddhist extremists have burned down a Muslim owned shop in Aluthgama town on 8/5/14.  This was not coincidently happened attack on the shop of this innocent Muslim businessman rather this was a premeditated racist attack to destroy the livelihood of this man. There is no shadow doubt that this attack was initiated and carried out with the support of Police, BBS and some Buddhist radicals of this area. This was the only Muslim shop in Aluthgama town. This shop has been set on fire last night (8/5/2014). It is believed that some extremist Buddhist people under the leadership of some radical Buddhist monks set fire to this Muslim shop. We should listen to the owner of this shop to know what exactly happened to his shop and why his shop was set on fire.

The owner of this is Mr. Ahmad khan. He has been living in this town since his childhood and he has been running this family business for many years. With his dedication and hard works he managed to build this shop and developed his business. He and his brother managed to develop their business with years of hard works and dedications: yet, some Sinhalese people in the town become jealous of this growing business and they did not want see one and only Muslim shop in that town. He has been doing business among Sinhalese people in that town.

It is due to mere jealousy and hared that this shop was set on fire and destroyed.  Some of these jealous people deliberately and intentionally created a plot and conspiracy to destroy this hardworking Muslim man’s shop and his livelihood without any human remorse for his family and children.

They plotted and conspired. As a part of their conspiracy they sent a mother and a son to his shop some time ago. This mother came up with a fabricated story against the owner of the shop. She claimed that her son was strangled or squeezed by his neck by the brother of shop owner and she made a complaint about it to Aluthgama police station and the brother of shop keeper was taken to police custody. He was kept in police for one and half day. This episode was craftily y set up by some elements in the town to destroy this shop and livelihood of this innocent business man

In order to revenge for this fabricated story some 300 hundreds Sinhalese radicals demonstrated in the township under the leadership of some monks.  They shouted that this Muslim shop would be set on fire and burned down! Police warned the owner of this shop to close down the shop when the demonstrators were marching towards the town and yet he turned down that request saying there was no reason to close the shop. The owner told police he has done no wrong to close his shop. The demonstrators did not do any damage to the shop on the day of demonstration and yet, at night time the shop was set on fire by some of these thugs. The shop was totally destroyed and nearly 50 million rupees worth of goods are destroyed and shop is totally burned down.  

This was a racially motivated incident.  It was reported that Police did not take any action against the culprits of this attack and police has been supporting these thugs. It should be mentioned here that entire Police team at Aluthgama should take the responsibility for this incident since they have failed to take action.  They have failed in their official duties and they perverted course of justice in this case. It is in front of these police that this shop has been destroyed and yet, Police have not taken any action. Police was collaborating with these thugs, otherwise these thugs would not be able to do this destruction that quickly in that speed in the middle of the town.

This begs many questions about the prejudice and discriminative attitudes of Police in Sri Lanka. Police force is a law enforcement agent in any country. Sadly such law enforcing agent itself is collaborating with thugs to break the laws and order of this country? Why did not police take any action against these people and why did not police stop this destruction and why did not police do something to stop this injustice? The credibility of Police is questionable today in Sri Lanka?

There is no need to destroy a shop because of any minor incident or dispute.  We have a good legal system in Sri Lanka.  Why these people do not take these types of incidents to court rather than following the path of violence and destruction in Sri Lanka? Who is going to benefit from such destruction? No one benefits from such destruction. It is public who will pay the price for such destruction and it is our own national resources we destroy.

End of the day, we are damaging the image of our country and its economy by these types of anti-social behaviours and barbarism.  Today we do not need people who destroy Sri Lanka rather we need people who develop and build our Sri Lanka.

After all these happened to Muslims in Sri Lanka in broad day light, no constructive steps have been taken yet, neither by this government or Muslim politicians to stop this anti-communal activities. This government should take responsibility  for all these racist attacks.  This government is trying to catch fish in trouble water and it has been ignoring the plights of Muslims deliberately and intentionally for its dirty political ambitions. Our selfish politicians have failed to grasp the grave danger that has already engulfed Muslim community in Sri Lanka.