28 March, 2024

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Racist Comments Of Aluthgamage & Chatura: It Is Time To Realise That Racism Destroyed Sri Lanka?

By Latheef Farook

Latheef Farook

The unfortunate racist comments during a break in the political talk show  – Wadapitiya, between Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage and Chatura Alwis of Derana television, known for poisoning innocent Sinhalese minds against Muslims, exposed their mindsets, ignorance and short sightedness.

Whether the two understood or not, Sri Lanka is a multinational, multi religious, multi lingual and multi-cultural country where whether, one likes it or not, need to learn to live together in the interest of all.

Chatura Alwis has been a known racist while Aluthgamage took pleasure in ridiculing the ulemas. He said “If I am asked whether the Ulema Organization (in reference to ACJU – the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama (the apex religious body of Islamic theologians in Sri Lanka) has taken a decision (on the burial / cremation issue) I will tell I don’t care whether its Ulema or Hanuma even”.

However Muslims do care about their religious demands on burying their dead

On the other hand Derana TV, perhaps funded by local and international forces, has been known for demonizing and justifying violence against Muslims especially in the wake of Easter Sunday massacre. In continuing this policy Derana TV is now accusing Muslims of spreading the corona virus disease as Indian Prime Minister Narndra Modi and his RSS Hindutva fascists were doing in their country.

Chatura and Aluthgamage were the products of racist politics and education and perhaps ignorant of minorities, their history and their culture.  

Do they know that racist politics virtually ruined this country which during the time of independence in 1948 was a shining example for political and economic stability, communal harmony and peace in the entire third world?

It has all the ingredients to move ahead to ensure a better life for all in the country.

However racist politics accompanied by senseless communal violence turned the country into a killing field for almost 30 years. As a result Sri Lanka is one of most mismanaged countries in the world known for its   economic bankruptcy and political instability.

The irony is that the Sinhalese community failed to produce a political leader who could think and work for the whole country rather than thinking only for the majority community – their best vote catching strategy.

It is common knowledge that it was racist politics from all shades of political parties paved the way for the ethnic war which devastated the country for three long decades causing death and destructions besides untold misery to people while politicians flourished in the form of commission in weapons purchasing. 

However racists learnt no lesson from the ethnic war.

Once the ethnic war ended in 2009 all were happy in the hope that peace would prevail and they could resume their normal life .However those dreams were shattered when the government opened the country to anti-Muslim forces such as Israel and Indian RSS  

 and started turning against the Muslim community only to please these destructive foreign forces.

Israelis and the RSS, two sides of the same illuminati coin, care a damn for Sri Lanka. They have their global and regional agenda. Wherever they go they first get round the media, politicians and professionals with incentives and use them to demonize Islam and Muslims.

In many of my articles I predicted their presence in the island will destroy good relations between Sinhalese and Muslims. And here we are-the two communities remain divided today of course to the detriment of the two communities.  

The Israeli-RSS strategy and their background, by and large, were not known to local politicians and the media mercenaries. The result was racist elements in the majority community were carefully picked up to unleash a systematic violent campaign against Muslims while poisoning the innocent Sinhalese minds. This campaign which began in the aftermath of the end of ethnic war in 2009 culminated in the attacks on Aluthgama, Berulawal and Dharma Town Muslim for no valid reason.

These senseless atrocities continued with greater intensity under disastrous Maithripala Sirisena presidency.

However within a year after Maithripala presidency, Muslims were attacked in Gintota followed by attacks on Muslims in Ampara, Digana, and Akurana and in and around Kandy.

These attacks climaxed when, in the wake of Easter Sunday massacre with which the Muslim community had nothing to do, the government dispatched forces to brutalize   Muslims to an extend that they were forced to burn even Holy Quran. He dispatched troops with dogs inside mosques.

Racist media unleashed an equally vicious campaign accusing Muslims of the Easter Sunday carnage and demonizing them. This racism continues to date unabated.

It is time for racist politicians and others wake up to realities around hem 

For example Singapore, Maldives Islands and Dubai were far behind the island during the time of our independence in 1948. Singapore which firmly dealt with racism from the very inception is today a well-developed country where the people enjoy economic prosperity and peace. Maldives Islands were so poor that they used to sell Bondi Haluwa, locally made sweets, in the streets of Colombo for their earnings. It is a developed country today where people enjoy a very high standard of living.

Dubai, then an unknown and unheard of desert strip, is today a most modern city state where people of more than 196 nationalities live and work in peace.

Prof. Rohan Guarani of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Singapore, once said Sri Lanka must have a Sedition Act or Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act to prevent people insulting other people, especially different ethnic groups, “Unfortunately, Sri Lankan leaders played ethnic and religious politics, seeded hatred and division and the country was dragged back 30 years,” he said.

Prof. Gunaratna, is of the view that Singapore’s survival and prosperity could be attributed to the country’s harmonious coexistence between different groups of people.

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Latest comments

  • 10
    4

    all these media outlets must be punished … They are working for some political need.

    • 3
      0

      Lateen Farouk,

      When the microphone was on, everybody got to hear what Para-Sinhala Para-“Buddhism “, Buddha-Agama was all about, Racism. This inference is evidence-based, not just beliefs.Just like the religions brainwash young children in their beliefs, Sinhala Buddhists are brainwashed in racism. Ask any Tamil.

      This Sinhala Buddhist racism was always there. It was there before independence, and raised its ugly head after independence.

      Ask any Tamil. They can explain to you. The saffron clad monks, to whom the imbeciles, mean IQ 79, prostrate, played a pivotal role. Have you heard about the killer monk Sonarama, who killed an opportunist PM?

      So, do not be surprised about this racism. What you have to do is expose it to the whole world, just like the racism in South Africa was exposed, and the changes happened.

      Why not sue based on the evidence, the anchor Chatura of Ada Derana, and the MP Aluthgamage , in s class action, for lying, because according to him 95 percent of the Chinese introduced COVID-19 patients are Muslims, when the actual numbers are around 13 percent Muslims with 87 percent being non-Muslims.

      Why have the Muslims not stated they own secular independent TV station, with ACJU being forbidden to come near, and no religious services
      ?.Then you can expose the lies of the racists.

  • 13
    4

    I sympathise with the author’s sentiments. However, I disagree with him accusing Indian PM of spearheading anti-Muslim campaign. The author was silent when Tamils suffered at the hands of majoritarianism.

  • 5
    7

    Depends on who the racists are.

    SL won the war. Can win again in the battlefield.

    How about Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen?

    • 1
      1

      Our Muslims are entitled to be treated with the same degree of equality, respect and freedom non Muslim minorities enjoy in Muslim majority countries.
      I have NO respect for ANY of the Muslim writers on CT for NONE of them make any attempt to educate our public on this aspect.
      That way and that way only our majority Sinhalese can be made to feel ashamed.

      Soma

  • 13
    4

    Latheef Farook,

    Aluthgamage & Chatura are just messengers. It is best to live in a way that we don’t become a trouble for others. After a certain point, people will start to lose their tolerance. The amount of articles you and other Muslim writers wrote on this subject have always pointed fingers at others, nothing on the root causes. Here there the root causes:

    Muslim parents, especially mothers & religious leaders. Muslim mothers should wake up, come out of their black Abaya and Burqa mentality and take full control of their families. Religious leaders have to be practical and preach practical stuff, temporarily stop talking of history in Friday sermons and talk about how to live in a modern world.

  • 13
    6

    Latheef Farook is himself a bigot and blinkered man. He is a liability to Sri Lanka’s Muslims with his shallow understanding.

    • 0
      7

      My old boss used to say “figures don’t lie “ . For me 19/20 is a big number and totally disproportionate. Obviously something that needs to be looked into for the greater good . After all this is a matter of life and death for all Sri Sri Lankan’s.

      • 4
        0

        The correct statistic is 87% Sinhalese

      • 2
        0

        Nosey Parker ,

        According to Wimsl Buruwansa math 2/2 =O,

        According to Para-Sinhala Para-“Buddhist “ racist Aluthganage, 19/175 is 99 percent, Muslim . His pea brain cannot figure out the math, that 88 percent of the victims, from the Chinese introduced virus are Others, mostly Para-Sinhala.

        This is evidence-based.

        What went wrong with Sinhala-only education? They taught them only Sinhala and prostrate to imbecile monks?

    • 0
      0

      Most of the Sri Lankans know who is Latheef Farook who worked with Gulf Newspaper, In fact I was in Dubai for more than 43 years. Is h8e knows Sri Lanka belongs to Sinhalese Aryans? 1815 year Heladiva (Sinhalese Nation) Muslim Population in Sri Lanka7%. We all know what happened to Aryans country Afganistan and Indonesia. These 2 countries, Buddhist countries.

  • 7
    1

    Prof. Rohan Guarani ?
    The man (Gunaratna) himself has contributed to Sinhala chauvinism considerably.
    *
    The writer is picking on the RSS and Israelis (does he mean all, not just the Zionists?) for their anti-Muslim campaigns.
    Is not Egypt a great friend of Israel? What is Saudi Arabia doing behind the scenes?
    Why is the writer leaving out the biggest culprit in whipping up anti-Muslim sentiments ,namely US imperialism?
    The Muslims must realize that none of the dictatorial Arab sheiks is their friend. They use Islam for their own gains.
    *
    In the question of burial, it is important to respect the views of the community.
    But the community should also be alert to dangers. It is not the burial itself but how it is done that matters.

  • 3
    1

    It is proved scenerio on the vedio that Deliberate Misinformation possible or has been done and how to fake Media Literacy, While fake news can take many forms, there are several broad types. how genuine was his past programe, many news can be created,fake news exist

  • 1
    0

    Latheef Farook, This article is nothing but generalizing statements and political stereotyping . Though few would have accused the Tablighi Jamaat for spreading , most politicians and intellectuals in India have come out strongly opposing such views. You by painting with a broad brush inadvertently join the same people you are accusing of racism. Not just Mahindananda or those fake journos, there are plenty more in Silly Lanka who are racist. You expressing your frustrations yet trying to suck up to those racist politicians , will not work. In doing so , you are scapegoating others in making your case. Most chief Ministers and political leaders in India have come out opposing such views and pleading for unity in fighting the common enemy.

  • 3
    6

    A born racist (Latheef) charging strongly non-racists, racists.

    Muslims want to maintain different identity but using the word “Muslim” is discriminative.

    How can that be?

  • 7
    8

    Cremate em all. That’s the best way to eradicate the coronavirus. I salute President Gotaimbara for taking the initiative.

    It’s funny when the writer says to the Sinhalese to live with the minorities whether they like it or not. I have the same to tell this prick. Live with the Sinhalese and put up with our ways whether you like it or not.

    • 1
      1

      Real Revolutionist & Rtd. Lt. Reginald Shamal Perera,

      I preferred Laurel and Hardy movies to Charlie Chaplin. You agree that two clowns are better than one? “M” X 2…

      • 2
        2

        mohideenrezs, Rtd. Lt. Reginald Shamal Perera is not a clown, just busy reading “civilization for dummies”. The other guy (RR) has been sounding a Gobbadasa ever since I knew him in the forum

  • 5
    5

    All Muslims must boycott Derana and other tvs which produce racism
    Above is a good write up of Lateef Farook.

    • 3
      7

      Derana will soon start showing Keels Porkies Advertisements so that the likes of you will avoid it anyways. It will be some consolation to Derana’s Sinhalese viewers.

      • 2
        1

        Derana lost some of it’s viewership a long time ago. It is now known, and has a reputation for, being a racist tv station. They earned that title when they spread fake news about a Muslim doctor, that sent him to jail. They have no credibility only the ignorant racists in the country will continue to watch it.
        They deserve it.

  • 8
    2

    Latheef, rather than complaining or wasting your damn time and effort by writing on this racism, why not do this. Lobby every Arab and Muslim country by convincing those state actors of these overt and pandemic racism that is taking place, there is plenty of factual proof to show as to what is happening under these fascist government. One can lobby every Arab and Muslim country to divest of all business interest with Sri Lanka and request that all petroleum and lubricant exports be stopped to Sri Lanka. furthermore, you can insist that your Muslim countries that employ our labour force to kick every non-Muslim out of their countries and seal any future quotas of that labour. This will be a major setback to the foreign remittances which is the current lifeline we have right now because tourism, hospitality and the leisure industry has been sunk. This lobbying will work and will drive out these fascist pigs in this regime as they sink and drown in shit creek when the foreign reserves dry out and when the petroleum scarcities will force them to ride bullock carts. This is a good non-violent method to try before arming yourselves your community than cutting pigs in half by the bullet. After all did Prabahkaran’s, Maheswaran’s, Kittu’s, Vijay weera’s and Gamanayake alike take-up arms for nothing?

  • 9
    7

    Lathief,
    /
    So since when Sri Lankan Muslims become a ‘RACE”?
    /
    As far as we know they came different places like Egypt, Turkey, different regions of India, Pakistan etc.
    /
    Sure, they worship the same (myth-believingl) religion. But that doesn’t make them a race.
    /
    So this whole argument of Sinhala racist has no frucking basis! Has it?

    • 6
      5

      There is but one race, the human race. There are plenty of vile racists here though, who try to spread their anti Muslim rhetoric, and take every cheap shot they can, at Muslims, when the author is a Muslim or the article is about Muslims, who make up of 8 percent of our population.
      Maybe it is a bad upbringing, ignorance, and plenty of idle time on their hands, that make them show this viciousness, maybe all three reasons.
      Maybe they just get their kicks out of other people’s misery.

      • 3
        1

        There are several contradictions and pieces of misinformation and the typical stubbornness in this comment.
        }
        Firstly, if there is only one race, obviously racism cannot be an issue, can it? So there may be a problem in people who scream ‘racism’ based on cases of inter-race ‘quibbles’.
        }
        Secondly, Muslims seem to rarely engage in reviewing the role their own belief and cultural systems play in those quibbles, and they are quick to point the finger at others, screaming ‘RACIST”.
        |
        Thirdly, the figure of Muslim population being 8 per cent of the Sri Lanka may have been correct before about 1815, But there was a population explosion of Muslims in the middle of the 30 year war, since about 1980, making them close to more than 15% in 2015, achieved thrrough marriage of girls at 16, leading to average family size of more than 10.
        }
        Bad upbringing is not teaching younger generations to respect the majority culture and opinions, and show extreme allegiance to mythical belieffs.
        }
        So there is no racism here, but confronting the selfish behaviour of an increasing Muslim numbers in this country.
        }
        Formulate your own solutions rather than blaming others.

      • 2
        4

        Radha,

        There is one race the human race. Tell that to a Muslim. They will retort back that what infidels like you say are irrelevant and what Allllah said was the only truth.

    • 3
      2

      95% of them are South Indian ,Tamil Dravidian Hindu converts to Islam . the rest largely from the so called trading elite largely residing in Colombo , Kandy and Galle are a mixture of various western Asian and others but even they have a predominant Tamil Dravidian ancestry . This is why they speak Tamil and were very Tamil until 20 or 30 years ago , when this Arabisation craze started. They are not a race but a religious identity . Ethnically they are Tamil , just like Siva Sankaran states a little bit of Arab or other western Asian ancestry amongst a few thousand elite families does not make them Arab or anything else , they are still of Tamil ethnicity. Lots of Tamils and Sinhalese have European and other ancestry , this does not make them European. Many Tamil castes have a like the Brahmins and Kongu Vellalar have predominant North Indian origin and the Vellar from Northern Tamil Nadu have a Pallava or Iranian origin but this still does not make them North Indian or Iranian but Tamils

    • 1
      3

      This country’s real owner is wedhdha community. Sinhalese migrated from India 2500 years ago, Tamils migrated from their homeland in Southern India equally 2500 years ago , Muslims migrated from Arab countries 1000 years ago. Buddhism came from North India, Hinduism came from South India, Islam came from Arab countries and Christianity came from Europe. All brought their cultures to Sri Lanka. All must get to gather defined their religious and cultural rights must agree to a platform Which will not contradictory to the national interest. After all real followers of any religion is less than 1% of their population. Most them are using their own Religion for political reason or their own benefits. Unfortunately some medias are using this division to support their political masters. If country prosper in economically and every body have money to fulfill their needs, nobody worried about religion or race. We contribute to build our country economically prosperous country and rather wasting our time on this unworthy matters.

      • 1
        1

        Ecen now want to claim a fake Arab heritage. Islam may have come from the shores of Arabia and some Arab traders may have come to the shores of Sri Lanka and married local Tamil women and produced children , however more than 95% of the island’s Muslims are converted Tamil Dravidian immigrants from South India , who only arrived in the island a few centuries ago. Please do not distort history. The Arab element amongst the Sri Lankan Muslims in very negligible and even these part Arab ones are also of predominant Tamil Dravidian heritage. However Sri Lankan Muslims for perceived political and economic advantage have constantly denied their Tamil heritage and origin from South India and keep on harping and claiming an exclusive Arab origin , that they hardly have. Their claim to an Arab ancestry is as ridiculous, if the Sinhalese and Tamil Christians in the island claimed an exclusive European ancestry , stating it was they who brought Christianity to the island and as proof of their European ancestry show the miniscule amount part European Burghers. This is what the Sri Lankan Muslims are trying to do . If the Muslims in Sri Lanka had from the very beginning stood with their non Muslim Tamil brothers and sisters and fought against state sponsored Sinhalese racism , they will not be in this current position , as the Sinhalese would have backed off then., however in the name of Islam and this fake Arab origin claim , they joined the Sinhalese and were their co partners in the Eelam Tamil war crimes and genocide and immensely benefited from this war. They even thought they can steal all the ethnically cleansed Tamil lands, especially in the east, where large scale ethnic cleansing of native Tamils occurred. The Sinhalese got what they wanted and have now turned on their former partners in the Eelam Tamil genocide.

  • 6
    8

    A very good article Latheef Farook. After many years of researching, and studying the anti Muslim campaign, which starts in the US, and spread to Europe, and even Australia, it is clear there are wealthy supporters of this campaign that have poisoned minds, spread the hate, and targeted innocent Muslims. The western wars waged by Christian and Jewish nations, have resulted in millions killed, injured, and now refugees, and it gave the extremists the excuse to wage their Jihadi wars, which is the excuse these anti Muslims campaigns use, to spread their islamaphobia.
    Haven’t we heard ad nauseam that Islam is evil, and all Muslims are extremists?
    That is the excuse given by nations like Israel, and India, to justify their anti Muslim violence.
    Unfortunately Israel and India, who have their ugly history of discriminating, and killing those who are the minority, or unarmed occupied people, have inserted their filth, and spread into our nation too. Shame on those Sri Lankans, who are easily used, maybe paid, to help these racist nations spread the violence, and hatred against their own countrymen, and
    sow the seeds of division, which ends up in violence, and never ending tensions in this country. It seems they don’t give a damn about the country, and are fighting a losing battle. The minority in this country, will always stay here, they belong here, and no amount of racist comments from uneducated and ignorant television personalities, politicians, and Buddhist monks, can change that. It seems these racists conveniently forget the contributions by Muslims in this country, including generous donations to hospitals, feeding the poor, and even fighting, and giving their lives for the country.
    How about those Muslim businesses hiring mostly Sinhala Buddhist workers and giving them gainful employment?

    • 7
      4

      Radha sounds exactly like Manel and Sita and Menik! Same Muslim writer with different non Muslim names.

  • 7
    6

    Mr.Latheef, you write as if Muslims are the most victimized in Srilanka. People still haven’t forgotten the Easter Sunday massacre where innocent civilians were targeted and killed. Still for all , masterminds Risad Badiyudeen, Hizbulla etc were able to go scot free because of the ineffective government run by Ranil and Maithri. Now the Muslim brethren want to flout the law and create chaos by clamouring to bury the Corona virus corpses and not cremate.Thankfully the authorities being sane and wise did not heed unreasonable request. In other countries specially in U.K. the dead are being dispatched to the gas directly even without funeral rites, UK citizens including Jews and Hindus have not raised any protest realizing the seriousness of the situation. Only in Srilanka this type of nonsense is being raised.

    Muslims are in a hurry to convert this island into an Islamic nation. They are fast multiplying and converting. If you read the Tamil newspapers one may come across daily at least three advertisements of change of names from Tamil to Muslim. Proselytization of poor and marginalized Tamils and Sinhalese is taking place at a high rate.Government must seriously consider the introduction of an Anti Conversion Law in order to arrest this situation.

    • 3
      2

      So who benefitted from the terrible Easter Day bombings? Think hard now, and ask yourself, why a few days later a certain candidate announced his candidacy, knowing the people were afraid, and told in the social media, only HE can handle terrorism? Before that the people in the country was not interested in getting the corrupt regime back.
      Talk of convenient timing!

      Muslims cannot convert this Buddhist country into a Muslim nation.
      Only dolts who believe this anti Muslim talking point, like Myanmar and India, will believe that 8 percent Muslims can take over a 70 percent nation of Non Muslims. The statistics and experts say otherwise.
      Stop spreading anti Muslim BS, and trying to poison minds, here.

    • 0
      0

      Afganistan and Indonesia were Buddhist countries and these countries now Muslim Countries. Sri Lanka should very careful of Muslims. 90% of Sri Lanka Muslims are Terrorists Oriented and Racists Oriented people. Most of the Muslims Political Leaders are Terrorists Oriented and Racists Oriented. The bygone era we had patriotic Muslim leaders.

  • 3
    4

    This write a bigot and blinkered sees a “Thalagoya like a ” Kabaragoya”.
    Dispecable to say the least.

    Muslim -“All Muslims must boycott Derana and other tvs which produce racism”
    There you go. Some bright idea.

    Latheef farook… Have you shot your own toe???????????

  • 2
    1

    Latheef Farook: Hoave you ever learned that ancient viruses have been dug up in Egyptian Mummies Mausoleums, Tibet, Glaciers. So, what does your Quran say, If an ancient virus will be dug up in Sri lanka, and at that time Sri Lanka becomes ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF SINHALE and their muslims start dying in bunches or whole villages ? You won’t be able to survive saying ALMIGHTY IS THE GREATEST.

  • 0
    0

    This comment was removed by a moderator because it didn’t abide by our Comment policy.

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  • 0
    0

    Different “Races” is a myth. Everybody was born the same way and naked without any label. Parents through the myth they were forced to believe by their parents , teachers or preachers and the cycle will go on and on, unless and until the Morden Biotechnology and Artificial intelligence produce a child who could have a label and a Brand, perhaps it might happen in the 21st century. The process of evolution goes on & on in every sphere Biologically ( Corona virus is also through process of evolution through rapid mutation} and technically. So people who’s intelligence could be put on a pin head must refrain from making such utterances through their ignorance. Let us Pardon them

  • 1
    2

    Got this video from a friend of mine. I couldn’t understand a thing what they say. La lala lala la lullla lulla etc.

    But it is an interesting video in our SL govt’s efforts to cremate the Moslems. Why does NY state don’t cremate these victims at Hart Island? Why do the hospitals hand over these bodies to the Islamic International funeral services? Isn’t there contamination when the stubborn Muslims who always break rules do not follow proper protocol?

    If NY state feels OK to hand over these bodies for cremation, why does the SL govt force cremations?

    Anyway, here’s the video:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es4dcPksv5E

  • 0
    0

    Whatever u say latif u cant change racists like magi Ananda. A rational/development oriented leader is not acceptable to majority of the majority. U know that.
    Dayal

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