By Latheef Farook –
Latheef Farook
Special Police Unit to handle religious disputes; Ploy to hoodwink Muslims and the country
Muslims as a whole dismissed the Special Police Unit set up by President Mahinda Rajapaksa on 28 April 2014 to handle religious disputes at the Ministry of Buddha Sasana and Religious Affairs as an “eyewash”.
They believe that this new unit is yet another ploy to hoodwink them and the country by the government which remained indifferent to all calls to prosecute the extremists Sinhalese monks who violated, and continue to violate, laws and remain hell bent on setting the Sinhalese against Muslims.
Now the unanswered question is why set up a special police unit while already there is a police force and laws in force to deal with these lawless monks who have become law unto themselves and behave as if they are a government within the government threatening the very existence of the island’s Muslim community.
There were hundreds of incidents of blatant violations of law under the watchful eyes of police. In most of these cases police remained spectators stating that they were under orders not to interfere.
To cite some incidents these attacks include on mosques and religious schools, Muslims’ dress code and food, on their businesses, calls to boycott Muslims businesses, mocking their god, Allah, and numerous other acts of hooliganism.
Video clippings of almost all these attacks, often led by Buddhist monks, have been in circulation in e mails, face books, twitter and even widely published in the mainstream media. However the government refuses to prosecute the perpetrators, inevitably, exposing government involvement in the ongoing persecution of Muslims.
Under the circumstance the question is why a new religious police unit and that too why under the Buddha Sasana Ministry which is widely believed to have been behind these attacks on mosques, Islamic religious schools and churches.
In a statement issued in this regard the National Shoora Council (NSC), an umbrella body of Muslim organizations and community activists had this to state.
The NSC views with concern the establishment of a religious police unit in the Ministry of Buddha Sasana and Religious Affairs as a retrograde step that would lead to the country’s police becoming subservient to monks and religious orders instead of the rule of law.
It is a known fact that the Police under successive regimes are already under intense political pressure struggling to perform their duties according to law. Creation of a religious police unit under the illegal jurisdiction of another ministry will frustrate the police from acting according to law. The police department is controlled by the Inspector General and his deputies. They are subject to orders of Courts and the Attorney-General. They are accountable to Parliament in the discharge of duties as statutorily laid down by Parliament. The new unit will result in monks and religious orders running and ruining the police.
Today’s major law and order problem the country is facing is the impunity of a few monks, being allowed to act in violation of a number of criminal law provisions and the police being pressurized from prosecuting the offenders even in cases where death threats had been hurled at others. The National Shoora Council is concerned that the religious police and so called dispute resolution mechanisms are aimed at subverting the law as a part of the immunity already enjoyed by these offenders.
The country’s President had reportedly said at a conference with heads of media, that religious harmony prevails in the country. While this is true notwithstanding the violent and extremist acts of a few, the creation of a religious police unit may signal the world that there is something seriously wrong going on in the country in the religious front. What is urgently required is a few criminal prosecutions to prevent anyone including monks and religious extremists “taking the law into their own hands”, as pledged by the President. Otherwise this country will ‘fall from the frying pan into the fire.
Even government ministers described the Special Police unit as a futile exercise. For example Patali Champika Ranawaka, JHU General Secretary and Minister of Technology and Research, known for his nationalistic views, had this to state in Ceylon Today;
“A special police unit for religious disputes is not necessary. Instead of setting up new police units the law should be properly implemented against all those who create religious disputes. However, at present, laws are not being properly implemented against those responsible for creating religious disputes .This ‘unnecessary’ action might result in the creation of a religious police in future, like that found in Saudi Arabia. He added that the law should be applied equally to all religious activists and stressed that the implementation of laws should not differ from religion to religion.
“There cannot be one law for Buddhists and another one for Christians. It should be the same for both the robe and the cassock,” he said.
Ridiculing it Justice Minister and Leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) Rauff Hakeem said that there was no use in setting up special police units to handle religious related violence. The police already had enough powers vested in them to tackle such problems, but the government must do its utmost to control religious extremists like the BBS urgently.
Dismissing this as a joke Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Propaganda Secretary, Vijitha Herath, said “”The government is setting up a police unit to resolve religious disputes while supporting certain groups to create religious disputes. This is a joke”.
Earlier Industry and Commerce Minister Rishad Bathiudeen warned that the country would have to pay a very heavy price for the failure on the part of the authorities concerned to rein in Bodu Bala Sena (BBS).Setting up of a new police unit alone wouldn’t be enough to restore confidence among the Muslim community as well as others at the receiving end of BBS harassment.
He asserted that the police wouldn’t find it easy to control the situation unless the government threw its full weight behind law enforcement authorities. He said that the police, too, were obviously in a dilemma due to high handed actions of BBS members. As BBS members had humiliated the police on many occasions.
The minister insisted that the government would have to take tangible action to prevent BBS from targeting not only the Muslim community but those taking a different view. Nothing could be as humiliating as Mahiyangana Pradeshiya Sabha member, Ven. Watareka Vijitha being forced to run into Pradeshiya Sabha building under police protection due to the intimidating presence of BBS members.
ela kolla / April 30, 2014
Ding dong….i always thought this [Edited out] would come up with a crap like this.
if MR’s government is having a backbone, what they need to do first is to jail people like Latheef Farook for writing racially provocated articles in the web. [Edited out]
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mike / May 1, 2014
Ding Dong Bell, Thana Kolla in the well and always “edited out”??
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ela kolla / May 1, 2014
gona mike
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Tamodaya / May 2, 2014
Well said Ella Kola.
But there is another way. Give extremists enough rope to hang themselves!
Just wait till Modi becomes PM. He will clean up the entire south Asia of vermin as he did in Gujarat.
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Indra / April 30, 2014
Justice will visit the Jarapassas’ as surely as day follows night. To see this justice in action download the movie and watch for free at this site:
http://thepiratebay.se/search/Judgment%20at%20Nuremberg%20(1961)/0/99/0
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Thiru / April 30, 2014
Ordinary police don’t enforce law, but very often they are spectators or supporters of those committing criminal offenses.
With such a state of affairs, will the religious police be any different? They might in fact aid and abet those committing religious or hate crimes – that may be the crocked intent of those created it!
Sri Lankan state and its rulers have gone to the dogs and beyond redemption.
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JULAMPITIYE AMARAYA / May 1, 2014
Thiru;
Our F king with his brother Hothambaya, will implement the religious police Like King Abdullah did in Saudi Arabia, he did that strictly in early 1970s.[ Then he was Defence Minister.]
So they will practice the Same type of Islamic system with Robed Goons,
The Buddhism practising Monks will not and don’t support them, but Ruling thugs give their consent and blessings.
Like Saudi Mathaween with religious police, starting Breaking of Heads, cutting hand, Destroying Worshiping places of other religions, arrests, imprisonments, torture at prisons, rapes of foreign men and women at prisons, and Beheadings will be done here also.
So, La Theef Farook may be, will be happy as the Same Islamist’s model starting in Sri lanka,
He may pray, “INSHALLAH”, “ALLAAHU AKBAR”, to handing over to His God.
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Pooty Poo / April 30, 2014
It is high time L Farook and other Muslim [Edited out]!
The governmaent can’t win, can they? They create a police unit to address the hyped up anti-Muslim violence and then they accuse of trying to hoodwink.
Muslims can’t get money from their “brothers” in the ME and invade our national parks. BBS or anyone else protesting against that are not anti-Muslim. They are simply against Wahabi extremism.
[Edited out]
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Amarasiri / May 1, 2014
Mr. Latheef Farook –
“Muslims as a whole dismissed the Special Police Unit set up by President Mahinda Rajapaksa on 28 April 2014 to handle religious disputes at the Ministry of Buddha Sasana and Religious Affairs as an “eyewash”.
You hit the Nail in the Head. Yes. Tell him, show us.
This is hogwash. Facts on the ground speak for themselves.Who want’s to believe these liars?
Tell, Mr. Rajapaksa, the so-called President, the facts are clear, the culprits and criminals are known, and apply the law,.
Ask him what he is?
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Amarasiri / May 2, 2014
Mr. Latheef Farook
The current President of the Republic is well aware of the situation. We all know he is a liar. This religious police is hogwash.
1. “Ordinary police don’t enforce law, but very often they are spectators or supporters of those committing criminal offenses. “
So, declare your no confidence of the people on the President and the president is preventing the Police in doing their job.
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html
You need the make a declaration of no confidence in the president.
Expose the same way the Americans exposed the British before the declaration of independence.
The Declaration of Independence: A Transcription
Colombo, SRI LANKA, May 1, 2014
The Declaration of the {people of Sri Lanka
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the accountability of elected representatives.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. And such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present President of the Republic of Sri Lanka is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over the people. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Ministers and Representatives to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of security of large segments of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of remedies guarantied by the constitution a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the people remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of criminality and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of the land.
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond home to be tried for pretended offences.
For abolishing the free System of Laws and establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these localities.
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has truncated the Laws here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of Monks compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indians, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A President whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our fellow citizens. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity.
We, therefore, the People and Citizens of Sri Lanka, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of Sri Lanka, solemnly publish and declare, That Sri Lanka, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the current State of Sri Lanka, and that all political connection between them and the State of Sri Lanka as Represented by the current president , is and ought to be totally dissolved.
And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
The signatures on the Declaration appear in the positions indicated below:
Add to the list.
Clean this up, put posters and get people tp sign up
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Spring Koha / April 30, 2014
What a disgraceful state of affairs! This is like those “NO SPITTING” notices that appear which signify that the community has lost all sense of decency, respect and consideration for each other. What a foundation for reconciliation. WE the People shouldn’t stand for it. It is a blot on all of us. In any case, what is wrong with our normal forces of law and order? This is yet another nail in the coffin of our much acclaimed 2600 year old civilisation. Fuck the guardians of our nation who have brought us to this.
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Afzal / April 30, 2014
Setting up of the separate unit is to tell all the hooligans do as you wish police will not interfere.
Our country is becoming the joke of the century, wonder Viko is one of the advisers of the regime ? this is worst than Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe.
Somehow I feel this is the peak before doom.
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ela kolla / April 30, 2014
This comment was removed by a moderator because it didn’t abide by our Comment policy.For more detail see our Comment policy https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/comments-policy-2/
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Afzal / May 1, 2014
Ela Ela Ela, such lowly word, I read somewhere this word has no meaning!
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ela kolla / May 1, 2014
Afzal, you have no meaning too….just an empty head
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Afzal / May 1, 2014
Ela Thana Kola,
Glad to see you have got your 1st post without getting ‘edited out’
I feel good for assisting you to achieve this milestone in your countless post which no one was able to read as they never get published.
I feel you are making progress, don’t worry it maybe slow but surely you will get there one day. In fact all of us will get there one day as a country.
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ela kolla / May 1, 2014
This comment was removed by a moderator because it didn’t abide by our Comment policy.For more detail see our Comment policy https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/comments-policy-2/
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mike / May 3, 2014
ela/thana/moda kolla … Please take specialised medical care and attention ASAP, if not you may end up in a … asylum! I wish you a speedy recovery.
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Mallaiyuran / April 30, 2014
“Ridiculing it Justice Minister and Leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) Rauff Hakeem said that there was no use in setting up special police units to handle religious related violence. The police already had enough powers vested in them to tackle such problems, but the government must do its utmost to control religious extremists like the BBS urgently.”
First, this rogue has to ridicule himself. He did not vote against the Casino Bill(Strategic Development Project) even. Even Champika voted against it. He is too busy ridiculing other’s action not his one.
When LLRC was formed to hide the genocide took place, Tamils cried it as a ploy, but Hakeem went to give presentation to Geneva.
Tamils left with nothing, now. They just have to watch these comedians like Hakeem still staying in the government to implement all these through the Justice ministry and crying like this. He gave presentation to American embassy when the CJ was fired. Sumanthiran asked him to resign for his mishandling of CJ’s matter, he refused. He authorized from America to the Divi Neguma to be passed in EPC. CJ Shirani lost her job because of that bill. What a nasty behaviour of Hakeem.
King is being crowned in Bahrain as “Sultan of Muslim World”, but these muslim leaders crying this police unit as a ploy. Isn’t it happening in Bahrain because of all Muslim Ministers with single mindedly campaigned for the King in middle east? They know this coming for sure 100%, but they rushed to make all what they make in the meantime.
Every Time when there was something against Tamils from the government, Hakeem insisted Tamils should work with the government the same way he is working with the government. Now, he should accept the police formed by the king and should try to work with it without protesting against it.
Tamils wanted to bring their own police units for East and North. Hakeem destroyed that effort by seating a minority party to power in the EPC. If Provincial police in place in all 9 provinces, will BBS go to province by province and do this? It is not just that. Tamils wanted to have the East and the North together so the religious disharmony can be easily smooth out. Hakeem worked the government to destroy that too.
Hakeem cheated all Eastern muslims during the EPC election acting as he is against the Royal Government. Hakeem’s name will go into Sri Lankan Muslims history as greatest Traitor ever born on the island.
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whywhy / April 30, 2014
Farook missed a vital information here.What BBS thinks
of this special police unit.Galaboda is reported to
have said that they requested this about a year ago
from the president.So,this is created for them in their
ministry.What we must understand is,prevention is not
their target,bringing the victims to one place and not
even treating them is a guaranteed option!Sinhalese
should not think they would be treated differently in
times of tensions and troubles.Soon,there will be a
special police unit at Election secretariat to deal with
election time violence!Like the police patrol on the
streets looking for law breakers,not to punish them,rest
assured but to fill in the empty pockets,these rulers
are also on the hunt for tensions as part of their
development drive.Muslims,be warned of your own leaders
first!Make sure you are not used for your own destruction
because of your unquestioned faith in your religion!
Politician’s religion is politics and nothing else,look
at all of your men in all parties you elected in the name
of your belief.There are too many out there misleading you
using your innocent belief.Take a minute to think,all
these religions are after money,at each other’s throat
for money.If we say our business are targeted,we say two
things.We are targeted for our wealth is one,that is by one
religion,and we are defending it is,two that is another
religion.In both cases what’s involved is money.
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Rajash / May 1, 2014
“So,this is created for them in their ministry.”
you are spot on. this special unit will give them protection against public and other police.
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Punchisingho / April 30, 2014
3 Muslim representatives join the government
Today 3 Muslims members of the WPC have joined the Government. Maybe the government has understood the more you are attacked the more you Muslims support the government.
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radish.S / May 1, 2014
Are these Muslim Ministers in the Government/cabinet or not? Hakeem ridicules the govt. but continues to be in the govt. He talks about justice and democracy at times but is the first person to vote for the 18A.and being a Muslim does not have the guts to vote against Casinos. These are despicable cads.
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sunil Dahanayake / May 1, 2014
Dear Mr. Farook,
You talk about the special police unit and law and order situation. However, you article is a double standard piece of writing. These are a few examples:
“Earlier Industry and Commerce Minister Rishad Bathiudeen warned that the country would have to pay a very heavy price for the failure on the part of the authorities concerned to rein in Bodu Bala Sena (BBS).Setting up of a new police unit alone wouldn’t be enough to restore confidence among the Muslim community as well as others at the receiving end of BBS harassment.”
The Government Minister, you mentioned here, is an alleged criminal. He has two serious criminal allegations and escaped from the legal actions because of his political connections. The examples are that he allegedly threatened Mannar Magistrate by telephone and later cooked up a story to escape the due legal process. The second example is that this man allegedly organised an illegal land encroachment in Willpattu National Park and the government did not take any action because of his political connections. If the Police and Legal System are working in Sri Lanka, this particular Minister should be punished by the Sri Lankan legal system for his alleged criminal activities.
The second double standard paragraph is given below:
“The minister insisted that the government would have to take tangible action to prevent BBS from targeting not only the Muslim community but those taking a different view. Nothing could be as humiliating as Mahiyangana Pradeshiya Sabha member, Ven. Watareka Vijitha being forced to run into Pradeshiya Sabha building under police protection due to the intimidating presence of BBS members.”
The most Sri Lankan Buddhist are aware that the above named Buddhist monk is crook and does not belong to their religious sects or “Nikayas”. Sri Lankan Buddhists perceive that he and his organisation is a puppet deliberately created by some of your ethnic community members to divert the public attention and white wash the alleged criminal activities created by most people in your ethnic community (one example is alleged land encroachment of Willpattu National Park).
Dear Mr. Farook,
Without blaming the Government or Sinhala Buddhist people, please request that your community to address the law and order problems created by them. In total, most of the Sri Lankan people does not perceive or view that your ethnic community members are genuine and honest decent category of citizens. Most people in Sri Lanka believe that most of your ethnic community members are as fraudsters and criminals. The best example is that most Sri Lankans believe that most of your ethnic community members are in illegal business such as “KUDU” businesses. Therefore, there is a serious negative perception or negative goodwill about your community.
Therefore it is time to look inwards and ask your ethnic community members to work and behave as responsible Sri Lankan citizens.
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commando695 / May 1, 2014
Kumar David’s recent observation of this sad situation is very apt here:
“Muslim politicos, including the SLMC from top to bottom, are obsessed with greed, loot and sinecures. They may be compelled to surrender their privileges and venality –but only after the community gets hit by a freight train.” !!!
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kali / May 1, 2014
Latheef:
The special force is not to hoodwink the Muslim Community but to recruit extremists from the Muslim Community to export terror to India through the back door. The ISI is now active in Sri Lanka and the chap Hussain who was apprehended in Chennai before the blast has confessed to being an ISI agent.
There is saying “as you sew so you reap.” GOSL set up all this imaginary LTTE revival and sacrificed Gobi for that and his ghost is coming back to haunt him and are now reaping the benefit . This is exactly what the incoming BJP would have wanted to bring MR in to line which is the perceived threat from Muslim Extremist to enter India and cause havoc through the back door from Sri Lanka. For MRs bad luck they couldn’t have timed it any better.
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MNA / May 1, 2014
My views are as follows:
BBS:very forwarded, narrow minded nationalist, not anti islam/chritianity, as they so. If they say whatever they have to say in a polite manner, it will be acceptable to all.
Wahhabism and Thauheed Jamath: Like BBS, they think that what they’re doing is rght, good or bad force others in to believe in it.
General muslims, Budhdhists, Christians: Poor innocents, who are ashamed of the activities of the leaders, who portray as if they have the approval of followers in all their acts and saying.
Commenters on articles such as this with ‘hate’: They are the worst than BBS, Wahhabis or any other, as their comments look as if stabbing in the heart of poor innocents of all faith with the knife
Readers and commenters like me:-) Wishing for an end to this conflict of thoughts and get back to the peaceful co-existance.
If you take a budhdhist, sinhalese, tamil, christian, malay, burgher or any one of any race, there will be someone, who is not only tied to another family thru marriages but also through friendships.We still share our foods, invite all neighbours and friends irrespective of their religious beliefs for happy occasions and still enjoy best friendship, help in getting jobs etc etc.
True citizen
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Fathima Fukushima / May 2, 2014
What SL needs is Sharia Police.
In Saudi and other Muslim countries there is Sharia Police for these matters.
That is the only way.
Even in UK there is unofficial Sharia Police.
SL should have a Sharia Police.
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