By Rifai Naleemi –

Dr. Rifai Naleemi

Bodu Bala Sena has been targeting innocent Muslim people for more than 3 years now. It has been a customary habit of the BBS to generate some chaos very often about the minority communities. They have been targeting places of worship of minorities in Sri Lanka. Many churches, Hindu temples and mosques have been ransacked and burned to ground in many places in Sri Lanka. Tamils locally and internationally claim that their traditional home lands of North and East have been colonised and more and more Buddhist statues and temples have been erected in their areas. This act has been viewed and perceived as a cultural invasion by the majority of Tamils. This is done with the protection of three forces in Sri Lanka. This is the general perception of most of Tamils in Sri Lanka and abroad. This perception has been internationalised now. The international communities have already realised this crafty attitude of this government.

After defeating LTTE the present day Sri Lankan government is very crafty destroying the cultural heritage of minority communities. Its implicit approval and endorsement of the BBS activities are well known among all communities in SL.  Even opposition political parties know that and yet, they cannot take any necessary measure to curtail BBS activities because a powerful ‘person’ is behind its atrocities. How many mosques have been targeted by BBS in recent times?  How many churches have been targeted by BBS?  How many Hindu temples have been targeted by BBS and its agent in recent time?  Yet, no legal action has been taken as if Sri Lanka has no any legal system in to bring them to the court of law?

BBS has been waiting until the commonwealth meeting is over to begin its venomous activities. Soon after the commonwealth meeting was concluded, the BBS begun to unleash its hatred campaign. Recently the BBS went to Devenagala with some false claims. It is asking people surrounding Devenagala to evacuate their houses. People around this area have been living for many decades and yet, they never been as hindrance for the Buddhist temple on the top of the stone. There is a Buddha statue on the top of this stone and very rarely people go to this stone to engage in religious activities on the top of this stone.  If they want to remove Muslims from this area they should also ask Sinhalese families to move from this area as well. Why is this racial and discriminative attitude?

What is the interior motive of this claim right now? Why any other Buddhist organizations in that area did not ask people around Devenagala to evaluate their houses any time in history before? Why is right now? It is nothing but religious jealousy of the BBS and its agents?  It is nothing but communal hatred of he BBS and its agents. What more is there are lots of Buddhist people live in the surrounding of Devenagala. In the name of sacredness why do they only target Muslims? Muslim people have been living there for many decades and they intermingle with Sinhalese people in that area for centuries without any problems. There was not any previous religious disturbance between Muslims and Sinhalese of that area at all in the past. They have been living harmoniously and peacefully in this area for many years. Indeed, each community is getting on well with other community and indeed participating in many socio-cultural events. It is not the local Sinhalese who make this unnecessary trouble rather it is the BBS and its agent from somewhere else come here to make this trouble.

The BBS and its cohorts do not like to see communal harmony between Sinhalese and other communities. That is why it comes up with unsubstantiated claims to create division and disturbance among communities. These bogus claims are well known to Sri Lankan people. The majority of people in this country know that well. They know well that the BBS is a bogus Buddhist fanatic group and it is morally and ethically bankrupt.  Sinhalese know well that Lord Buddha would never and ever endorse these types of communal hatred and religious jealousy. Nowhere in Buddhist scripture the Lord Buddha had undermined people of other faiths and other cultures. He denounced this world in order to liberate humanity from greed and desire. How come these so called followers of Load Buddha dared to uproot families from their homes?

There is no greater crime than dismantling families from their homes.  Indeed, it could be contented that sacredness of family life is not in any way less sacred than religious sites and places. It would be morally and ethically wrong to ask people to leave the surrounding of Devenagala or any place of so called Buddhist lands. In the name of town development projects the defence Ministry is destroying the houses of Muslims and Tamils in Colombo and in the name of sacred lands the BBS and its agents want to destroy the houses of Muslims and Tamils in many part of Sri Lanka.   For these Buddhist fanatics human life is cheaper than these stones and man-made sacred places. They, the Buddhist fanatics love to see the suffering of people. Are they enjoy and jolly ride on the miseries of other people?

BBS is nothing but a ruthless and radical agent of this government. It is well documented fact that some powerful ministers are overtly and covertly working behind the scenes of the BBS. How on earth this radical group come out of blue sky without any political support. This government should take the responsibility for the all activities of the BBS in recent time. So far no action has been taken against the atrocities and barbarism of the BBS in Sri Lanka. BBS is an epitome of racism and hatred in Sri Lanka.  Against all international norms of any civilised society, BBS has been spreading filthy lies and fabrications against innocent minority communities in Sri Lankan. It has been depicting some ministers, and religious leaders with some dirty words and parlances.  The Attitudes, body languages, rhetoric, manners and etiquettes of the BBS have been below any human sense. They have been presenting themselves as an army of radicals. They look like as born again Buddhist fundamentalists in Sri Lanka. It looks as if their hearts and minds are filled with poisonous ides of racism, hatred and prejudice. They look down on all other religious groups in Sri Lanka as if they are superior class of human beings. They reckon themselves as chosen people of this Island and all others are second class people. This is indeed a self deception and devil illusionary perception of the BBS and its agents. Their attitude and expressions are very much similar to the attitudes and mindsets of Nazis of Germany and white rulers of South Africa in those days.