Unity is the way forward

Monday, 29 April 2019 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Sunday was a sombre day for Sri Lankans as they remembered the devastating Easter Sunday attacks that left 253 people dead and scores more injured. People who gathered to pray were openly weeping and many others joined in in their grief. It is clear that for Sri Lanka to move forward there has to be stronger inter-community connections.

Already there are statements being made by top politicians that are raising concerns. Many calls have been made that certain types of dress worn by Muslim women should be banned. The Government has attempted to take a middle position by requesting that any such regulations be made with the involvement of the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama (ACJU), which is the apex religious body of Islamic theologians that provides religious and community leadership to the Sri Lankan Muslim community. This is a positive move, and more of these sort of inclusive, discussion-based and factual approaches to legislation has to be made a priority. This is especially important as people are fearful, and in their fear can give into racist elements.

Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga in an uncharacteristically divisive statement has said that madrasas should not be allowed to operate as they can spread extremist ideologies. Unfortunately the Muslim community has pointed out that madrasas cover a wide variety of education institutions and cancelling all of them would be problematic. They have instead suggested that regularly evaluating what is taught at each of these institutions would be more beneficial and likely to be supported by the community. There is also a petition doing the rounds calling for the Islamic university in the Eastern province to be stopped but it is already partly constructed, and how to deal with this project would also need to be considered further down the road with the involvement of the Muslim community and other community leaders.

There are also bright points from people including the Sinhala Buddhist community trying to mend fences by reaching out to the Muslim community. The Buddhist, Muslim and Catholic communities are deeply interlinked, and this connection is intrinsic to the very identity of Sri Lanka. As more and more details of the attacks come to light, it is clear that a relatively small number of people are responsible. Obviously these are people who are highly dangerous; the entire intelligence gathering, coordinating and sharing apparatus of the country needs to be upgraded to deal with this threat, and a long-term plan needs to be put in place. Yet there is also the other side of the coin, which is communal harmony.

Members of the Muslim community gave tip-offs to find four safehouses of the terrorists on Friday. Bodies of three of the men that were recovered have been identified as the father and two brothers of Zaharan Hashimi, who is believed to have masterminded the attacks. The woman and child who were injured and hospitalised have been identified as Zaharan’s wife and child. The elder brother of the Ibrahim brothers was also arrested, but there are fears there could be more operatives, which the security forces are working round the clock to track down.

Police have said curfew will not be re-imposed on Sunday. It is understandable the Government wants the country to return to normalcy, or at least version of it, but security must come first.