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by Rashomi Silva

Peace has returned to the Maligawatte area where there were clashes on October 30 afternoon.

While religious leaders appealed for peace, Armed Forces and Special Task Force troops were summoned to assist the Police in curbing the violence.

The clashes erupted between some sections of the Sinhalese and Muslims over the construction of a Muslim religious school on a state- owned land on Bodirajarama Mawatha in Maradana.

Reportedly the courts had granted permission for the construction, provided that the building should not reach more than 10 feet in height. According to Thalabaddegama Sobitha Thera of the Bodirajarama Viharaya, the cause for Wednesday's incident had been prepared from 1999. Pent-up hatred between the two parties rose its ugly head in the backdrop of the incident.

Police intervention compelled the two parties to negotiate. It was agreed that neither party should build a religious place at this site and the Muslims were allowed to continue with the Sunday school which already existed. Further improvement to the building was ruled out. Five representatives from each party signed the agreement.

"Last July, Muslims sold tickets for the construction of the mosque. When our chief prelate came to know this, he requested them not to violate the agreement and said that if they do not have enough space in the school they can use the temple's Dharma Shalawa. They disagreed and went ahead with the construction," the thera said.

The disagreement between the parties surfaced once again. This time police took both parties to court. On October 25, the court gave the green light to go ahead with the construction provided the building would not exceed 10 feet in height and on that it be confined to a single storey, he said.

"The other party violated the court orders as the building has reached about two metres in height. We are convinced that they were building a mosque and violating the agreement," the thera alleged.

"We therefore appealed to the higher courts. The higher courts order to produce the brief containing the court proceedings was missing. We were told that the CID is investigating the case of the missing brief, he said.

Commenting on Wednesday's incident, the thera said: "I admit it was our people who started the protest. None of the protestors bore weapons, they had no intention of damaging property or harming lives. They only wanted to show their displeasure.

"On October 30, local residents laid down in protest at Armour street in a peaceful manner. To support the protestors, nearly 100 people arrived from Wanathamulla, Borella and Dematagoda and they burned tyres in the middle of the roads blocking traffic from every side. Maradana ASP H. Adikari, and I tried to disperse the crowd but they were adamant.

"Most of the properties damaged by outsiders and opportunistic elements on both sides." The Thera also blamed police for their inefficiency.

M. Hinayathulla chief trustee of the Maligawatta mosque said, "the existing religious institution is not enough to fulfil the increasing demand for the school.

"At present there are 227 students. We had no intention of putting up a mosque. Why should we? There are three mosques in the vicinity. We only want to develop the existing school.

"We got approval from the Municipal Council, the NHDA, and courts for the proposed construction. Police looked on as the mob damaged and burned our property. The Police could have easily controlled the attack had they taken prompt action."

Mohammed Sabry and his family live at Bodirajarama Mawatha.

At the time the clashes erupted he was out of town.

"I have a school service van. At that time I had gone to take the children back home. My wife and our one-year-old son were alone at home. They managed to escape. When police curfew was imposed, we came back home only to see everything in ashes. I lost over Rs. 4 million worth property. They burned my van too. Now I don't know how to make ends meet," he said tearfully.

Chandima Kumari of Bodirajarama Mawatha said her father-in-law owns a cafe and a snack bar.

"I was in the cafe with my father-in-law. Suddenly a mob attacked our cafe and a nearby grocery owned by my husband. We fled for safety. When we returned, I was shocked by what I saw. My younger brother was brutally assaulted, our house, cafe and the grocery were badly damaged. All my jewellery and money were taken away and other valuables were in pieces," she said.

An active member of a leading Muslim political party who wished to remain anonymous said the misunderstanding between the parties was the cause of the incident. Both parties are to be blamed.

However none of the locals were involved in major incidents. They were all carried out by underworld elements and outsiders, he said. He accused a certain person of the area of trying to create divisions between the Sinhalese and the Muslims and introducing underworld to the picture.

"One has to think about the country, and work accordingly without seeking narrow political gains.

" The second finger of accusation should be pointed at the Police. If they intervened at the correct point most of the damages could have been averted. They simply looked on while the parties were clashing," he said.

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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