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Wednesday, 20 February 2013

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A LITTLE LEARNING IS A DANGEROUS THING

It's ironic, and painfully, almost pitifully so. Those who seem to shout the loudest about the danger of ethnic polarizations between Sri Lankans of the Muslim community, and of the majority Sinhala community, are those who seem to be contributing the most these days to the very dangers they sternly decry. There is a breed of self-regarding, even narcissistic seminar room types who have been going around propagating the view in the last few days and weeks that the current Mahinda Rajapaksa regime is supremacist and triumphal, inference being that it is the regime that is in tacit or active fashion, encouraging the polarizations (assuming there are any) between the Muslims and Sinhalese.

Wittingly or unwittingly, these people encourage regime hate and hate of the Sinhala majority by uttering these platitudes which are patently false, if substance was anything they cared about.

Their theories generally go in this direction -- they say that the Sinhala majority/majoritarian government won the war against the Tamil Tigers, became triumphalist, and as a result of this triumphalism, let loose a Sinhala hegemonic tendency which radicalized certain persons who have been baiting minority communities. The final accusation that usually accompanies this litany, is that the regime that somehow encourages Sinhala supremacy and the baiting of minorities, also tolerates the misguided actions of these radicalized segments of the Sinhala population i.e.: the Bodu Bala Sena etc.,

This is of course to lump all of the already exaggerated incidents of ethnic frictions together, and lay responsibility for these squarely at the government's door.

Obviously, either mischievously or otherwise, or wittingly or unwittingly, these people are promoting a viewpoint utterly divorced from reality that can at careful perusal be termed undiluted fiction.

The 'radicalization' of certain miniscule and insignificant sections of the Sinhala community did not take place in the sequence that these people try to say it did. There was no regime aided triumphalism that led to Muslim baiting after the war, in other words.

What in fact took place which anybody with anything called a memory will remember, is the slow infiltration of so called radicalized and jihadist Islamic groups in the eastern province for instance.

For example there was the attack on a mosque in Beruwala - and who could forget that the perpetrators were not Sinhalese? The cause was internecine rivalry between what was apparently a newly emergent Muslim sect rightly or wrongly referred to as Wahhabist, and Muslims of a more traditionalist and moderate persuasion.

The first alarm bells on Muslim radicalization -- at the fringes of the Muslim community of course -- were rung by orthodox Sri Lankan Muslims. Then others such as United States embassy intelligence officials, we are aware, were sensitized by the activities of these radicalized so called jihadist elements, the US waging a war on terror and on Al-Qaeda and all that being considered.

Sinhala radicalization, again, it has to be remembered, taking place in the fringes of the community, happened as a result of this initial burst of Muslim fundamentalism which in fact irked, or rather rudely disturbed the orthodox Muslims before it did the Sinhalese.

That Sinhala fringe elements got agitated in this context is not something that comes as a surprise. This comment on no account claims that overreaction to alleged fundamentalist and jihaidst tendencies on the fringes, is a good thing.

But it is to be expected that some sections of society would react more agitatedly than others. It is up to the authorities and the saner sections of both communities to keep the radicalized elements on both sides controlled.

That's an entirety different matter. But, what's surprising is when the so called learned, go around claiming that Sinhala supremacist tendencies in the regime are causing needless ethnic polarizations.

In the context of the recap of events above, it is earnestly wished that the know-it-alls desist from propagating canards against the regime which are tantamount to inciting hatred against the largely innocent Sinhala bystanders and their leadership that is innocent of this careless charge of causing, aiding or abetting alleged Sinhala radicalization.
 

Needed: A candid jaw-jaw

It was reported recently that the government plans to appoint a special Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to look into the recent spate of events that led to religious disharmony and find a permanent solution to issues that have cropped up in the past few months.

Full Story

The Human Dimension

A DOCTOR’S CARING GESTURE..

We live in such hurried times. Doctors, nurses and other care givers are often in such a hurry to treat so many patients that a kind gesture, a word of comfort from them can be such a welcoming gesture. Especially since when sick, even the most powerful can become so helpless and in need.

Full Story

LTTE affiliates up to same old tricks in Geneva - Prof. Dr. Rohan Gunaratna

Almost all NGOs voicing human rights concerns in Geneva about the government have been funded or linked to the LTTE directly or through its affiliates indirectly. For example, the Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC) that donated funds to Amnesty International is planning to come to Geneva. CTC Communications Director Sahil Sabaratnam is serving a 25 year sentence in a US prison for procuring weapons for the LTTE,

Full Story

 

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