Sri Lanka identifies and removes a divisive Halal
Certificate:
- A TRIUMPH FOR WISDOM AND COMMON SENSE
Shenali WADUGE
A huge sigh of relief prevails in Sri Lanka. News welcomed by every
right thinking person followed by the announcement to remove the Halal
certificate/logo from local products. Nobody needs to feel ashamed. It
must be seen in terms of triumph for wisdom and common sense, or in
other words a win for both sanity and rationality.
The most important lesson emerging from this dispute is the dawning
of wisdom that without the consent and prior approval of people of the
older culture controversial and new practices of people of later or
newer cultures cannot be simply absorbed or sustained by purely evoking
universal tenets of freedom of religion. This together with the future
possibility that it would create divisions amongst the Muslims
themselves as is seen unfolding in different parts of the world is what
prompted the issue to surface. In hindsight the Muslims of Sri Lanka
will be thankful.
Buddhists asked to mind their own business
Sri Lanka becomes the only non-Muslim nation to have articulated the
practicalities of halal certification and to have amicably brought the
chapter to a close allowing people to perhaps review and to reassess
actions and behaviours detrimental to the main objective that being
peaceful co-existence. Nothing should come in between the desire to live
in peace amongst the communities and no new religious practices
previously non-existent should hinder or obstruct that.
Intelligently debating issues is for all reasons a preferred option.
Likewise Hameed Abdul Karim and I chose that path to which Mr. Zubair
and R M B Senanayake contributed with their views. Mr. Zubair’s response
fortified the fears that were projected whilst R M B Senanayake was of
the view that the Buddhists should mind their own business as they had
been doing in the past reinforcing the Colombo non-Buddhist general view
that the voice of Buddhists need not matter. It is a well-structured
gameplan that aims to target international audiences who are ever ready
to build upon their prejudiced assertions.
Step-motherly treatment for Buddhists by Sri Lankan media
The manner with which media operates in Sri Lanka is such that it is
virtually impossible to have the Buddhist perspective of things balanced
with that of the rest. Almost always as against one Buddhist view the
media would give prominence to several opposing views all uniting to
conclude that Buddhists were on a witch hunt when the reality was the
reverse. It was interesting reading how all these commentaries brought
in arguments that were not only out of context but evasive in providing
appropriate answers to the questions posed.
Halal certificate would have divided the Muslims
Sadly, without looking at the reasons clearly identified the opted
course was to project a concocted anti-Muslim image on the part of those
objecting trying to protect their traditional space though that did not
explain why many Muslims living in Colombo saw the bigger picture in
realizing that the fundamentalist Muslim behavioural pattern would
invariably end up affecting how they lived as they saw happening in
Egypt and Libya. The importance of the removal of the halal in essence
has helped Muslims not be targets to the suffering that other Muslim
nations now go through with sectarian violence that have been planted to
divide them forever.
Both Muslims and non-Muslims in Sri Lanka have found the liberties
they enjoyed slowly being taken away from them with strict application
of tribal 5th century rooted Islamic laws and practices. There was never
a question of Muslims in Sri Lanka having to change anything and it was
the Buddhists that saw the warning signs posing to the Muslims whether
they wanted to face a situation like in Egypt at a future date.
Many Muslims in Sri Lanka thankfully realize this and prefer peaceful
co-existence over the rigidity and separation from the rest of the
community being slowly introduced through new incursions like halal
certificate, proliferation of mosques, new dress codes, loudspeakers,
home slaughter, animal sacrifice etc all giving a statement that is
unpalatable and discomforting to the rest of this country.
Thus the current protests were to raise caution hoping that the
Muslims of Sri Lanka would not fall similarly for those that were using
Islam as a ploy to set different agendas that will internally divide
Muslims, set Muslims apart and place the Muslims on a collision course
with people of other races and religions in this country. This was
evident in the manner the divisive elements had got through to the
Muslim political leaderships who were joining this new venture which
cannot be tolerated. Muslims would one day be thankful to the Buddhists.
As for the halal certificate the comments by Mr. Karim did not answer
how a certificate could validate the halal status since to declare
anything halal the slaughter must be done by a Muslim and realistically
people not of the Book (Hindus and Buddhists) cannot be associated with
that activity.– in a non-Muslim Buddhist nation it is unrealistic to
expect the whole food chain to be controlled by Muslims to declare it as
completely halal. A religious entity cannot dictate the eating patterns
of others. Halal certification impracticality was the core principle
argument behind the objections.
To avoid rational thinking and debate whereby Muslims themselves
would understand the impracticalities of the halal in the context of
what the Quran says is halal/haram the safer option was to project a
non-existent anti-Muslim communal campaign. This would allow those with
vested interests to unnecessarily arouse people’s emotions away from
seeing the other side and accepting the other version of things.
However, it has not succeeded in erasing the fundamental moral and
ethical principle that religious rights can be acceptable to others only
so long as they do not harm another.
Religious rights have borderlines and religions need to be conscious
of those borderlines especially in a nation where causing harm to
another i.e. whether man or animal is non–acceptable.
In pre-colonial Sri Lanka the abuse and killing of animals was
totally prohibited “maaghatha” Rule.
People lost rank and status if they were associated with killing of
animals and consumption of meat particularly beef.
It was with the entry of the Portuguese in the 16th century that
legitimacy was granted to the killing of cattle and eating of beef.
Muslims would not have engaged in halal slaughter prior to 1505. People
cannot forget this important aspect of history.
Objective is to create a compassionate society in Sri Lanka
In the Buddha’s eyes a person was judged by his conduct and not by
his birth. Translated even a lowborn (so–called) can rise and behave as
a Brahmin while a Brahmin can stoop low and engage in degrading conduct
and become an outcaste. Our actions determine who we are.
In a Buddhist society the people who honour the Buddhist 1st precept
and those who violate that 1st precept are not co-equals. In a moral and
ethical sense too they are not equals. Those that revere life and those
that do not have reverence for life (all forms of life) cannot be
equals.
This was a critical basis of differentiating people.
Respect for the sanctity of life was a binding requirement to gain
acceptance in traditional Sinhalese Buddhist Society. Those who failed
that test were relegated to the margins of society. Sub–cultures that
produced butchers and people who abused animals lived in the dark
shadows of society, without status, without respect.
Buddhism provides advocacy for the moral rights of all sentient
beings. No one is excluded. It is an inclusive religion that calls for
compassion and ‘non–harm’ in our day-to-day dealings with others.
It calls for peaceful co–existence between man and animal. It calls
for extension of gratitude even to an animal if we have sustained
ourselves from its labour or produce. Buddhist values unequivocally
sustain life.
In a world where populations are spiraling, food and water issues
will emerge and our environment is being overtaxed where little
reverence is paid to our ecosystems that give us air to breathe we need
to reassess how far we humble ourselves to accept that just as we have a
right to live the animals that have no voice to convey their pain also
have a right to live until the end of their natural span of life.
The ideal society is a compassionate society. Buddhist teachings
provides a framework for the establishment of an inclusive social order
that will endeavour to work in the pursuit of this noble objective. |