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Sinhala Communalists On The Streets Against Sri Lankan Muslims!

By Dhammika Silva

Since long time Sinhalese Extremists such as Bodhu Bala Sena, Sinhala Ravaya and Sinhala Lay(lion blood) have been very tactfully propagating racism and violence against Sri Lankan Muslims. In that long process recently few clashes between two groups occurred on 22nd February based on a minor traffic accident between a lorry and a three wheeler in Teldeniya near kandy. Due to that accident one Sinhala person called A. G. Kumarasinghe, a lorry driver died in hospital after his fight with four Muslim youth. After a couple of days of that accident and soon after his funeral, organised by unidentified outfits, thousands of people got into the streets against Muslims, rampaging violently causing huge damages in a very well pre-planned manner to Muslims’ properties such as shops, residences and Mosques on 4th and 5th of March in Teldeniya, Dhigana Moragahamula and nearby suburbs.

Following this yet another incident occurred in Ampara on 26th February, this incident was based on an incident which involving an ordinary hotel run by a Muslim. A Sinhalese person had gone to this hotel in the late hours just before that hotel was shutting, and asked for some meals including beef curry which was not available. Anyhow that hotel owner managed to offer him those meals in which that Sinhalese person had found something other than beef which the customer suspected to be a chemical to make men impotent. The said customer went on to accuse the hotel owner that he had deliberately mixed the said “impotency trigger” chemical to make Sinhalese people childless and to reduce Sinhalese population growth rate. Later he has called his supporters who were Sinhalese extremists and they all together have started to attack and set fire that hotel,and some other shops belonging to Muslims, they rampaged vehicles and finally a Mosque close to the Police station there.

These incidents are not isolated it has a history. Likewise, a clash occurred in Gintota of Galle District on 17th November 2017. That incident too was based on another minor motor bike accident whichwas amicably resolved immediately by both parties. But these organised Sinhalese Extremists within few days created a violent situation in that area and assaulted Muslims, set fire, robbed several shops, burnt around 60 houses of Muslims and few Mosques there too.

Sinhalese Extremists purposely and in a well planned tactful manner spread over the violence, terror and hatred among Sinhalese community against Muslims through mass media and social media for a long time, forces such as Bodhu Bala Sena are increasingly using Fascistic methods like their counter parts such RSS and other Hindu extremist outfits in the neighbouring India, to terrorise religious and other minorities.

They propagate despicable rumours among the Sinhalese people that Muslim hotels mix up chemicals in food items sold in their hotels to make Sinhalese men impotent and further they also spread a rumour claiming that the Muslims mix up such so called chemicals as jellies into the women under the dresses to make Sinhalese women unable to have the fortune of having babies. This very unscientific, false, narrow minded, well planned propaganda supported by communal political groups has made common poor Sinhalese very violent, communal and the seed of hatred against Muslims has been sown.

It’s very clear that there are several political forces which have lost power in past years and some Sinhalese businesses community behind all these agendas and evil projects.

These communal minded extreme Sinhalese are supported and funded by small section of the Buddhist cults and some business owners. In the previous government of Mahinda Rajapakshe regime these same groups were well fed and brought up and during that era several established international standard business enterprises in garments industry such as Fashion Bug and NOLIMIT owned by Muslims were set fire and destroyed by these same groups supported by then Mahinda Rajapakshe regime.

In June 2014 too, the Bodhu Bala Sena, with the full knowledge of the former defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakshe, created a tense situation, spread violence and set fire to a large number of business places, vehicles and residences in Dargatown in south.

In August 2017, in the so called Good Governance rule of Present President Maithripala Sirisena and Premier Ranil Wickramasinghe, the poor Myanmar Rohingya refugees were brutaly beaten by the same Sinhalese extremists in the presence of the Sri Lankan Police. These 30 refugees including 17 women and children who were under the purview of the UNHCR were assaulted like this under operation of the Sinhalese Extremists – Sihala Ravaya cult.

Present government has failed to take action against these murderous incidents, all these communal clashes occurring in Ampara and Kandy and the attacks that happened to Rohingya refugees must be investigated and fair trials should take place to bring justice to the victims.

Similarly this government has failed to inquire and punish those who have perpetuated several violent activities resulting in killing of three Muslim youth in Beruwala, Dharga Town, and the attacks in Panadura and Gangodawila where Muslims properties were destroyed in the period of the last Government of Mahinda Rajapakshe needs a thorough investigation.

For all these uncivilized, brutal, unjustifiable violence on Muslims that were usually supported by only a small section of Sinhalese Extremist Buddhists and communal minded political leaders and owners some Sinhalese businesses.

These types of violence and violations on Sri Lankan Muslims seem to be continuing without an end in near future. We therefore hereby call upon all including the working class and progressive people to form a broader alliance to defeat these anti-Muslim and anti-social and communal elements. It is very clear that this weak government can never face and defeat these anti social activities aroused with the rise of Mahinda Rajapakshe after the local government election. There is a crucial question as to why this government could not take action to control these Sinhalese Buddhist extremists while they showed all the ethusiasm in brutally beating up and suppress the poor farmers agitation of Thambuththegama near Anuradhapura who were fighting to just for asking drinking water last week. It is important to note the saying of the famous American black liberation fighter Malcolm X said “There is No Capitalism without Racism”.

Therefore we the United Socialist Party hereby call upon the oppressed Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslim people to rise up against this system of capitalists which divides us on the basis of Race, Language and Ethnicity to perpetuate their brutal rule. Let’s unite to change this exploitative capitalist system and establish a Revolutionary Left alternative to defeat these anti-Tamil and anti-Muslim forces and stop the activities of Sinhalese extremists

Dhammika Silva is General Secretary. United Socialist Party, Sri Lanka

10 March 2018

Source: https://countercurrents.org/2018/03/10/sinhala-communalists-on-the-streets-against-sri-lankan-muslims/