Sri Lanka: On Damaging the Buddha Statues

by Sri Lankan patriotic- Dec 27, 2018

Dec 27, 2018

With deep sadness and sorrow, I condemn this violent act of uncultured and uncivilized gang who have attacked and damaged a Buddhist statue in a suburb of Mawenella. This barbaric act must be condemned by all civilised citizens of Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka, different communities have been living side by side without any religious violence of this kind for the last one thousand year. Buddhists live side by side with Muslims. Muslims live side by side with Tamils. Likewise, Christians live side by side with Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists. Yet, recently religious violence has dramatically increased in Sri Lanka. Why and how did this violence increase in Sri Lanka. We are now living in this virtual world of modern technology. This modern technology with its all goodness has got some negative sides too.

Today, radical ideologies and radical ideas are spreading like a virus all over the world. Today, Ideas of radical Wahhabism, Salafism, literalism are not confined to some Arab and Muslim countries rather they are going around the world like virus.  99% of world Muslim community condemn violence in the name of their religion. Islam stands for peace, compassion, mercy and kindness and yet, some radical Muslims do not display these good qualities of Islam rather they display violence and aggression through their barbaric acts of violence as we have seen in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and many other Muslim countries. There is no room in Islam for this barbarism.

 A true Islamic teaching welcomes and facilitates pluralism. 1400 Islamic history is an historical proof to say that Muslim communities have been living with many other religious groups side by side. For instance, persecuted Jews from Spain sought refuge in Ottoman Empire and North Africa and some of these Jewish communities are still living with Muslim communities. Likewise, Christian communities have been living with Muslim community side by side for many centuries. Likewise, Buddhist community lives side by side in Malaysia, Bangladesh and some other countries. Why some radical Muslims cannot tolerate pluralism and multiculturalism? Humanity today lives in a complicated and closely interconnected world. So, pluralism is an inevitable social phenomenon of this modern world. Globalization has made it as a modern reality of human life. So, Muslim radicals must know all this. Moreover, The Holy Quran is very much clear on this point. People will have different religions and ways.(Had Allah willed, He would have made you one community? (5: 48). 

So, pluralism is a divine design. So, Muslim community should know this reality and get on well with all other different cultures and religions.  99.9% of Muslims do that and yet, some radicals do not accept this notion.

Whoever has done this barbaric act they must be punished. We Sri Lankan Muslim community request police to act swiftly on this issue.  We do not tolerate this type of violence in Sri Lankan soil at all. Neither Saudi form of religious extremism nor Afghan form of extremism is welcomed by Sri Lankan Muslim community. if it is proved that this is done by any Muslim group in Sri Lanka they must be punished accordingly. I’m sure that all Sri Lankans will condemn this act.

Muslim community in Sri Lanka has been working hard to promote peace and social harmony in Sri Lanka for the last 8 years since BBS issue came up in Sri Lanka.  This incident has indeed, shocked many of us. We hope that law enforcement agents act quickly before any political party tries to make use of this for any political gain. There is no any connection between this incident and politics.