A Sri Lankan Octogenarian Speaks

In my eighties - Do I look forward or backward April 21 Easter Sunday I was numb with grief but my mind went racing with multiple thoughts. Let calm descend over me to take stock of the situation. This reprehensible dastardly act was the work of criminal minded cowards who have forgotten the Quran’s message of mercy, forgiveness the categorical statement - Those who commit murder of even one person it is as if the whole human race has been annihi

How Bangladesh has kept Islamic radicals in check

Muslim-majority Bangladesh was born out of an explicitly secular and linguistic movement spearheaded by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. But it did not take long for the new born to show that it was “Islamic” as well as “Bengali”.

Rs.190 Million worth of Priorities ?

‘A supplementary budget of 190 million rupees for two bulletproof vehicles for the President and the newly-appointed Secretary of the Ministry of Defence has been passed in parliament! One of my neighbours made it a point to approach me during my morning walk to share this news.

Civil society responds... in a way

The response of civil society, the harbingers of political radicalism, was telling. It took days for the activists (and I don’t mean the Friday Forum, English-speaking, Colombo ones) to get up on stage and condemn what happened.

Identifying the killer ideology

The terrorist group that was behind the barbaric suicide bomb attacks on three churches and three five-star hotels on Easter Sunday (April 21) which killed nearly 300 innocent men, women and children seem to have been contained.

Mainstream Muslims must unite to bring about a progressive Islam

The Easter Sunday terror attacks have opened the Pandora’s Box of questions on various aspects of Islam, its teachings and commands, amid an avalanche of Islamophobia, hate speech, distrust and scorn.

Refugees become refugees again in Sri Lanka

There was a collective anguish over helplessness and isolation inside the garage of a police station in Negombo, Sri Lanka where dozens of asylum seekers and refugees, having fled Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Yemen, were staying for 17 days fearing retaliation for the Easter Sunday terror attacks.

“Polluter Pays” Delving into the Chunnakam Landmark Judgement Role of CEA and the health of residents

In a much hailed landmark judgment delivered in early April, the Supreme Court ordered the Northern Power Company to pay compensation amounting to Rs. 20 million to residents in Chunnakam who have been adversely affected by the contamination of ground water by its thermal power station.

Easter Sunday carnage: The big picture of Intelligence failure and how to fix it Only the tip of the iceberg of a wider intelligence failure

Sri Lanka’s battle against Islamic extremism would involve two integral parts: (a) an intelligence driven kinetic approach to flush out, arrest or neutralize violent extremists; and (b) a State facilitated and community- led approach to combat non-violent extremism, reverse the spread of Wahhabism and Arabization of local Muslims and restore the primacy of moderate Sufi Islam among Sri Lankan Muslim community. For each task at hand, the Govern

Refugee Crisis in Sri Lanka after Easter Sunday Bombings

“Pakistan is a country where suicide bombings happen on a regular basis, mobs gather and kill minorities and people who think differently, houses and settlements are attacked, people are forced to leave their homes.

Terrorist attack on Easter Sunday What does ‘National Security’ mean?

It is apparent that the outgoing Secretary of Defence by his controversial statement on national security, inferred that protecting luxury hotels was not the responsibility of the Security forces, on the basis that these hotels earn large profits and as such they should provide their own security.

Anti – Terrorist Action Must Not Become a Witch Hunt Against Sri Lankan Muslims

Mohammed Zahran the founder-leader of the National Thawheed Jama’at and suspected ring leader of the Islamic State (IS) inspired attacks on Easter Sunday has been officially reported dead by the Sri Lankan Police.

The Making of a deadly ideology

Thawheed, a household word in Sri Lanka and Christian communities around the world these days is not alien to Muslims. In fact, the concept of Thawheed is the foundation of Islam. In a way, it is what Islam is all about.

Battle of Sainthamaruthu

Sri Lanka’s security forces have engaged in many battles and armed confrontations during the long war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The military defeat of the LTTE in May 2009 brought an end to the conflict. Thereafter for ten years, the country has been experiencing peace and relative tranquillity. The armed forces too were confined to

Unveiling the face-veil ban

It was almost a decade ago that countries across Europe began wrestling with the issue of the Muslim veil – in its various forms. The debate encapsulated religious freedom, female equality, secular traditions and even fears of terrorism. The conversation explored the multiculturalism in Europe, as many argued that there needed to be a greater effort to assimilate

The veil and the ‘Arabanisation’ of Lankan Muslims

Girls too young to understand the essence of religion adorn the Nikab. Some forced due to cultural imposition, and others too young to know why. Madrasas spread across the island ignore history, art culture, literature and theology which form the core of religious education.

How Wahhabism was fostered until it’s too late

On Friday, the imam of a Sufi mosque in Saindamarudu was alerted by the locals about a suspicious crowd in a house in the neighbourhood housing scheme called, Bolivia village. That is an exclusively Muslim housing scheme of 400 houses built after the Indian Ocean tsunami. The owner of one of the houses there had given his residence on rent to a man who claims to be a telecom engineer from Kattankudy; since new tenants moved in, he has observed a

Are Laws to Combat International Terrorism adequate?

In the wake of the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks, a question has emerged regarding the inadequacy of the existing laws to combat terrorism, and whether new laws should be brought in to counter international terrorism. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told Skynews that there were no laws in Sri Lanka to arrest those who joined foreign terrorist groups and returned to the country.

“One form of extremism breeds other forms of extremism” : HRC

The Human Rights Commission (HRC) of Sri Lanka has urged all citizens to refrain from engaging in hate speech or inciting violence, and to act responsibly against all forms of extremism, in the aftermath of the Easter Sunday terror attacks....

Those Terrorists have no Religion: Displaced Asylum Seekers

“We understand how sad and angry they must be feeling for the loss of their relatives. But, we also hate terrorism. We love peace and freedom which is why we came to peace-loving Sri Lanka,” Hafza, a Pakistani national, said. Hafza...

We don’t need a new Constitution, but a peaceful country: Survivor

So many heartbreaking stories about victims of gruesome terrorist attacks, that took place on Easter Day, are heard via the media these days. The more intimately affected – those families and friends currently dealing with....

Sri Lanka Stands United

In the aftermath of multiple bomb attacks on Easter Sunday for which the Islamic State claimed responsibility, Daily Mirror, spoke to several parties on strengthening the harmony among the different ethnic and religious groups.

Batticaloa seeks peace and healing amidst grief and suspicion

Tension and uncertainty prevailed in Batticaloa yesterday, three days after a deadly suicide blast in the Zion Church on Easter Sunday claimed the lives of 29 persons, including 14 children, prompting clergy and officials to call for peace and calm, as the eastern district experienced another day of mourning and shut-down.

Zion Church blast Batticaloa’s episode with a ‘dangerous seeker’

On April 22 (Monday) the final rites of 12-year-old Sharon Steven, his 10-year-old sister Shara Ebshiba, and their 13-year-old friend Jenakshika Thivenithan were held in Batticaloa, along with the funerals of 23 other victims of the Easter Sunday bomb attack that claimed the lives of 29 people in Zion Church. A total 14 children (7 girls and 7 boys) and 12 adults have so far

Negombo still groggy after worst nightmare

It was minutes after the Rev. Father delivered a speech about the importance of helping people during difficult times that the suicide bomber triggered the bomb at the St. Sebastian’s Church in Katuwapitiya, Negombo, killing scores and injuring many. Taking a cue from a recent incident in Trincomalee, where an injured youth was seen on CCTV desperately seeking help from bystanders who ignored him, Rev. Father at the Sebastian’s Church preached to

Easter Sunday Attacks: Stories from under the rubble

Multiple explosions on Easter Sunday (April 21) left an island nation devastated and the Government has declared today a national day of mourning. Explosions took place at three churches, namely St. Sebastian’s in Katuwapitiya, St Anthony’s Church in Kochchikade, Colombo and Zion Church in Batticaloa, in the Eastern Province; and three hotels namely Shangri-La, Kingsbury and Cinnamon Grand. There were other explosions too.

Guidelines by Army to be issued to all hotels

A security briefing to all the Colombo city hotels and some suburban hoteliers had been held yesterday, the Chairman of both Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) and Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB), Kishu Gomes said.

Should trust and truth be mutually exclusive in Sri Lanka?

The value of truthfulness is universally accepted. It is so vital to society that it even exists in some form or other in all religious scriptures that instil the basic values and morals society lives by. Buddhists vow to refrain from being untruthful, Christians....

No “Hosannas” for inter-religious harmony as Methodist prayer centre faces Palm Sunday attack

While many Christians, non-Christians, politicians and government leaders in Sri Lanka were gripped by the fire that engulfed the historic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris last Monday, little attention was given to a mob attack on.....

Arrest of writer Sathkumara sparks debate on freedom of expression

On April 1, award-winning author and poet Shakthika Sathkumara was arrested and remanded on contrived charges of inciting religious hatred, a move that has been decried by artists, academics and free-speech advocates as setting a dangerous precedent against the freedom of expression.