Let’s frown upon killings in the name of religion

Activists protest outside the Pakistan’s High Commission in Colombo on December 6, 2021, over the killing of Sri Lankan’s factory manager Priyantha Kumara who was beaten to death and set ablaze by a mob who accused him of blasphemy. (Photo AFP)

The brutal incident that occurred recently in Sialkot and the latest developments in the Muslim majority Pakistan make us think of how religion can make a place very dangerous to live in. 

Generally religion is known to make us calmer, happier and tolerent individuals; largely tolerant of others who may be practising a faith different to yours. 

Pakistan has been a dear friend to Sri Lanka at times of need and also provided employment opportunities to the islanders. That’s why Priyantha Kumara Diyawadana went to Pakistan to work as a Export Manager at a factory. But little known to us Sri Lankans Pakistan has had a record since 1990 where extra judicial killings have taken place in the name of religion. That’s when those hurt claim that the perpetrators carried an act termed as blasphemy.  This is the alleged accusation against Kumara, but all those stories are said to be speculative. Nothing has been proved in the land of Pakistan, but the damage done to Kumara and his family is immense. 

Sri Lankan’s haven’t reacted aggressively to the death, but rather the island’s response has come in the form of quiet protests and calls to compensate the surviving members of Kumara’s family. The Sinhale National United Alliance has demanded the Pakistan Government pay Kumara’s family US $ 1 million apart from asking for a written apology for the killing from the regime headed by Imran Khan. The former cricketer turned politician Imran Khan has handled the situation quite diplomatically and done much through his capacity as Prime Minister to calm tensions between the two nations by corresponding with Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Khan has assured justice regarding the slaying of the Sri Lankan national who was employed in Pakistan. The Government of Sri Lanka has promised to grant an aid worth Rs 2.5 million to Kumara’s family; the monies to be paid via the Employee’s Welfare Fund of the Bureau of Foreign Employment. 

The question is how Sri Lanka is going to respond to this form of killing which can be described as ‘religious extremism’. Prior to the 2019 church bombings in Sri Lanka there was much talk in the island about some foreigners arriving in the island to spread islam; member of parliament Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe describing it as Islamic extremism (As reported in the local media).    

The aggressive practice of religion is nothing new to Sri Lankans. During the two terms of Mahinda Rajapaksa’s regime as President we saw how a vociferous hefty monk ran riot in the country and even started threatening fellow saffron robed monks who opposed his vision for the religion. That was a period where even Myanmar’s controversial monk Ashin Wirathu landed in Sri Lanka and promoted his vision of protecting Buddhists around the world. His vision was to go beyond Myanmar in building a front against Islamist militancy. But still this monk is rated as a rebel with aggressive tendencies. 

So both these nations have a past to be ashamed of. And religion has been the root cause for much of that violence. If we are at present shocked and alarmed about what happened in Pakistan we just have to turn the pages of time and we would find enough such incidents where religion was at the bottom of controversy followed by violence. One solid example was the burning and attacks on churches in Sri Lanka in 2004 following the death of Ven Gangodawila Soma Thera. The monk died of natural causes in Russia, but there was growing speculation in the island of a Christian conspiracy behind the priest’s sudden passing away. 

The problem with such speculation is that they are fuelled by extremists who have agendas which promote ideologies which can be harmful to the average peaceful person. In Pakistan too there was only speculation about Kumara being engaged in an act termed as blasphemy. His wife has denied these allegations. 

Religious leaders like Gautama Buddha and Jesus Christ have promoted tolerance and non-violence. And what’s for concern is that Christians and Buddhists have come under attacks; one such brutal incident being the massacre of a large number of Buddhist priests in Aranthalawa by tiger rebels. 

These are times where the Government of Sri Lanka is attempting to promote its idea of ‘one country one law’. This is a solid idea to be promoted throughout the world, especially in Muslim majority countries where the teachings in the Quran can influence the thinking and decision making of people in authority. Extra judicial killings must be frowned upon and killings done in the name of religion must be investigated and the perpetrators must be dealt with severely by the law.