Archives par mot-clé : anti-Muslim violence

“2013 Report on International Religious Freedom – Sri Lanka” by UNHCR

Publié le par
Répondre

The Sinhala Buddhist group Bodu Bala Sena (BBS, “Forces of Buddhist Power”) continued to promote views religious and ethnic minorities considered hostile. Local media and NGOs noted strong linkages between the BBS and the government, particularly Secretary of Defense (and brother of the president) Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who appeared prominently at public BBS events during the year. In response to pressure from this group, municipal councils began passing regulations prohibiting the slaughter of cows, a BBS demand, in their areas.

At times, local police and government officials appeared to be acting in concert with Buddhist nationalist organizations. Evangelical Christian churches, especially in the south, reported increased pressure and harassment by local government bodies to suspend worship activities or close down if they were not registered with the government, despite no legal requirement to do so. The National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL) stated that “dozens” of churches from all parts of the country had been questioned about their legality by local government officials and police.

via: http://www.refworld.org/docid/53d9070f14.html

DM

More Posts

“Aluthgama violence: Where was Sri Lanka’s President?” by Groundviews

Publié le par
Répondre

The horrible killings and destruction in Aluthgama on Sunday was blacked out by almost all mainstream media in Sri Lanka at the height of the violence and the morning after. However, the violence was in detail and close to real time covered extensively over social media, leading to a documentation many times greater and more detailed than what the Government of Sri Lanka would have liked.

But where, one may ask, was Sri Lanka’s President in the middle of all this violence and what was he doing?

One may also ask, in light of very real fears over the escalation and expansion of violence, what the official response of the President of Sri Lanka was to the worst communal riots to hit the country in years?

Click here to find out.

DM

More Posts

“Aluthgama: One month after the riots” by Groundviews

Publié le par
Répondre

Overview of coverage

Exactly one month ago, Aluthgama and Beruwela witnessed the worst anti-Muslim riots in Sri Lanka for many years. Incredibly, for days, there was no official response to the rioting from the Government of Sri Lanka, with the President out of the country getting, ironically, an award for his contributions to peace. To date, not a single official word of regret or condolence over the lives and livelihoods lost, or a single word condemning the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) from the Government, which is unsurprisingly pre-occupied with containing and censoring, if need be, the political fallout of the riots.     

From when the violence was taking place and over the past four weeks, Groundviews published security camera video footage, compelling photographs (that have been re-published in mainstream media), long-form journalism, articles, eye-witness accounts, hundreds of tweets and Facebook updates on the unrest and its social, political and economic impact. This content has flagged, inter alia, the Government’s outrageous silence, the delay in any kind of official response, the blatant falsehoods and thinly veiled racism by constituent members of government like the JHU as well as posed hard questions for the Muslims in Sri Lanka, in the aftermath of the violence.

The site has also curated a comprehensive collection of official statements around the violence on the web by domestic and international voices. 

###

DM

More Posts

“Sri lankan leader warns of radicalisation after clashes” by Shihar Aneez and Ranga Sirilal

Publié le par
Répondre

Sri Lanka’s Muslim minority could become radicalised and turn to foreign Islamic groups for support because of violent attacks on them by Buddhist hardliners, the island nation’s main Muslim leader and justice minister said on Friday.

via: http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/07/11/sri-lanka-muslims-violence-idINL4N0PM3ST20140711

DM

More Posts

“Incidents of Violence against Muslims in Sri Lanka” by Organisation of Islamic Cooperation

Publié le par
Répondre

OIC noted that the Muslim community in Sri Lanka has a long standing presence in the country and a tradition of living in peace and harmony with their compatriots. Muslims represents an important and active community which contributes to the cultural and economic life of Sri Lanka as a whole. The recent attacks appear to follow a rising trend of violence instigated by extremists which is spreading fear and mistrust among the population.

While appealing for calm and peaceful relations between the communities, Mr Madani urged the authorities to enforce the rule of law, investigate the incidents and bring the perpetrators to justice.

http://www.oic-oci.org/oicv2/topic/?t_id=9144&t_ref=3663&lan=en

DM

More Posts

“In Pictures: Sri Lanka hit by religious riots” by Dinouk Colombage

Publié le par
Répondre

In two days of rioting and looting four people have been killed, including a Tamil security guard, and 80 others injured, the majority being from the Muslim community. Over 60 homes and businesses were set on fire in the two days while several mosques were also damaged.

Despite the deployment of Sri Lanka’s Special Task Force the police were unable to control the mobs who numbered in the thousands according to eyewitness reports. Eventually the military was called in to restore order.

The towns, which were once tourist attractions, are now under the blanket of a military curfew with many Muslim residents fearing to return to their homes. Sinhala Buddhist families in the area have taken to marking their homes with the Buddhist flag in an attempt to ensure they are not caught up in the attacks.

via: http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/inpictures/2014/06/pictures-sri-lanka-hit-religio-2014617112053394816.html

source: www.aljazeera.com

DM

More Posts

“Anti – Muslim Violence Instigated by Bodhu Bala Sena in Aluthgama and Beruwela Results in Three Deaths and Over Sixty Injuries;Muslim Owned Houses, Businesses and Mosques Torched” by D.B.S.Jeyaraj

Publié le par
Répondre

“A curfew was clamped down in the Aluthgama and Beruwela Police divisions of Kalutara district in the Western Province of Sri Lanka following an outbreak of communal violence on Sunday June 15th 2014 that was triggered off by the “Ethno Religious Fascist” Organization the Bodhu Bala Sena (BBS).”

via: http://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/archives/30652

source: http://dbsjeyaraj.com

DM

More Posts

“IS THE BBS THE BOSS?” by Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka

Publié le par
Répondre

In Aluthgama we witnessed a dangerous replay of July ‘83 in the sense that there was a situation of dual power. Who controls the situation: the state apparatuses or the Sinhala Buddhist ‘street’? However, the BBS posed a further question in Aluthgama: who controls the state itself and its direction; its actions? The legitimate state authorities or the monks? Even more serious was the contestation of legitimacy itself: who is more legitimate, the elected civilian power or the monkhood?

via: http://groundviews.org/2014/06/17/is-the-bbs-the-boss/

source: http://groundviews.org

DM

More Posts

“The agony of Aluthgama” by Dharisha Bastians

Publié le par
Répondre

Sickening. The BBS and supporters (including those at Maharagama) accused Muslims of creating “divisions” among Sri Lankan people through labeling of Halal foods (after “peace” had been restored to the country in 2009). Tell me again who is creating divisions?

via: http://www.ft.lk/2014/06/17/the-agony-of-aluthgama/

source: www.ft.lk

DM

More Posts

“Muslims killed in Sri Lanka mob attacks” by Aljazeera

Publié le par
Répondre

Residents of the riot-hit areas said Muslims were leaving their homes and seeking shelter in community centres as fears of more violence lurked.

There were no reports of arrests.

The latest unrest came just weeks after Muslim legislators asked Rajapaksa to protect their minority community from “Buddhist extremist elements” blamed for a recent spate of hate attacks.

DM

More Posts

“Alas Aluthgama!” by Dharisha Bastians

Publié le par
Répondre

Muslim families gathered at the Dhargatown Marikkar Street Mosque and several other mosques in the area, as homes came under attack by violent mobs, who continued to move about despite the curfew in force.
Shops came under attack in the Beruwala area at 9 PM, in spite of the police curfew, according to sources in the area. Crowds of people were on the March again in Aluthgama by 9 p.m., with police warning Muslim residents to stay indoors. Fixed line telephones in several areas of Aluthgama also went dead late last night.

via: http://www.ft.lk/2014/06/16/alas-aluthgama/

source: www.ft.lk

DM

More Posts

“Mr. Hakeem’s Crime” by Tisaranee Gunasekara

Publié le par
Répondre

This is the provenance of Mahinda Rajapaksa’s anger: minority-guests do not have inalienable rights and, if they stay in Sri Lanka, must uncomplainingly accept whatever the Sinhala-hosts choose to do. If they complain, they are traitors.

That mindset spawned the ethnic problem and the long Eelam War. Are the Rajapaksas deliberately reusing it to ignite a religious conflict? Are they planning to regain their role as Sinhala-Saviours by imposing a new war on us?

Via https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/mr-hakeems-crime/

source: www.colombotelegraph.com

DM

More Posts