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Religious fundamentalism in post war
Sri Lanka- By Lihini Ratwatte
Sri Lanka’s population encompasses a majority of Sinhalese Buddhists and minority ethno-religious
groups of Muslims, Tamils and Christians. After gaining independence from the British rule in 1948,
sentiments of ethno-nationalism led to a succession of conflict and tension throughout the country.
In 1980, the Tamils’ proposition for an autonomous state facilitated the most prolonged ethnic
rivalry between the Sinhalese and the Tamils, which resulted in a civil war that hindered the
country’s then thriving economy and social development programs. The civil war ended in May
2009, when the present government terminated the separatist LTTE movement.
Today, five years since the end of the conflict, fundamentalist and nationalistic sentiments are on the
rise. The Bodu Bala Sena1 (BBS), a movement founded by a group of hardline monks, has been
rallying Sinhalese Sri Lankans against pluralism and multiculturalism. The growing Sinhala
Buddhist extremist ideology encompassed in the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) movement was founded on
the following dimensions: 1) advancing the Sinhala Buddhist nationalist ideology, 2) upholding
Sinhala 1 as the official and national language and 3) protecting the national economy of the
Sinhalese people.
As the nation emerges from three decades of war; societal perils such as inflation, corruption and the
rising cost of living need a scapegoat to carry the blame. In this case, the scapegoat had to be the
Muslim minority of Sri Lanka. The BBS sprang into action in April 2012, with unsubstantiated
accusations against Muslims for illegally building mosques in the city of Dambulla. The movement
declared that Dambulla had been decreed as sacred ‘temple land’ since the monarchic era of the
country, and should not be open to the construction of other religious shrines.
Violence on the streets is also prevalent as BBS followers attack business franchises owned by
Muslims. Scholars have drawn this situation as a parallel to the infamous rise of Nazism in 1930s
Germany. The Nazis blamed the Jews for having gained monetarily through Germany’s defeat in the
Great War, and accused them of driving the economy down while ensuring their own financial
stability. The accusations which were leveled by the Nazis against the Jews are now being mirrored
by the BBS and their allegations that Muslims are driving the Sinhalese out of business. Currently,
the anti-Muslim issue has progressed as far as the BBS calling for a ban of all Halal products;
claiming that the high cost borne by manufacturers
“Today, five years since
to adopt the Halal certification is being passed on to
Sinhalese consumers. Until now, the Sri Lankan
the end of the conflict,
government has not mediated in resolving the
fundamentalist and
situation or taken any formal action against the
BBS’s motives
nationalistic sentiments
Sri Lanka’s economy is heavily reliant on the
foreign income of domestic maids working in the
Middle East. If these countries were to ban the
employment of Sri Lankan maids in lieu of the
attacks on Muslims, a large source of the country’s
foreign income will be halted. Furthermore, the
United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)
has been pressing the Sri Lankan government for an
independent investigation of alleged crimes against
humanity during the last stages of the civil war. So
far, three resolutions have been implemented in
2009, 2011, and in March 2014. Although Sri Lanka
received the unprecedented support of Muslim
are on the rise. The Bodu
Bala Sena1 (BBS), a
movement founded by a
group of hardline monks,
has been rallying
Sinhalese Sri Lankans
against pluralism and
multiculturalism…”