A New Form of Anti-Muslim Terrorism

in Sri Lanka: What is to be Done?

by Laksiri Fernando-May 30, 2017

( May 30, 2017, Sydney, Sri Lanka Guardian) The incidents at

present appear geographically scattered. But things can get
concentrated and escalated into larger proportions, if stern action
is not taken soon to apprehend the instigators. This is important
as addressing the flood emergency and the devastation caused
by this natural disaster and the administrative neglect, with all
heartfelt sympathy to all flood victims.

The pattern of recent attacks against Mosques and Muslim-owned

businesses shows those are not a reflection of any resentment
from the ordinary people, but organized action by extremist
religious and nationalist groups. The danger however is that the
things can get quite viral and the instigators can recruit larger
groups and influence others to behave in the same manner. The
conditions inside the country and overseas might work in favour
of them, if rapid action is not taken to control the situation.

There are clear indications and evidence for the direct

involvement of the Bodu Bala Sena (Buddhist Force Army BBS)
and its leader, Galagoda Atte Gnanasara. It is difficult for me to
call him Venerable, Thero or consider him as a proper Buddhist
monk. It appears to be a small group of his followers who go
around the country, attacking the Muslims and their places of
worship and businesses. His direct involvement in several of these
incidents, including the attack on the Kurunegala mosque, is very
clear. The most recent attack on a Muslim shop was in the town of
Kahawatte in the Ratnapura district last week (22 May), before
the floods came in, and it was burnt to the ground according to
the reports.
Is it Terrorism?

Why it is terrorism and a new form of terrorism? It is true that the

United Nations have so far not been able to come up with a
comprehensive definition of terrorism due to disagreements
among the member states. However, the Security Council
resolution 1566 (2004) gives a fair description of what is terrorism
as any actionby its nature or context, is to intimidate a
population, or to compel a Government or an international
organization to do or to abstain from doing any act.

Let us for a moment forget about whether the BBS intends to

compel the government to do or to abstain from doing any
action. But it is very clear that by its nature and context, the BBS
actions intimidate the Muslim population in Sri Lanka. It is not
only intimidation. But already they have been harmed and their
properties destroyed, in addition to threatening them from
practicing their religion. The latter is about religious freedom
guaranteed as a fundamental right in Sri Lankas constitution.

Article 10 under Fundamental Rights of the Constitution

guarantees, as it says, Every person is entitled to freedom of
thought, conscience and religion, including the freedom to have
or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice. It is this fundamental
right of the Muslims that is violated through vilification of that
religion by Gnanasara and attacks on Mosques and religious
places by his BBS supporters.

The US Code of Federal Regulation 28 gives a more precise

definition on terrorism than the present UN description. As it
defines, The unlawful use of force and violence against persons
or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian
population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or
social objectives. This is the definition which was used in
proscribing the LTTE as terrorist in the United States which was
overwhelmingly hailed by Sri Lanka. The same meaning could be
applied in defining the BBS activities in Sri Lanka as terrorism.

The BBSs use of force and violence is not aimed at the

government, like in the case of the LTTE. Not yet. More
repugnantly, it is aimed at a civilian population. That is one
reason why it is a new form of terrorism, which shows early
symptoms of a neo-fascist movement. Many neo-fascist
movements, Klu Klux Klan as an example, emerged not attacking
the governments but attacking the hated civilian populations. The
Muslims at present is an easy target, because of the Islam
related terrorist activities internationally. Paradoxically, the BBS is
also the ideological mirror image of the Islamic State (IS) terrorists
or Taliban in the Middle East. The BBS led by Gnanasara has more
similarities with the 969 Movement led by Ashin Wirathu in
Myanmar (Burma).
It is also a new form of terrorism, because it is organized not in a
military fashion or as a tightly knit organization, but a loose
association of several groups, with a leader at the helm to
propagate intense hatred. The groups associated are Sinhala
Ravaya, Ravana Balaya, Sinhale, Mahason Balaya and Sinhala
Jathika Balaya (SJB); the BBS acting as the umbrella organization.
They all have the ideology of terrorism, as I defined in the last
article (Manchester Carnage and the Need to Combat
Terrorism), that contains, in addition to intense hatred, an urge
for destruction and will to sacrifice.

The government and the law enforcement authorities particularly

should be careful about the latter aspect as some of the activists
might soon resort to self-immolation. They are fanatics and true
believers. However, at these early stages, if the leader/s can be
arrested and convicted for the crimes committed, the movement
can be effectively curtailed. Inaction otherwise can lead to a
bigger monster.
Recent Attacks

There have been 12 attacks since mid-April on Mosques, Muslim

owned shops and villagers, as shown by the following table.

Date
Place/District
Nature of Attack
14 May
Onegama, Polonnaruwa
Attack and destroy of dwellings (huts)
15 May
Selvanagar, Trincomalee
Attack on Muslim villagers
15 May
Panadura, Colombo
Petrol bomb attack on Mosque
15 May
Kohilawatta, Colombo
Attack on Mosque
16 May
Selvanagar, Trincomalee
Attack on Muslim villagers
16 May
Kohilawatta, Colombo
Another attack on Mosque
17 May
Panadura, Colombo
Attack on two shops
18 May
Wennapuwa, Kurunegala
A shop burnt
21 May
Mallawapitiya, Kurunegala
Attack on Mosque
21 May
Elpitiya, Galle
A shop burnt
22 May
Maharagama, Colombo
A shop burnt
22 May
Kahawatta, Ratnapura
A shop burnt
Source: Groundviews

Of course, the accuracy of the incidents is not yet verified.

However, it is up to the Police to do so. Even if there are
inaccuracies about the extent, the incidence cannot be denied
and the patterns are clear. As the above table shows, there have
been repeated attacks on the same place; very clearly showing
the inaction of the area police. Therefore, on the part of the
government the creation of a special police for hate crimes is a
welcome move. However, this should not lead to the inaction of
the area police on the pretext that there is a new branch or
special police.

Prior to the above attacks, there had been a pattern of instigation

by the BBS and its leader, Galagoda Atte Gnanasara. The initial
focus has been at Irrakamam in the Ampara district where they
have a strong support base in the adjacent area. Irrakamam
however is predominantly a Muslim area. There had been
landgrabs, under the pretext of a dispute which should have been
resolved through law courts or official channels. That was in mid-
April. Gnanasara has visited the area and reportedly made
provocative statements against the Muslims and their faith.

It is also under his patronage that Vesak celebrations had been

held in this Muslim area on the 10th of May. It is during the same
period that the BBS propagated that the Muslim refugees are
coming from Myanmar and the local Muslims are supporting them
for further colonization. During Onegama (Polonnaruwa) attacks,
Gnanasara is reportedly been present. Another repeated
provocation has been to insult the Allah Subhanahu Wa taala
(meaning the most glorified, the most-high). There is substantial
evidence/information for the above incidents. The BBS has been
acting as if to invite IS terrorism in Sri Lanka.

Morally Repugnant

The BBS propaganda and activities in Sri Lanka are morally

repugnant in predominantly a Buddhist country. It is difficult to
imagine how Buddhism is used to propagate hatred and violently
attack another religion for narrow ethnic or sectarian reasons.

As the King Dharma Asoka declared in his Edict XII, There should
be growth in the essentials of all religions. Growth in essentials
can be done in different ways, but all of them have as their root
restraint in speech, that is, not praising ones own religion, or
condemning the religion of others without good cause. And if
there is cause for criticism, it should be done in a mild way.

What is most relevant and applicable in the case of Sri Lanka is

the following.

But it is better to honour other religions for this reason. By so

doing, ones own religion benefits, and so do other religions, while
doing otherwise harms ones own religion and the religions of
others. Whoever praises his own religion, due to excessive
devotion, and condemns others with the thought Let me glorify
my own religion, only harms his own religion.

(The Edicts of King Asoka,

https://www.cs.colostate.edu/~malaiya/ashoka.html)
It is hard to believe that Gnanasaras cause is a religious cause.
He does not engage in any meaningful criticism or discourse other
than insults and abuse. His demeanour is violent. If he or anyone
wants to air doctrinal differences, that can be done in decent
writing. As the good king Asoka said, if there is cause for
criticism, it should be done in a mild way. That does not preclude
the freedom of criticism. But it should not be vilification of other
religions. This distinction does not appear to be clear for many
people in Sri Lanka unfortunately. This is the same in human
rights. Freedom of criticism, anyway is not burning Muslim shops
and attacking Mosques.

It is rather farcical that the BBS representatives had lodged

complaints before the Human Rights Commission. If that is to
safeguard any atrocity on the part of the police, in the process of
arresting him, then he should appear before a Magistrate and
surrender. He should give up and face the rule of law. The fact of
the matter is that the police and the law enforcement authorities
have been quite lenient on Gnanasara and the BBS so far. He has
reportedly been there on the 21st May during the Mosque attack
in Kurunegala. But he was not arrested.

The National Task

The police hierarchy may or may not be culpable of directly

protecting the BBS. But they must be at east confused or
influenced by the same propaganda and prejudices against the
ordinary Muslims and the business people. These have been long
standing in the country. In early 20th century, many of the
Piyadasa Sirisenas novels used to propagate these prejudices. I
myself have experienced my neighbours at Peradeniya in the
1970/80s harbouring these prejudices and antipathy against the
Muslims or their businesses.

But previously, I have also experienced the Sinhala Buddhists and

the Muslims amicably coexisting in Moratuwa-Horetuduwa area
during my childhood. Therefore, it is a mixed situation or a
deterioration of a previous situation. There can be a possibility
that the way some of the Muslims conduct their businesses is
distasteful to some Sinhala businessmen. But that is not a reason
to attack and burn their shops and businesses. The reasons can
be profit competition or envy. This is where the rule of law should
prevail. The misunderstandings or even prejudices should be
matters for the much-declared National Reconciliation
efforts/programme to address. The Muslims also have a role to
play in this endeavour.

Sri Lanka cannot go on like this. After major attacks in June 2014
at Aluthgama, there were all indications that the BBS was
planning to celebrate the centenary of the 1915 Sinhala-Muslim
riots in 2015. What prevented this catastrophe was the change of
government and the political situation. Therefore, the present
government has a major responsibility to sustain and stabilize the
situation. An apparent problem may be one part of the present
government is one part of the past government.

The events during April and May are quite disturbing and
detrimental to national unity and harmony. These should be
curtailed not under an iron fist, as some would argue, but under
the rule of law. There should be national consensus going beyond
party politics and bringing all parties/sections together as much
as possible. It is difficult to imagine any democratic party or
formation would conscientiously approve what is conducted by
the BBS. At least that is the expressed position/s of all democratic
parties. Therefore, that potential should be utilized to the full
extent. There are parties (i.e. the Left) even in the Joint Opposition
that should be mobilized against the BBS xenophobic activities.

There is much discussion on the issues of national security these

days. The most dangerous threat to national security, both
internally and externally, at present is religious disharmony and
conflict in the country. These issues warrant a special
parliamentary debate with the objective of achieving common
consensus in curtailing the situation. This is equally important as
flood relief activities and assistance to the victims.
Posted by Thavam