Religious Violence In Sri Lanka: The Peace Shatters
Religious Violence In Sri Lanka: The Peace Shatters
Sri Lanka has faced its worst religious violence in decades as 3 persons have been killed and 38 injured amidst rising tensions in the island nation. The fight between the Buddhists and the Muslims has reached its peak after a gradual build up. Riots have erupted following a protest march by hard-line Buddhist group Bodu Bala Sena led partly by monks.
The group whose name translated means Buddhist Power Force has charged ahead and engaged in combat with Muslims in the nation. Stones and gas bombs have also been hurled in the village of Welipitiya. The fight betweent he 2 communities has escalated as mobs have attacjed the village shops and homes.
The response to this outbreak was one of deep despair, as Sri Lankan Minister of Justice Rauff Hakeem has denounced the inaction of the government. The leader of the country's largest Muslim party, he confirmed the number of dead and injured besides declaring that he “couldn't protect my people”.
The law and order machinery has collapsed, said Hakeem as he indicated how efforts had been made to prevent this rally for fear of riots. Following a fight between a Muslim youth and a Buddhist monk, there were clashes which degenerated into riots.
Curfews have been imposed in Aluthgama and the nearby town of Beruwala to prevent the violence from escalating further, but this has had little impact on the violent mobs.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa currently on a visit to Bolivia has indicated on Twitter that the government will not allow anyone to take law into his own hands and he urged parties to act in restraint. Authorities have indicated that curfew will remain in effect in the Muslim-dominated areas of Aluthgama and Beruwala. The affected areas are about 60 kilometers south of Colombo which is the capital.
The violence has flared up between the majority Buddhist and minority Muslim community resulting in terrible repercussions for the country. It is hatred and violence which sows the seeds of deep discord between communities in any nation. With war and violence becoming a way of life for many nations across the world, riots such as these fan the flames of hatred even more.
Peace can only have a chance if people are willing to hear other's voices and respect law. But when passions are flared and emotions are high, rationality goes out of the window and all that is left is mindless hatred.
Communities have to accord mutual respect and dignity to each other if peace has to be preserved. Law makers and officials have to be proactive in their approach to promote peace and understanding between different communities. There are 7 colors in the rainbow and each is unique and distinct. In diversity, unity is a tough if mutual respect and understanding is missing. Then, all one will get is a blur of mismatched colors rather than a perfect rainbow. All one will get is a world where war and hatred abound rather than peace and compassion.
