Anti-Muslim Sentiments and Violence: A Major Threat to Ethnic Reconciliation and Ethnic Harmony in Post-War Sri Lanka

Sarjoon, Athambawa; Yusoff, Mohammad Agus; Hussin, Nordin

doi:10.3390/rel7100125

Cited by 21 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Sinhala-Buddhist nationalism, while promoting a military solution to the national question, aimed to strengthen the unitary nature of the state structure in which there was little room for power devolution or autonomy for minorities. This was one of the major reasons expressed by nationalist forces for the oppositions whenever Muslims advocated for power-sharing and political autonomy during the peace process (see [9,40]). Some nationalist political forces found the Muslims' autonomy demand to be equal to the Tamils' demand for a separate state.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anti-Halal and Anti-Animal Slaughtering Campaigns and Their Impact in Post-War Sri Lanka

Yusoff

Sarjoon

2017

Religions

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This paper aims to examine the overall impact of anti-halal and anti-slaughtering campaigns in the context of post-war Sri Lanka. The reemergence of majoritarian ethno-religious anti-minority nationalist forces and their intensified anti-minority hatred and violence have made it challenging for ethno-religious minorities in Sri Lanka to engage in religious norms and duties. This is especially true for the Muslim community. Numerous Islamic fundamentals have been criticized and opposed. Muslims have had to endure threats and acts of violence. These campaigns and violent oppositions, imposed by the Buddhist-nationalist forces, have caused concern for Muslims performing their obligatory religious duties and norms. In Sri Lanka, the Muslim community has been allowed to produce halal food and slaughter animals for human consumption and religious rituals for a long period without disturbance. Unfortunately, retaliation and hatred in the post-civil war era in the country have threatened these rights. Thus, it has become imperative to investigate the motivating factors of the anti-halal and anti-animal slaughtering campaigns and violence, as well as their related impact, which is lacking in the existing literature on ethno-religious politics in the context of Sri Lanka. This study found that the anti-halal and anti-animal slaughtering campaigns and oppositions that have been intensified by the Buddhist nationalist forces were part of anti-Muslim sentiments intended to sabotage the economic pride of Muslims and undermine their religious renaissance. The study also found that these campaigns have been facilitated by the state and that continuous facilitation of the anti-Muslim sentiments and campaigns, including the anti-halal and anti-animal slaughter campaigns, would challenge the country's economic prosperity and the rebuilding of ethno-religious harmony.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anti-Halal and Anti-Animal Slaughtering Campaigns and Their Impact in Post-War Sri Lanka

Yusoff

Sarjoon

2017

Religions

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“…These provisions were the major motivating factor of Buddhist nationalist forces which induce them to campaign on establishing a predominant Buddhist nationstate in Sri Lanka, thus challenging the existence of religious minorities. Most of the speeches on Buddhist nationalism and anti-Muslim and anti-Christian campaigns of Buddhist nationalist forces refer to these constitutional provisions and urge the government to promote and protect Buddhism and its traditional heritage in the country (See: Sarjoon et al, 2016).…”

Section: Nature Of Religious Freedom and Position Of Religious Minorimentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Following the Dambulla mosque attack, there were attacks and anti-Muslim demonstrations against the establishment of mosques and religious teaching institutions in many parts of the country. Some of the worst incidents include the attacks and demonstration against a Madrasa at Dehiwala in May 2012, the burning of the Jummah mosque in Unnichai village in Batticaloa district in August 2012, attacks causing damage to the loudspeaker and sound system of the Mohideen Jumma mosque of Kohilawatte, Wellampitiya, in Colombo in August 2012, and the burning of the inside of the Thakkiya Mosque at Malwathu Lane of Malwathu Oya, Sinha Kanuwa, Anuradhpura, in October 2012 (on the day of the Hajj festival), which was followed by a protest demanding the removal of the above-mentioned mosque in January 2013 (See: Sarjoon et al, 2016;Secretariat for Muslims, 2015).…”

Section: Anti-muslim Religious Violence In the Post-war Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Post-War Religious Violence, Counter-State Response and Religious Harmony in Sri Lanka

Yusoff

Sarjoon

2019

Journal of Educational and Social Research

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Sri Lankan military forces and government authorities have succeeded to counter measure terrorism by defeating the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). However, their initiatives and efforts to restore peace and harmony among different ethno-religious groups in the post-war context are highly complex. The additional space given to the reemergence of radical religious groups has negatively influenced the process of fostering religious tolerance and harmony, which have been maintained for centuries in the country. Ethno-religious minorities became the major targets of religious hatred and violent attacks. At both the societal and political platforms, majoritarian religious sentiments and discourse have established a dominant presence in opposing the existence and practice of the religious fundamentals of minorities. This study has attempted to investigate the nature and impact of majoritarian religious violence in post-war Sri Lanka, as well as the efforts made by the government authorities to control them in order to foster religious tolerance and harmony in the country. This study argues that religious violence under the shadow of religious nationalism has been promoted by many forces as a mechanism by which to consolidate a majoritarian ethno-religious hegemony in the absence of competing ethnic-groups context in post-war Sri Lanka. In many ways, state apparatuses have failed to control religious violence, maintain religious tolerance and inter-religious harmony, particularly of accommodating minorities in nature. The study concludes that the continuous promotion of majoritarian religious hegemony through anti-minority religious hatred and violence would further promote religious intolerance and radicalism challenging the establishment of religious harmony in the country.

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“…Neither Muslim parties nor their leaders justified or clarified the background of the housing schemes and convinced relevant government authorities to allocate these houses for Muslim victims. For 12 years, these houses are abundant without maintenance and are undistributed to the victims (See Yusoff, Sarjoon, Hussin, 2016;Farook, 2013). This situation shows the lack of unity and collective responsibility of Muslim parties in resolving urgent and basic issues of Muslim community.…”

Section: Lack Of Collective Voice For Muslims' Concerns and Grievancesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Accordingly, they mainly targeted Muslims and Islam in the post-war era by attacking the places of Islamic worships and teaching, such as mosques, madrasas and shrines, and questioning the practice of several Islamic fundamentals, such as halal, Islamic Shariya and Islamic cultural attires. The anti-Muslim sentiment and violence negatively influenced the religious practice of Muslims and their socio-economic and livelihood activities in many ways (See: Sarjoon, Yusoff and Hussin, 2016). Public, critics and researchers pointed out that these anti-Muslim sentiment and violence were politically motivated.…”

Section: Lack Of Collective Voice For Muslims' Concerns and Grievancesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analyzing the Fragmented Sri Lankan Muslim Politics in Post-Ashraff Era

Yusoff¹,

Sarjoon²,

Zain³

2018

JPL

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The traditional Muslim politics in Sri Lanka transformed with the formation of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and its active communal politics under its founder-leader, M.H.M.Ashraff. While representing the interests of the Muslim community, particularly those living in the north-eastern region, SLMC through its politics of bargaining and consensus voiced and advocated for the interests, rights and privileges of the Muslim community as well as contributed to their socio-economic and cultural upliftment at the crossroad of ethnic conflict and civil war. Although SLMC received popular mandate from the Muslim community, the party fell into fragmentation with the unexpected demise of its founder-leader in 2000, and splits were instigated shortly. This fragmentation caused a severe effect in the distinct path of Muslim politics in Sri Lanka. This study examines the fragmented nature and the trends of Muslim politics, particularly the politics of SLMC in post-Ashraff era and their impact. This study reveals that the fragmentation within SLMC caused leadership crisis and emergence of many Muslim political parties that promoted ugly politics of opportunism. This trend ultimately reduced the bargaining strength of Muslim politics, negatively influenced representative politics, leading to the negligence and marginalisation of Muslims’ concerns and grievances in national politics. The leadership crisis and regionalism also negatively influenced the politics of SLMC and other Muslim parties in post-Ashraff era. This study also finds that unifying splinter-groups, reforming party structure and procedures, and redefining goals and path of achieving them would not only strengthen the politics of SLMC and other Muslim political parties but also would give a new brand for Muslim minority politics in Sri Lanka.

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Anti-Muslim Sentiments and Violence: A Major Threat to Ethnic Reconciliation and Ethnic Harmony in Post-War Sri Lanka

Cited by 21 publications

References 13 publications

Anti-Halal and Anti-Animal Slaughtering Campaigns and Their Impact in Post-War Sri Lanka

Anti-Halal and Anti-Animal Slaughtering Campaigns and Their Impact in Post-War Sri Lanka

Post-War Religious Violence, Counter-State Response and Religious Harmony in Sri Lanka

Analyzing the Fragmented Sri Lankan Muslim Politics in Post-Ashraff Era

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