ANALYSIS - Anti-Muslim violence in Sri Lanka: reasons & lessons

By Abdullahil Ahsan

- The writer is professor of comparative civilization at the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Istanbul Sehir University. He has written extensively on the relationship between Islamic and Western civilizations.

ISTANBUL (AA) - The government of Sri Lanka has just lifted the nationwide emergency imposed nearly two weeks ago to stop anti-Muslim communal violence in the country. A couple of decades ago such anti-Muslim violence in Sri Lanka would have been inconceivable. Constituting approximately ten percent of the total population, Muslims have been very much part of the Sri Lankan society for centuries. They have participated in business, politics, education and humanitarian activities along with their majority Sinhalese compatriots. However, Muslims seem to have become a target as an antagonist group of people since the defeat of the LTTE, the Tamil separatists, in 2009, and the recent violence has prompted the government to declare an emergency in the country.

Why has this happened? What does this violence indicate? Who benefits from it? What should one learn from this conflict? Let us examine these questions in the light of the latest developments.

- Origins of conflict

Undoubtedly, Sri Lankan Muslims are the main sufferers in this conflict. But would this conflict not affect the Sinhalese community as well? Losing the trust of a companion that has made significant contributions to the country’s economy for centuries will definitely impinge upon the whole nation. But again, the question is: who is going to benefit from this violence? This question should lead us to examine how this latest flare-up has occurred.

According to some reports, an extremist group called “Bodu Bala Sena”, or Buddhist Power Force, and some other similar entities are responsible for this development. According to a researcher [1] from the International Crisis Group (ICG), "These attacks are organised, well-planned … And there is good reason to believe they are partly designed to provoke a Muslim response, which would then justify more violence against Muslims." This observation makes sense because it explains why all of a sudden the Sri Lankan Muslim community has become a target for provocation. Sri Lanka fought a long war against the Tamil separatists and during this long war, Sri Lanka witnessed some sort of unity among the Sinhalese population. It seems that after the defeat of the Tamil separatists, some Sinhalese nationalist leaders felt the need for a new enemy for the continuation of the Sinhalese nationalist feelings for national unity. Among these nationalist leaders, the former president and current opposition leader Mahindra Rajapakse seems to be at the forefront. But is it wise on his part to target the Muslim community for the purpose? Is it going to work?

- Following ‘Clash of Civilizations’ thesis

Rajapakse seems to have been motivated by the political theory that one needs a common enemy in order to stimulate the collective unity of a given political community. Former Harvard University Professor Samuel P. Huntington’s successful application of this theory in defining international relations in the post-Cold War world seems to have convinced Rajapakse to find a new enemy in his Sri Lankan context. But has he been wise in his selection of the Muslim community for this purpose? Has the application of the “Clash of Civilizations” thesis reduced violence around the world? Has the Muslim community’s role in the history of Sri Lanka been the same as the Tamil community? No, Muslims in Sri Lanka have never demonstrated any separatist tendency. In fact, on the contrary, they have generally collaborated with the Sinhalese-based political parties for independence and national development. Even now they have representation in most of the national political parties. Why then did Sinhalese extremists target Muslims as if they were their adversaries? This question leads us to look for specific reasons for the conflict.

- Allegation against Muslims

Muslims have been accused of being unpatriotic, being involved in drugs and narcotics, reproducing much faster than their fellow Sinhalese and thus of standing poised to outnumber Sri Lanka’s Sinhalese by the year 2050. Muslims have also been accused of selling sterilization drugs to make Sinhalese women infertile, Islamizing Sri Lanka by importing, selling and exporting ‘halal’ goods in Sri Lanka and, by doing so, bringing Shari’ah Law to Sri Lanka, so on and so forth… There are also reports of extremist Buddhist monks going around complaining about Muslims controlling businesses and purchasing commercially valuable lands. However, no evidence has been produced to support the accusations and, of course, some of the accusations are downright nonsensical.

Nevertheless, the fact remains that these accusations would perhaps provoke some Muslims to respond the way three drunken Muslims did in the case of the recent flare-up of violence. This is exactly what had happened in the case of the proposition of the clash of civilizations thesis, where Muslims were identified as adversaries to U.S. interests. The ICG researcher quoted above rightly pointed out that the objective of the Sinhalese extremists is to provoke a Muslim response so that more violence could be instigated against Muslims. The clash of civilizations thesis, proposed immediately after the Cold War, has definitely increased violence all over the world. Researchers have rightly pointed out that “India’s Intelligence service, known as the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), is believed to have provided training and weaponry [2] to the LTTE up until the mid-1980s” and most observers believe that the LTTE has not died yet. It is always possible for different spy agencies to use these terrorists to recruit individuals from various backgrounds to conduct subversive activities in various parts of the world. The LTTE, which has successfully introduced suicide attacks to the world stage since the late 1980s, has been reported to have close contact with other terrorist groups [3]. Therefore, there is a strong possibility for the Sri Lankan conflict to not only worsen but also spread to other parts of the world.

- How to stop violence

However, there are some positive signs as well. The ICG researcher pointed out that the Muslim community has "been admirably restrained" so far and also the Sri Lankan Buddhist monks have rallied in the capital Colombo [4] against the anti-Muslim riot in the country. Both the ICG and the peace-loving Buddhist monks who have demonstrated their courage to oppose ultra-nationalist sentiments must be appreciated. But the role the United Nations played in the conflict must be commended the most.

- Commendable role of the UN

Within days after the declaration of the emergency, the UN dispatched its under-secretary general for political affairs to Sri Lanka and the visiting diplomat categorically "condemned the breakdown [5] in law and order and the attacks against Muslims and their property." The lessening of violence and lifting of the emergency seems to be a direct result of the UN intervention on the issue. The Sri Lankan government is reported to have launched enquiries, but the government’s determination to find a solution will depend on how the enquiry report is handled. If the government fails to make the report public, it will only mean that the government is not serious about resolving the conflict. If such activities are encouraged, facilitated and followed, we would know that we have learned from history.

[1] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/03/sri-lanka-brink-fresh-anti-muslim-violence-180307203031915.html

[2] http://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/groups/view/225

[3] http://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/groups/view/225

[4] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/03/sri-lanka-buddhist-monks-denounce-anti-muslim-riots-180309192840779.html

[5] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/03/sri-lanka-condemns-anti-muslim-violence-180311194229544.html

* Opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Anadolu Agency.