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In an exemplary act of solidarity religious leaders, both Muslim and Buddhist, met at the Muhiyibdeen Jumma Mosque at Yonakpura, Dickwella, recently. Chief Incumbent Priests of eight Buddhist temples in Dickwella led by Dickwella Shasanarakshaka Bala Mandalaya President Ven Godellewela Rathananda Thera spent close to two hours at the Mosque last Monday night. The decision to visit the mosque was made on the instructions of Minister of Youth Affairs and Skills Development Dullas Alahapperuma.

The delegation of monks accompanied by members of Dickwella Pradeshiya Sabha led by Chairman Krishali Muthukumarana, Dickwella Police OIC, Lasantha Dadallage and other Government officials were warmly welcomed by the Moulavi of Muhiyideen Jumma Mosque Mohamed Akbar Mohamed Shamil.
Speaking to The Nation, Dickwella Pradeshiya Sabha led by Chairman Krishali Muthukumarana informed that such acts of solidarity were nothing new to Dickwella. “Due to a conflict that occurred in Dickwella a few years ago, we decided to form a conflict reporting committee,” said Krishali Muthukumarana. Over the years , the Dickwella Conflict Reporting Committee met regularly in order to solidify religious and racial harmony.

“On the instructions of Minister Dullas Alahapperuma, the Committee met again last Monday at an emergency meeting held at the Dickwella Pradeshiya Sabha,” informed Krishali Muthukumarana. Both Muslim and Buddhist religious leaders, Dickwella Police OIC, Lasantha Dadallage, members of Dickwella Pradeshiya Sabha and representatives of Dickwella youth took part in the discussions.

“As a result of these discussions the Moulavi of Muhiyideen Jumma Mosque at Yonakpura, Dickwella,  Mohamed Akbar Mohamed Shamil extended an invitation to Chief Incumbent Priests of eight Buddhist temples in Dickwella to visit the Mosque.”
Dickwella Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman, Krishali Muthukumarana explained that conflicts take place due to lack of understanding. “If a Buddhist bumps into a Buddhist there is no problem. But if a Muslim bumps into a Buddhist, it’s a big issue. Muslims are not familiar with Buddhist culture and Buddhists are not familiar with Muslim culture. This sort of environment is conducive to conflict. At village level cricket there are separate teams for Muslims and Sinhalese. But in Dickwella it’s different. This sort of solidarity has to seep into village level community based activities as well,” reiterated Krishali Muthukumarana.

“The president of the Muhiyibdeen Jumma Mosque, who was abroad at the time of the Aluthgama incident saw this as a great opportunity to further strengthen our religious and racial ties,” said Muhiyibdeen Jumma Mosque, Dayaka Sabha Secretary,  Mohammed Affan. “We welcomed the Nayaka Theras in the traditional Muslim way, with both hands. We don’t have chairs in the mosque. But we brought a few chairs in for the event.”
According to Affan Dickwella’s religious solidarity dates back to 1452, when the daughter of Parakrama Bahu VI, Bisomenike married Yemenite, Ashek Kuthud Muhammad. They were gifted Dickwella, then Digali Gambaraya, Kuwaiti for ‘prosperous earth’, by the King.

“Since then the relatives of princess Bisomenike and those of Ashek have been living in harmony,” said Affan. In 1575, the Mosque built by Ashek was leveled to the ground by the Portugese, explained Affan. “It was the monks of the Galkanda and Digawalukarama Temple who helped the Muslims who still help and work together with us to this day.”
“All these conflicts, including the conflict that took place in Dickwella in 2009, were the result of external influences,” pointed out Affan. “We must work together to reject such influences, leaving no room for rumors. During the discussions that followed the Aluthgama incident we exchanged phone numbers, so the truth to any rumor can be determined right away.”

“When Aluthgama launched harthal, we didn’t. Therefore there was no harthal against the harthal,” said Dickwella Shasanarakshaka Bala Mandalaya President Ven Godellewela Rathananda Thera. “It’s because the situation was remedied before it blew out of proportion.” Godellewela Rathananda Thera explained that the conflict that took place in Dickwella few years ago acted as a precedent.
Moreover, he commended the residents of Muslim Street, in which Budu Raja Maha Vihara is located, for organizing the Dansala that coincided with the temple’s Vesak procession. “Dickwella was spared of a full-fledged conflict due to the unity of the mosques and temples in the area. We are positive that nothing bad will happen in Dickwella as long as this solidarity is maintained.”

Some say it started after some stones were pelted at Sinhalese Buddhists from a Mosque. Others blame a fiery speech targeting Muslims by the General Secretary of Bodu Bala Sena (BBS). Many blame the Police for allowing a BBS rally to proceed in an area where ethnic tensions were already at boiling point. Whatever the cause behind last week’s deadly riots in Aluthgama and Beruwala, the end result is clear for all to see; lives have been lost, houses and shops burnt, families displaced and livelihoods ruined. Meanwhile, there are fears that the worst communal violence to engulf the country since the July riots of 1983 might send it spiraling towards another ethnic conflict, barely five years after the defeat of the LTTE.

As of June 19 (Thursday), three people had been confirmed dead as a result of the violence, with 39 others injured, according to official figures released by the Police. Police Spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana said seven of the injured were police officers. However, an exact number of those killed and injured was uncertain, with some figures putting the numbers higher. Police had also arrested 55 persons in connection with the violence as of June 19. Thirty-six of these suspects were remanded after being produced before courts, the police spokesman further said. The majority of those arrested were Sinhalese, he noted. A police curfew imposed for Aluthgama and Beruwala areas on Sunday was finally lifted on Wednesday morning (June 18), though a heavy security presence, including army personnel is still visible. 
The number of those displaced by the violence continued to be sketchy, with many of those affected taking shelter with friends and relatives in the aftermath. This is in addition to over 1,000 who were being housed in schools and Mosques in the area.

The Government and law enforcement authorities have been accused of being slow to respond to the situation. Accusations have also been made by some members of the Muslim community that Police and Special Task Force (STF) personnel watched passively as rioters attacked and burned Muslim-owned shops and businesses, along with houses. However, addressing a special media briefing in Kalutara on Monday (June 16), Inspector General of Police (IGP) N.K. Illangakoon vehemently denied these allegations, claiming that the police had actually prevented the situation from escalating. While admitting that police had received complaints requesting them to prevent the rally from going ahead due to fears of violence, the IGP said police allowed the rally to go ahead after speaking to its organizers and Muslims in the area. The police did not have fears of clashes breaking out as a result of the rally, the IGP is reported to have said.

Much of the blame for the violence has been laid at the feet of Bodu Bala Sena. The organization held a rally in Aluthgama on June 15 (Sunday). The rally, attended by thousands was held to protest the alleged assault on a Buddhist monk and his driver on June 12 (Poson Poya Day) by several Muslim men. Bodu Bala Sena General Secretary Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera, made a fiery speech at the rally, warning Muslims that if any of them were to lay even a finger on a Buddhist after that Sunday, that would be the end of all of them. It was after this rally that the clashes occurred.

When contacted regarding the riots and the subsequent allegations against him and his organization, Ven. Gnanasara Thera refuted them all, blaming ‘Muslim extremists’ for the violence. He said BBS was invited by Buddhist leaders in the area in the wake of tensions that prevailed after the alleged assault on Poson Poya. Contrary to allegations that they were there to rile up the mob, BBS general secretary claimed they actually went there to ease tensions, but the situation got out of hand after Buddhists were attacked. “We were escorting the Thera who was assaulted back to his temple in our vehicles when people came under attack. It was only due to our involvement that the violence did not spread. Otherwise, many more would have been killed,” he claimed.

When queried whether the speech he made could not be classified as ‘hate speech’ and one designed to instigate violence, the Thera denied this was so. However, he admitted he used ‘strong language’ in his criticism as the facts had to be made clear that the Sinhala Buddhists were being unfairly singled out by everyone.

The Thera blamed the media and the government for labeling Sinhala Buddhists as ‘culprits’ for everything when nothing could be further from the truth. 
In the wake of the violence, police obtained court orders to ban protests by groups allegedly backed by BBS in Mawanella. However, BBS vehemently denied any connection with the protest or its organizers. While BBS has no plans to hold any rallies of its own in the near future, Ven. Gnanasara Thera however blamed Police for acting out of a ‘misplaced fear’ of the organization in trying to block their protests.

The incident in Aluthgama sparked an outburst of reactions from several quarters, including politicians. Justice Minister and Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) Leader Rauff Hakeem, who visited the affected areas the following day, became emotional as he stated that he had let down his people by not ensuring their protection.
He initially criticized the Government and the law enforcement authorities for failing to prevent the BBS meeting from being held, despite being aware of the tensions that prevailed leading up to the meeting.
Hakeem initially said he was contemplating on quitting the Government due to its continuous failure to take actions against BBS. However, in subsequent press briefings, the Minister softened his stance where ultimately it was announced that MPs of the SLMC would boycott Parliamentary sessions on June 18.

Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Investment Promotion, Faiszer Musthapha stated that this was not the time for blame games and that all the people should work together to build understanding between all communities.
Musthapha who was in the area while it was tense, stated that it was a difficult situation to handle as incidents were reported from several areas at the same time. Musthapha visited the area with IGP, N.K. Illangakoon.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was away in Bolivia at the time of unrest arrived in the country on Wednesday (18), visited Beruwala where he met with residents belonging to both communities.
During his visit, the President had assured an impartial inquiry into the incident and had stated that he cannot allow any harm or damage to any person or property.
He also assured that the Government would help rebuild the homes and businesses of those who were affected by the unrest.

Meanwhile, the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama (ACJU) has taken initiatives to hold discussions with relevant authorities including Government officials in order to ensure such incidents do not occur in future.
An official attached to the ACJU told The Nation that the organization had taken measures to provide relief and other assistance to the affected families.   
An island-wide ‘Hartal’ was also launched on Thursday by Muslims in protest against the violence. Many Muslim-owned shops were closed as a result. 
While the curfew has been lifted and the situation slowly returning to what could be termed as ‘normal,’ if one were to go by the Government’s assertions, the situation seems far from settled. The ramifications of the unfortunate violence look set to continue into the coming weeks and months.

http://www.nation.lk/edition/fine/item/30434-aluthgama-and-beruwala-%E2%80%98burnt%E2%80%99-by-fires-of-racial-hatred.html