Lankawatch

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ While Sri Lanka mourns the loss of one of her daughters at the hands of the brutal Saudi regime, Muslim extremists in Sri Lanka are working on exploiting the tragedy to gain converts to Islam. There has unfortunately been a general silence from Sri Lanka’s Muslim community, especially the Moors, over what many non-Muslim Sri Lankans have viewed with outrage. The execution of Rizana appears to mean little to very many Moor Muslims, as to decry the act would mean voicing one’s opinion against Sharia Law, the Islamic system of jurisprudence.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Several videos have appeared with Sri Lankan Muslim scholars justifying theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ executionƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ of Rizana Nafeek and expounding the benefits of Sharia law. Moderate Sri Lankan Muslims who have voiced their opinion against the wanton murder of this poor girl have been subjected to vituperative attacks both online and in real life, along with having their belief in Islam questioned by fellow Muslims obsequious to the Saudi Arabian regime and the Wahhabi brand of Islam.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The following article appeared on a Sri Lankan Muslim website, urging Muslims in the island to use the execution of Rizana Nafeek to gain converts to Islam.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

Salams,

Can the scholars think of a strategy to use this moment? Insha Allah I wish so.

Jassim

After the 9/11 terror attacks, several Muslim groups resorted to the same tactics in order to gain converts. Exploiting the deaths of thousands of innocent people, these groups rodeƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ roughshodƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ over the feelings of victims’ families and in their eagerness to gain converts built a negative reputation for themselves. It appears as if lessons have not been learned, at least for a section of Sri Lankan Muslims who subscribe to a fundamentalist version of Islam that views all-non Muslims as “kuffar” and thus requiring the “enlightenment” of Islam. Exclusivist attitudes such as this are notƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ conduciveƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ towards inter-ethnic and inter-religious harmony not only in Sri Lanka, but around the world as well.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Calling themselves “Dawah groups”, these Sri Lankan Muslim fundamentalists use converts to their faith to gloat over and degrade other religions. In one video they have uploaded to youtube they show an ex-Buddhist monk who has converted to Islam. A Muslim man is seen goading him to condemn Buddhism and exhalt Islam. In another, they are seen gloating over a Catholic priest who has converted to Islam and is used as a proxy to condemn the Catholic faith and its followers. Hindu Tamils in Batticoloa are accused of “encroaching” on “Muslim land” when in reality they are displaced people coming back to their old homes that have been occupied. Anver Manatunga, a well known proponent of Islamic fundamentalism in Sri Lanka, uses online blogs to disparage non-Muslim religions and their faithful while promoting boycotts of companies that refuse to have the halal certification.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Despite these outrageousƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ acts, there has been little to no condemnation by the Sri Lankan Muslim community. Extremists are shielded and protected as “brothers of the Muslim Ummah” (worldwide Muslim community) despite the fact that they are actively spreadingƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ religious bigotry throughout the island. Islam is used and abused to promote rivalry, fundamentalism and extremism without any thought for the consequences. One can only hope that the extremists willƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ realizeƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the folly of their ways and work for the interests of all Sri Lankans without favour.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚