Yes, the Sinhalese Buddhists are concerned. Do they have reason to be? Yes. Yet the concerns of Buddhists are never given an unbiased voice in the mainstream media, instead Sinhalese Buddhists are labeled as racist”, extremist” and even militant”. Labelling Sinhala Buddhists is a ploy to refuse to accept the reality that moderate Muslims are being drawn towards radicalism not just in Sri Lanka but globally. This is not a problem only Sri Lanka is facing. The Muslims themselves must answer why moderate Muslims are becoming radicalized and who is manipulating Islam. The source of radicalism is in the Books. This is the ugly truth Muslims must accept.

One Law for ALL

No one can deny that this nation was built & defended by the Sinhala Buddhists. This historical role remains enshrined in the country’s constitution. There is no denying that the minorities enjoy rights too proved by their living conditions. No ethnicity or religion can come above the country’s law. Every citizen must abide by the law of the land applicable to all equally.

The Sinhalese Buddhists are concerned because of a new wave of isms” attempting to dislodge the peace that prevailed historically.

For attempting to warn about the radical elements at play & warn the people of ultimate outcomes – the tactic has been to brand Sinhalese as ‘extremists’ and ‘racists’ to divert people’s attention from the real problem. This tactic is well-funded and well-choreographed using multiple communication modes and drawing personalities who would do anything for money!

How long will labelling Sinhala Buddhists hide the growing problem of Islamic extremism? 

By labelling Sinhala Buddhists, the radicals are only buying time to carry out an underground exercise to increase radicals by drawing more Muslims claiming Muslim demands are not met! 

On what grounds should a parallel law suddenly emerge to be accepted by all when it is not applicable or relevant to over 90 percent of the Sri Lankan populace? 

A society cannot function with parallel laws & a quasi-legal system which makes followers of this parallel law believe their religion, their views are Supreme Law and above the National Law.

The drumming of this idea into the heads of their followers has caused immense conflict and is brewing trouble unless stopped by clearly stating that no customary religious minority law is above the National Law.

Buddhist cultural heritage threatened

Sinhalese Buddhists are concerned because Buddhist cultural heritage is being destroyed, Buddhist archeological and historical cultural monuments are being destroyed. Devanagala Raja Maha Vihara is under threat & even being stoned. This is nothing that can be denied or swept under the carpet by carrying campaigns calling Sinhalese racists.

The sudden violent behavior in Muslims is noticed & Sinhalese Buddhists are rightfully concerned because the Muslims they were peacefully living with are being radicalized and transformed into adopting a new wave of exclusivity” evident by the increasing numbers of women in black attire, exclusive Muslims schools springing up and increase in unfair demands.

• WE ARE CONCERNED BECAUSE ISLAM IS A SYSTEM OF LIFE COMBINING LEGAL, SOCIAL, ECONOMIC, RELIGIOUS, POLITICAL AND MILITARY COMPONENTS. CHALLENGING ONE, MEANS ALL FORCES OF THIS SYSTEM ARE ENGAGED TO ATTACK THOSE THAT CHALLENGE THEM.
• WE ARE CONCERNED BECAUSE THERE IS AN EMERGING CONFLICT IN ISLAMIC LAWS WITH NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL LAWS.
• WE ARE CONCERNED BECAUSE THERE IS CLEAR DUALISM IN THEIR LAW– ONE RULE FOR MUSLIMS AND ANOTHER FOR NON-BELIEVERS.
• WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE GROWING NUMBER OF SHARIA LAW COURTS THAT WERE NEVER PRESENT IN SRI LANKA PREVIOUSLY. WHEN MUSLIMS HAD BEEN FOLLOWING THE SRI LANKAN LAWS FOR DECADES, WHY SHOULD THERE BE A SUDDEN NEED FOR A MUSLIM ONLY LAW?WHY SHOULD 9% OF THE POPULATION HAVE A SEPARATE LAW WHEN AS CITIZENS OF SRI LANKA, MUSLIMS MUST ABIDE BY SRI LANKA’S LAWS?
• WE ARE CONCERNED BECAUSE EVERY PERSON’S INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM STOPS THE MOMENT IT INFLICTS HARM ON ANOTHER(BE IT MAN OR ANIMAL)
• WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT EXTREMIST DEMANDS WHICH DO NOT CONSTITUTE A FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT

Muslims claim to want to live ‘peacefully’ – if so why undermine this by requesting only their laws, their customs, their rituals should come first or be accommodated by all others.

To make such demands – where is the reciprocitywhen Muslims are in the majority. Do majority Muslim areas in Sri Lanka accommodate non-Muslim demands or customs as freely as Muslims in non-Majority Muslim areas enjoy?

The rise in demands and the manner these demands have become accepted using deceptive means of influencing has enabled Muslims to obtain for themselves exclusive food labels, banking, dress codes that did not exist, certifications for which non-Muslims have to pay Muslim organizations conflicting with state taxes.

In Islam are people divided as Muslims & non-Muslims? Yes

Are Non-Muslims classified as non-believers are infidels? Yes

Is there equality for non-Muslims with Muslims? No

How can Muslims then demand equality from non-Muslims?

When this question is raised Muslims will quickly rise to smoothen the situation with intent to simply sweep the issue from being addressed!

Yet 9 percent of Muslims cannot deny special privileges in Sri Lanka

• They are represented in the National Flag
• All Muslim religious days are declared National Holidays.
• Muslims have own banking, own marriage, own divorce, own food labels!
• Muslim national schools – have been misused to start madrasas” and exclusive Muslim international schools”
• It was the Sinhala kings who gave lands to the Muslims in the East during colonial times and now they even demand autonomy.
• Even Muslim owned supermarkets that caters to all communities shut down for prayers on Friday – their wishes comes first.
• Sri Lanka’s former Justice Minister was a Muslim and leader of a radical Muslim political party. Present Justice Minister is also a Muslim and came from National List.
• What freedoms do Muslims realistically offer to non-Muslims?
• Can non-Muslims represent himself in a Sharia court? No
• Muslims can demand freedom of religion in non-Muslim nations – Can non-Muslims demand the same in Muslim nations? No
• When Muslims can demand freedom of religion (build mosques, radicalize their attire, use loud speakers, open-air events etc – non-Muslims have no freedom of religion not even to visit Muslim holy areas or carry non-Muslim religious books or relics (no non-Muslim religious item is permitted to enter their country)
• When Muslims in Sri Lanka have built disproportionate number of Mosques throughout Sri Lanka will Muslim nations allow in same proportion?
• When Muslims have the freedom of expression to call Buddhists racists” and extremists” and former Justice Minister himself calling Sri Lanka’s Buddhist monks as yellow-robed terrorists” – if Islam is criticized in Saudi the punishment is death by stoning & we saw how a teacher was beheaded in France and for a cartoon the worldwide rampage.
• Is there equality of justice when non-Muslims get only a fraction what a Muslim gets in legal settlements according to Sharia laws
• When a growing number of Muslim business establishments openly hire only Muslims why do they object to calls to boycott Muslim trading places?
• Why do Islamic fundamentalists incite violence against Buddhists in East Sri Lanka encroaching upon land given to them by the Sinhalese Kings and demolish Buddhist sites and temples?
• We question how peaceful Islam is when almost all the major conflicts in the World are Muslim-oriented and end up Muslims killing each other due to sectarian violence far more than the damage the West does with their air warfare.

The aggressive rise in demands for legal exclusivity” towards Muslims does not advocate any policy of compromise or peaceful coexistence with other communities and is making not only Sri Lankans to ask what Muslims are really upto but the West is also now asking these same questions!

West is also concerned about Islamic expansionism

• If Muslims accuse Israel of influencing politicians, journalists against Muslims what are the Muslims doing with petrodollars in systematically influencing politicians, using international human rights laws to establish Sharia and Islamic extremism in non-Muslim nations in a long-term bid to Islamize them?
• Why is Netherlands a multicultural mess, why are all EU nations now reconsidering the dangers multiculturalism” has brought to their natural citizens?
• Why is UK concerned that Sharia laws have subverted British laws with over 1500 under-aged forced marriages taking place (Scotland has banned forced marriage). UK already has 100 Sharia courts (the 1st opened in 2008), honor-based violence even killings (over 2,800 in 2011), female genital mutilation (over 65,000 cases though it is illegal under 2003 Act but no one has been prosecuted)
• Why is Briton ending practice of paying multiple social welfare benefits to Muslim immigrants practicing bigamy/polygamy (a crime in GB but a special right granted to Muslims under Multiculturalism who demand Sharia laws).
• Why is UK working on a new law to ensure meat slaughtered according to Islamic Sharia law cannot be sold unwitting to public.
• How did Britain end up having more Muslim imams than Christian pastors?
• If UK was worried when towns with large Muslim populations (Birmingham, Derby, Bradford, Dewsbury, Leeds, Liverpool, Luton, Leicester, Manchester, Sheffield, Waltham Forest) demanded Sharia replace UK’s common law in 2011 – should Sri Lanka not worry?
• When Town Hamlets – an East London Muslim enclave has posters You are entering a Sharia controlled zone : Islamic rules enforced” – where Imams issue death threats to women who refuse to wear Muslim veils – should that not worry Sri Lanka?
• When UK politicians show Sharia-compliance and when former UK Premier Gordon Brown stated he wanted London to become the Islamic financial capital – should we not worry about what Sri Lanka’s politicians will commit Sri Lanka towards?

It is not Sri Lanka but the West that has come up with four phases to Muslim expansionism:

Phase 1: migration to non-Muslim host country, Keeping low profile, request for humanitarian tolerance, no demands on host nation. When Muslim population are 2 percent they remain peace loving (ex: US, Australia, Canada, Norway, Italy and China – where Muslims follow the One Child Only policy without fuss)

Phase 2: Requests for Muslim representation in all spheres, Request recognition of Sharia law to their community while proselytizing. Openly condemn radicalism” and organize inter-faith dialogue and events and position Islam as a religion of peace and that Sharia is not a threat by getting uninformed non-Muslim leaders to support.

Underground Islamic conversion, indoctrinating Muslim children, calls for hate laws to silence critics, plan to enlarge Muslim populations, assassination of critics (Theo van Gogh murder in Netherlands for insulting Islam). More than 2 percent of the population means a converting drive (ex: Germany, Denmark, UK, Spain, Thailan)

Phase 3: When Muslim populations reach significant minority they apply penetration”– lobbying governments, creating radical political parties and candidates, filing lawsuits against Islamophobia” pressing for special privileges for Muslims in public establishments, request turns to demand for Sharia laws, undermining host government, ridiculing majority host religion and culture, using their economic hold to ransom, even moderate” Muslims are murdered, restricting Muslim women, holding Government to ransom by bargaining, More than 5% excessive influence – pushing for Islamic laws, Halal etc (ex: Sweden, France, Switzerland, Netherlands, Trinidad and Tobago)

Phase 4: Islamic theocracy” declared.Muslims gain control of a nation, imposes Sharia law, engages in violence with non-Islamic religions, all non-Islamic human rights cancelled, freedom of speech, press, religion cancelled, all non-Muslim culture and symbols destroyed. More than 10 percent – lawlessness (ex: France)

The website www.thereligionofpeace.com keeps track of the number of violent jihad attacks.

It has become a practice for both Muslims and Tamils to hide their follies and wrongs behind the cry of ethnic discrimination”, hate campaigns” to cover up accusations made against them.

It has worked well to camouflage their ulterior motives by internationally promoting Sinhalese Buddhist as extremists” and using the power of money.

Radical Islam

Whatever theories or excuses being propagated for the growing resentment, the Muslims cannot disagree that there is an underground plan as well as an open strategy to exercise Muslim domination over non-Muslim nations – it is the Muslims who need to step back and digest the accusations and decide to peacefully coexist with the other communities while ceasing to demand exclusive status for Muslims.

Many Muslims in Sri Lanka while practicing their religion have not been practicing radical Islam. It is only these people who can claim to be living in peace with all communities of Sri Lanka. The radicals cannot use these Muslims as a camouflage to pretend to be living in peace while carrying out a totally conflicting agenda. 

Many Muslims donate blood when it is against their faith to do so, a large number partake liquor and smoking – many of these innocent vices are all taboo when full Sharia comes into effect and Muslims in Sri Lanka may like to ponder how drastically their lives are likely to change and all they need to do is to see how disastrous the lives of Libyans, Iraqi’s, Afghans, a host of Sharia following African nations and now Egyptians are.

Like the West, Sri Lanka is concerned about the growing influence of extremist elements of Islam taking over the moderate Muslims who had been living peacefully in Sri Lanka because There is no moderate or immoderate Islam. Islam is Islam and that’s it” (Recep Erdogan – Turkey PM)

As the author and historian Serge Trifkovic states: The refusal of the Western elite class to protect their nations from jihadist infiltration is the biggest betrayal in history.” – we can say the same of Sri Lanka’s politicians.

Sri Lankan leaders could have nipped the LTTE factor but it didn’t and that led to 30 years of conflict.

If Sri Lanka’s leaders do not address this radicalism that will affect all Sri Lankans including the moderate Muslims.

The moderate Muslims of Sri Lanka have to now play a bigger role and put an end to radicalism and extremism amongst their own and take over the role of representing Muslims instead of tasking that to radical Islamic groups & leaders. Will they?

Shenali D Waduge