CLASSIFIED | POLITICS | TERRORISM | OPINION | VIEWS

A Bouquet for Dharunadhvah Lilhairiyath

Devinda Perera

I am not a Muslim but I would like to congratulate Dharunadhvah Lilhairiyath which is an association of Muslim men and boys in Sri Lanka for their initiative and foresight in promoting Islamic teachings among the Muslim community in Colombo. What makes their initiative special is that they carry out their Islamic lectures on Poya days.

Poya days have special significance for the Buddhist community in the country as they mark what can be described as "sabbath days." Many Buddhists use this day to reaffirm and strengthen their connection to the Dhamma. Some visit the temple to offer flowers, listen to bana and and pay homage to the Buddha, while others take sil and practice meditation for the whole day.

Instead of opposing Poya day holidays and attempting to get rid of them like certain fundamentalist Christian groups in the island have been trying over the past few decades, Dharunadhvah Lilhairiyath has used them to reaffirm and and strengthen the connection Muslims have to Islam. This has to be greatly appreciated by all Sri Lankans of whatever religious denomination. Instead of targeting an age old Buddhist tradition and trying to create religious conflict, Dharunadhvah Lilhairiyath has not only displayed religious good will, but is doing a great service to the Muslim community by increasing and solidifying their understanding of Islam.

One has to wonder whether the Christian groups so opposed to Poya day holidays would give up thier sabbath which is Sunday. These good people complain of Poya holidays being "imposed" on them, but have nothing to say about Sri Lanka following the Gregorian calendar which enshrines Sunday as a day off as it is considered a holy day for Christians. Christian groups prop up their opposition to Poya by saying that removing them will increase productivity, but Poya takes places only once a month while there are usually four Sundays a month. Will these good people then agree to remove Sunday as a day off? Because then we will have approximately 48 extra days of productivity and be more "competitive" than other countries.

In a time when Muslims are being unjustly vilified left and right by the international powers that may be, it is heartening to see Muslim groups in Sri Lanka integrating with other communities in Sri Lanka whilst at the same time doing something worthwhile to preserve and protect their religion. It would be wonderful if Christian groups in the island could take after their example and use Poya as a day to deepen their faith in the Christian religion, instead of looking down upon it condescendingly as a "pagan tradition" that needs to be done away with come what may. This way, instead of just representing a day of spirituality for Buddhists, poya can come to represent a day of spirituality for all Sri Lankans regardless of the religion they follow.

When Poya days come along, Buddhists can go to their temples and meditation centres, Muslims to their mosques and Islamic lectures, Christians to their churches and Hindus to their kovils. It can be a day where all Sri Lankans connect to their respective religious tradition, and try to do some good, whether it be volunteer work or just simply doing a few good deeds. The less religiously inclined can still use it as a day of rest to connect with their friends and family. Wouldn't this be a much better example to follow than needlessly antagonising others and trying to create religious divisions over Poya as some groups are trying to do?

A bouquet for Dharunadhvah Lilhairiyath, keep up the great work you are doing and may your initiative be an example for others. As a Sri Lankan I am very proud of you.

May all beings be happy and well.

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