Not In Our Name: Against Religious Extremism in Sri Lanka

Close to 1,000 signatures on Not In Our Name: Against religious extremism in Sri Lanka

(COLOMBO Sri Lanka Groundviews) - The mosque attack at Dambulla by angry Buddhist monks is doing more than soiling the reputations of Buddhists everywhere, who must in large part be horrified by these actions the Sri Lanka government is allowing. It is renewing suspicions that this is a dangerous government that fails to speak out over ethnic strife without exception, when it isn't solely responsible for the suffering due to its own policies.

For Tamils speaking out against the Sinhalese Buddhist majority, it is a matter of taking your life in your own hands. If an angry mob of Buddhists in their yellow robes don't get you, the white vans will and your family will never see you again. In spite of this, journalists and activists everywhere are banding together to raise the level of awareness and spell an end to Sri Lanka's long ranging religious discrimination toward Hindu, Christian and Muslim people. The days of mad religious extremism must end.

"I put my name here just to give evidence to my children that at some point in the future, if they happen to suffer from communal violence as a result of what happens under president Rajapakse Government, their father did his bit to condemn his silence." - Thrishantha Nanayakkara

"The conduct of some of the Buddhist monks at Dambulla was disgraceful. It was an insult to the Buddha." - Mangala Moonesinghe

"Sri Lankan; not Parsi, not Burgher, not Eurasian, not Sinhalese, all to which I have claim. Not in our name." - Hans Billimoria

"All Buddhists, especially the prominent members of the Buddhist clergy, should hang their heads in shame at this racist, mediaeval and un-Buddhist act. The government should institute legal proceedings for treasonous public statements undermining the authority of the duly elected President of the country." - Prof. H.L. Seneviratne

"Certainly not in my name. The Dambulla violence and intolerance can provoke another cycle of mindless chauvinism unless the silent majority voice their unanimous condemnation compelling the Government to act decisively and speedily. The true Sri Lankan patriot, anchored in a rich past of tolerance and co-existence, is a not a racist or religious bigot." - Jayantha Dhanapala

"This attack and the clumsy, unacceptable handling of it by the authorities has quite certainly not been done in my name." - Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga

These are excerpts from longer comments in response to the online campaign Not In My Name. In just under a week after it was launched and at the time of sending this email, around 940 have signed up to the campaign. It has been shared over 1,000 times on Facebook alone. The campaign, and why it was established, has been featured on TV in Sri Lanka.

Hundreds have tweeted about it, some have written their own blog posts encouraging more to sign up and many more have emailed all their email contacts the campaign and shared it with professional colleagues on networks like LinkedIn. Those who have signed up to date include,

Deshamanya Bradman Weerakoon, one of Sri Lanka's most senior and respected civil servants
Popular TV personalities, actors and singers: Ranjan Ramanayake, Narada Bakmeewewa, Kasun Kalhara
Popular theatre personalities and directors: Steve de la Zilwa, Tracy Holsinger, Ruwanthie de Chickera, Nadie Kammallaweera, Shanuki de Alwis
Gratiaen Prize winners Shehan Karunatilaka and Senaka Abeyratne
Leading authors: V.V. Ganeshananthan, Shyam Selvadurai, David Blacker, Pradeep Jeganathan
Former Sri Lankan of the Year Chandra Jayaratne
Leading journalists, Editors, media personalities and media owners: Hana Ibrahim, Dilrukshi Handunetti, Dharisha Bastian, Easwaran Rutnam, Anoma Rajakaruna, Savithri Rodrio, Lal Wickrematunge, Hilmy Ahamed, Sharmini Boyle
Human rights activists: Kumudini Samuel, Ruki Fernando, Dayapala Thiranagama, Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu
Gifted cartoonists like Gihan de Chickera
Well-known photographers like Deshan Tennekoon and Asanka Brendon Ratnayake
Prominent artists like Chandraguptha Thenuwara, Nelun Harasgama and Jagath Weerasinghe
Former Secretary General of the JVP, Lionel Bopage
Prominent bloggers like Jehan Mendis and Subha Wijesiriwardena

From a 73 year old grandmother to leading academics, from atheists to Hindus, Saivists and Christians, from Burghers and Sinhalese to Tamils and Muslims (and fascinating combinations of these beliefs and groups), the sheer diversity of those who have signed up to Not In Our Name unequivocally condemning the violence in Dambulla is incredible to read, both for what has been written and by whom.

As noted on the blog, after a month, the names and comments of those who signed up will be printed out and sent to the Presidential Secretariat, the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Religious Affairs & Moral Upliftment, along with the Department of Buddhist Affairs, Department of Christian Religious Affairs, Department of Hindu Religious and Cultural Affairs and the Department of Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs.

Already, this campaign is a unique collection of comments opposed to violence and extremism. Please read them, and consider adding your own name today.

Sign the petition here

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Comments Leave a comment on this story.

All comments and messages are approved by people and self promotional links or unacceptable comments are denied.

Tharind May 4, 2012 10:26 pm (Pacific time)

The real debate here is how to handle this issue, not whether the behaviour of the protesters was acceptable or not - no one is arguing that this kind of behaviour is acceptable. Unfortunate though it is, there is growing concern among the Sinhalese people about the rapid growth in the Muslim population of the island nation. The government has the obligation to protect the rights Muslims have been granted as citizens of Sri Lanka; but at the same time, Sri Lanka is a democracy and the government can't simply ignore the concerns of the majority in a democracy.

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