A fresh wave of rioting erupted on May13, the latest in a series of violent incidents that followed the Easter Sunday attacks.
In the aftermath of the bombings, tensions were stoked by a well-executed campaign of hate. Partisan, inflammatory news reporting, a continuation of the social media hate campaign from 2013, some well-placed rumours and a lack of leadership by the government; the result was inevitable.
This should surprise no one with an interest in history because we have been on this path before. The violence of between 2013-14 was preceded by a similar campaign and culminated in the same way. Writing in February 2013, Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka, noted even earlier parallels:
“I refer to the years from ‘77 to ‘83, a period covered by the Sansoni Commission, the violence of ‘77, ‘79, ‘81 and finally the massive explosion of 1983. The road to July ‘83 was paved, prepared, though perhaps not intended in that form, by anti-Tamil propaganda. At the time, it came from within the Government. You had anti-Tamil propaganda with illustrations being sent out in envelopes with a stamp of the then Minister of Industry, Cyril Mathew. It is the same kind of toxic waste material that is being put out today against the Muslim community, though not officially, not from within the government.”
More ominously, a significant difference from 1983 that he noted was:
“I am particularly worried, anxious, that the current wave of the anti-Muslim propaganda is on population growth rates. Why this makes me worried is that violence in such a context would not be preeminently anti-property but anti-persons, because if the name of the game is numbers, and rates of population growth and the number of children that the Other has, then any violence is bound to seek to address that particular problem. In other words, the solution would be seen as one of an ethnic cleansing or ethno-religious cleansing.”
Each time, in the aftermath, we hear some stereotyped remarks about unity, some platitudes about peace. There will be few cosmetic attempts to show a return to normalcy-to salve our consciences, please the international community and persuade tourists to return.
People then forget and move on but the fissures remain. They are deepened by each cycle. A small spark; a traffic accident, an altercation in a shop can set it off again.
Amazingly, no one seems to ask the question as to why this keeps recurring.
Anti-Tamils riots in 1956, 1958, 1977 and 1983. Anti-Muslim violence 2013-14 and 2018. Two armed uprisings, 1971 and 1987-89. A Tamil militancy between 1976-83 and continuous civil war thereafter, until 2009.
Post-independence era
It seems to be a singular characteristic of the post-independence era, a fact not lost on Lee Kuan Yew: “it is sad that the country whose ancient name Serendip has given the English language the word ‘serendipity’ is now the epitome of conflict, pain, sorrow and hopelessness.”
If we are serious about ending this we need to resist the urge that most ordinary, decent Sri Lankans have: to avoid discussing things that are controversial.
A similar tendency existed in Germany immediately after the Second World War. After the war, people just wanted to forget and move on, which they did but in 1959 an attack on a synagogue lead to a wave of anti-Semitic actions.
This provoked a process of introspection. Germany realised the need for an honest evaluation of the past and the need for education to confront it.
Sri Lanka needs to do the same, but for a start, when formulating responses to present crises we need to avoid knee-jerk reactions.
The Prime Minister has said that a new Counter-Terrorism Act is necessary. Is this so? The Prevention of Terrorism Act (of 1979) and a permanent ‘state of emergency’ existed between 1983-2011.
Did these reduce terror? Or did these laws create an enabling environment for widespread police brutality and torture? Was this not the impetus for the LTTE to adopt the cyanide capsule? To die, rather than risk capture? In carrying the cyanide capsule, every Tiger was potentially on a suicide mission. Did this, in turn, pave the way for the cult of the suicide bomber? The LTTE was formed in 1976 but the first suicide mission took place much later, in 1987.
Did the methods used to respond to the nascent Tamil threat worsen it?
Did the series of anti-Muslim incidents from 2013 which culminated in riots in the south in 2014 and again in Kandy in 2018 create enough anger and frustration to allow some youth to fall prey to ISIS brainwashing? Did ISIS specifically target Sri Lanka for recruits, seeing incidents here? What impact will the current wave of anti-Muslim violence have?
Nothing justifies violence but actions cause reactions, some quite unforeseen. We should know this well, as Karma the law of cause and effect.
Closing social distance
Most people are comfortable interacting with other people, behaviours, and ideas that they are familiar with but react with fear and apprehension when faced with the unfamiliar. A misunderstanding causes us to respond aggressively to perceived threats to the status quo or stability, even where none exist.
When we stop seeing people as individuals but as a group or a class it is easy to fall prey to myths and falsehoods. These are the foundation of the recent hostility to Muslims. For lasting social peace, we must transform the unfamiliar into the familiar.
Education is the key
We need to define our democracy as a mode of living founded on values: inclusiveness, pluralism, fairness, cooperation, dialogue and non-violent resolution of conflict. We must instil in younger generations values such as tolerance and respect for diversity, concern with the rights and welfare of others, freedom and justice.
These are in concord with the Buddhist values of Karuna, Maitri and Ahimsa. Parents may impart these values to children but all too often their practice is restricted to family and friends. It must be extended to strangers, especially those that look, sound or live differently.
Reducing social distances through education
Schools are the best way to build understanding between communities but the current structure does the opposite, fostering segregation, fear and bias rather than counteracting them. Segregation (in terms of language and religion), the lack of bilingual education in practice, culturally exclusive teaching material and a lack of critical awareness and open dialogue are major obstacles. Flawed texts sow the seeds of division.
“In Sri Lankan schools, ‘children have normally been taught about a Sinhalese Tamil conflict since time immemorial, and Tamils are portrayed as ‘filthy’ invaders, fought by heroic Sinhalese kings. An understanding of how history is politically manipulated, an exploration of recent roots of conflicts and mistakes made by all involved parties, could help to combat fears and ungrounded rationales for the demonization of ‘the other’ (Orjuela, 2003: 202).” A ‘critical historiography’- including competing sets of facts and multiple interpretations of historical events would stimulate students to understand historical impacts on current conflicts.
Similarly, instead of simply teaching one religion, it would be better to teach the history of religions in a comparative way, for example, emphasising the common elements between Hinduism and Buddhism, those between Christianity and Islam and overall messages of peace.
The exam-oriented, rote learning approach that typifies Sri Lankan education cannot instil values. To change attitudes it must include practical aspects: practising role-plays, games and group activities. Children should learn about negotiation, cooperation and working together.
The education system, should not shy away from the discussion and critical awareness of the actual situation of the country.
“‘Difficult issues’ are often deliberately not discussed by teachers. This was expressed by a Tamil language teacher at an urban school: ‘We don’t really talk about politics. Peace is also a sensitive issue. We can’t talk! That is why this society is so polarised, even this staff is polarised.” (Lopes Cardozo, 2008)
Germany went through a process of soul-searching, confronted its past and invested in civic education to prevent a recurrence. This is how people learn to deal with differences in a peaceful way.
As the Dalai Lama says: “We need to talk instead of fighting, engaging in meaningful dialogue based on mutual respect. Anger is rooted in having a sense of ‘us’ and ‘them’. We need instead to respect others as members of humanity like us.”
Unless we learn this lesson, the cycle of violence will continue.
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