Religious tensions have been simmering within the Sri Lankan society ever since the end of the civil war in 2009.
While it is important to reign in the Buddhist hardliners, other structural frictions in the social fabric of the island also needs to be addressed.
What are the incidences of social tensions?
When Mahinda Rajapaksa was in power, anti-Muslim violence was unleashed by Buddhist mobs, in Aluthgama in 2014.
The new government, which was elected in 2015 had promised an end to such violence but the recent events show that things haven’t changed.
Over 200 homes and 14 mosques were destroyed in Kandy district, which is indicative of the fact that the anti-Muslim project is only gaining steam.
As the intensity of the situation resulted in even curbing social media and imposing an emergency – a sober post-crisis assessment is necessary.
What are the factors that precipitated the crisis?
Cultural - Sinhalese see Muslims as aliens who are a growing, united and an economically persevering group, with a strong mooring to religiosity.
In contrast, Buddhists are liberal in religious practices and ethno-religious affiliations, which are resented by the Buddhist clergy.
These fundamental differences and the keenness of Buddhist hardliners for cultural dominance get translated into hatred and even violence at times.
Geo Political - The rise of Islamic State in the West Asia had seen an increase in radicalisation of Islamic youth in the eastern province.
Some Islamic fundamentalists were also found to be running anti-Buddhist propaganda, which had caused a real security situation in the island.
Domestic - Although unsubstantiated, fears of increasing Muslims populations had created a demographic scare among some sections.
There are also allegations against Muslim politicians of being engaged in land acquisitions and the illegal resettlement of Muslims.
A strong community bonding which helped further Muslims businesses has also created economic anxiety among the poorer Buddhist masses.
What lies ahead?
Novice Voices - Many celebrities have voiced against this violence and stressed that the “Sri Lankan identity” is accommodative and diverse.
While these assertions are well intentioned, they present an erroneous view that the current crisis is a mere aberration caused by a violent few.
Addressing the problem first requires recognizing that there are strong linguistic and religious fault lines within the Sri Lankan polity.
Way Forward – As a first step, all persons who’ve been involved in the violence need to be prosecuted impartially in order to ensure accountability.
This needs to be followed up by initiating a dialogue between Sinhala Buddhist groups, the Muslim leadership and the government for genuine reconciliation.
Finally, Sri Lanka needs to evolve into a secular-minded state by according equal status to all religious groups and dominions.
All citizens needs to be nurture a mindset that is open to diversity, which is critical for lasting peace and progress in the island.
