By Sarah Hannan and Tharumalee Silva
එක මවකගෙ දරු කැල බැවිනා
යමු යමු වී නොපමා
ප්රේම වඩා සැම හේද දුරැර දා නමෝ නමෝ මාතා
Our national anthem constantly reminds us that we are children of Mother Lanka and must unite as one and cultivate love towards each other, leaving all disputes aside.
Looking back at how Sri Lanka came to be, its civilisation evolved rapidly to accommodate different ethnicities of various religious beliefs who call this island their motherland.
Serving as a transit point in the ancient Silk Route, our island thrived by adopting many multi-cultural aspects from the various communities that had come and gone. We even adopted some cultural aspects of our colonisers; one result being the use of the English language.
One may feel overwhelmed when observing the vast array of temples, kovils, churches, and mosques that stand in every town, city, and village, indicating that Sri Lanka allows all faiths the freedom to follow their religion and build shrines.
In some areas, you can come across a Buddha statue at one junction, a statue of a Hindu deity at another, a statue of a Christian saint or of Jesus Christ at the next, and then a Mosque too; a sign of peaceful coexistence.
However, sadly, from time to time, racial violence erupted, destroying that very coexistence. In light of this, The Sunday Morning spoke to several religious leaders and academics, to ascertain the current state of this multi-cultural society which was viewed to be religiously tolerant and compassionate.
Religion of peace
Dawatagaha Jumma Mosque Board of Trustees Chairman Riyaz Sally noted that division among Muslims in Sri Lanka occurred as the National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ) had their own interpretation of the Quran, which differed from the interpretation by the Jamiyyathul Ulama.
“As a religion of peace, Islam does not say, at any point, to be violent. The meaning of jihad is to curtail one’s ego. However, when a person comes to attack another, that person has the right to defend himself. But it doesn’t state anywhere in the Quran that one should kill non-Muslims,” he said.
Sally further noted that in Islam, suicide is prohibited. And if the religion prohibits a person from taking his own life, he questioned as to how it could be perceived that it would permit a person to take another person’s life.
“Even if a person wants to go on Hajj, if they learn that their neighbour is suffering hardships, they should help them using the money they would to go on Hajj using; Allah would accept that as Hajj.
“The Quran clearly states to respect other religions and provide protection to non-Muslims when they are in danger. Furthermore, the Sufi Muslims of Sri Lanka have always been very accommodating and have coexisted with the people of this land by adapting to their way of life. Even today, the Dawatagaha Mosque allows non-Muslims to come to its premises and observe how prayers are conducted.”
Arabisation
Reminiscing his childhood and the village he grew up in, Mawarale Baddiya Thera stated that the Muslims who lived in his village were very friendly, and that during Vesak, they would all get together to decorate the temple and build lanterns.
“I remember the Muslim elderly women of my village who used to wear sarees and conveniently cover their heads with it. No one ever wore attire that would cover their face. For a man to trust another man, one must be able to see them eye to eye.
“What has happened lately is that a smaller group of Muslims have adopted Arabic ways of life, and they have alienated themselves from Sri Lankan culture.”
Baddiya Thera stated that in recent years, some of these Muslims had self-imposed restrictions and were enforcing cultural norms that were far too alien to Sri Lanka by introducing a foreign way of dressing, trying to enforce Arabic law and an Arabic curriculum at madrasas.
“I urge the Muslims to not fall prey to Arabisation. Take note of the way your ancestors adapted to the Sri Lankan culture. We should all collectively re-establish our Sri Lankan identity, regardless of our religious beliefs. We should all have a common culture that everyone is comfortable with, where no one will feel alienated.”
Sermons misinterpreted
Senior academic Prof. Tissa Vitharana said that diversity in our society – religious as well as cultural and racial – has evolved over centuries, and the people had learnt to live in harmony. “There is no racial prejudice or antagonism within the civilians. The problem here is that there are grievances which are common to the whole of society, and politicians who claim to represent a particular section of our community find it useful to make out those grievances as specific to a racial or religious community,” he stated.
Further, he alleged that politicians arouse feelings within communities against the other communities, stating: “This process has been utilised in the course of our history. The parties that misinterpret these sermons magnify these differences and attribute the issues that people encounter to the sermons, whereas the reality is that we have a society which is divided into classes, extending from the very rich down to the unemployed, who live below the poverty line.”
This different class interest, whether it is the upper-middle or upper class, is in an economically advantageous position with regard to their standard of living, compared to the rest of society, where there is a rich-poor gap.
“This gap is cause for discord. Today, people are surviving on one or two meals per day. So in this situation, there is a build up of resentment against the ruling class. To stay in power, the principle of imperialism which is always used to divide and rule, is used by the powerful,” he explained.
The diversity of our population is used to create issues within the communities. In July 1983, the UNP Government of the time deliberately attacked innocent Tamil civilians. The outcome was racial riots and ultimately, it came to the point where Tamil division groups came up, the
LTTE became very powerful, and we had a 30-year war.
Muslims who enriched Sri Lanka’s cultural heritage
Arasi Marikar Wapchie Marikar: Hailing from a renowned Mason family, Arasi Marikar Wapchie Marikar started his career as an apprentice working under expert builders. His flair for Islamic architecture can be seen in the many arches used in his work. He constructed the National Museum of Sri Lanka.
Wapchie Marikar had also constructed the General Post Office in Colombo, the Colombo Customs building, Old Town Hall in Pettah, Galle Face Hotel, Victoria Arcade, Finlay Moir Building, the Clock Tower, Batternburg Battery, and many other buildings.
However, in January 1877, during the opening ceremony of the Colombo Museum, Wapchie Marikar noticed that among the crowd were many Muslims present. Fearing that they would spend their time at the Museum on Friday during Jumma prayers, he requested that the Museum be closed on Fridays. This request was adhered to by all authorities in charge of the Museum to this day.
Wapchie Marikar will be long remembered as the builder of several other iconic buildings in Colombo.
Haji Mohomed Ismail: For people who frequent Kandy town, the Ismail clock tower that was built in 1947 by Haji Mohomed Ismail still stands as a meeting point, landmark, and beautiful icon. Since people did not have wristwatches in the late 40s, this was a very useful contribution for the workers of the city and for buses to be on time. Built in memory of his beloved son, Mohomed Zacky Ismail, and those who lost their lives in Kadugannawa on 14 August 1947 under tragic circumstances, this iconic monument marks the centre of the city of Kandy.
S.H. Moosajee: Seema Malakaya of the Gangaramaya Temple situated in the Beira Lake, was originally constructed in the late 19th Century. Situated a few hundred metres to its east, the original structure slowly sank into the water in the 1970s. In 1976, Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa was brought in to redesign and construct the temple, which stands in this form today. The reconstruction was funded by a Sri Lankan Muslim businessman, S.H. Moosajee, and his wife, in memory of their son Ameer S. Moosajee.
Mohideen Baig(1919–1991): A renowned musician, known particularly for his Buddhist devotional music, moved to Sri Lanka from Salem in Tamil Nadu. A Hydrabadi Muslim by origin, Baig was considered a highly-influential multicultural/multi-religious figure in the country's arts history. Baig was followed into the music industry by his son Ishak, who also achieved considerable success, although not as well-recognised as his father.
එක මවකගෙ දරු කැල බැවිනා
යමු යමු වී නොපමා
ප්රේම වඩා සැම හේද දුරැර දා නමෝ නමෝ මාතා
Our national anthem constantly reminds us that we are children of Mother Lanka and must unite as one and cultivate love towards each other, leaving all disputes aside.
Looking back at how Sri Lanka came to be, its civilisation evolved rapidly to accommodate different ethnicities of various religious beliefs who call this island their motherland.
Serving as a transit point in the ancient Silk Route, our island thrived by adopting many multi-cultural aspects from the various communities that had come and gone. We even adopted some cultural aspects of our colonisers; one result being the use of the English language.
One may feel overwhelmed when observing the vast array of temples, kovils, churches, and mosques that stand in every town, city, and village, indicating that Sri Lanka allows all faiths the freedom to follow their religion and build shrines.
In some areas, you can come across a Buddha statue at one junction, a statue of a Hindu deity at another, a statue of a Christian saint or of Jesus Christ at the next, and then a Mosque too; a sign of peaceful coexistence.
However, sadly, from time to time, racial violence erupted, destroying that very coexistence. In light of this, The Sunday Morning spoke to several religious leaders and academics, to ascertain the current state of this multi-cultural society which was viewed to be religiously tolerant and compassionate.
Religion of peace
Dawatagaha Jumma Mosque Board of Trustees Chairman Riyaz Sally noted that division among Muslims in Sri Lanka occurred as the National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ) had their own interpretation of the Quran, which differed from the interpretation by the Jamiyyathul Ulama.
“As a religion of peace, Islam does not say, at any point, to be violent. The meaning of jihad is to curtail one’s ego. However, when a person comes to attack another, that person has the right to defend himself. But it doesn’t state anywhere in the Quran that one should kill non-Muslims,” he said.
Sally further noted that in Islam, suicide is prohibited. And if the religion prohibits a person from taking his own life, he questioned as to how it could be perceived that it would permit a person to take another person’s life.
“Even if a person wants to go on Hajj, if they learn that their neighbour is suffering hardships, they should help them using the money they would to go on Hajj using; Allah would accept that as Hajj.
“The Quran clearly states to respect other religions and provide protection to non-Muslims when they are in danger. Furthermore, the Sufi Muslims of Sri Lanka have always been very accommodating and have coexisted with the people of this land by adapting to their way of life. Even today, the Dawatagaha Mosque allows non-Muslims to come to its premises and observe how prayers are conducted.”
Arabisation
Reminiscing his childhood and the village he grew up in, Mawarale Baddiya Thera stated that the Muslims who lived in his village were very friendly, and that during Vesak, they would all get together to decorate the temple and build lanterns.
“I remember the Muslim elderly women of my village who used to wear sarees and conveniently cover their heads with it. No one ever wore attire that would cover their face. For a man to trust another man, one must be able to see them eye to eye.
“What has happened lately is that a smaller group of Muslims have adopted Arabic ways of life, and they have alienated themselves from Sri Lankan culture.”
Baddiya Thera stated that in recent years, some of these Muslims had self-imposed restrictions and were enforcing cultural norms that were far too alien to Sri Lanka by introducing a foreign way of dressing, trying to enforce Arabic law and an Arabic curriculum at madrasas.
“I urge the Muslims to not fall prey to Arabisation. Take note of the way your ancestors adapted to the Sri Lankan culture. We should all collectively re-establish our Sri Lankan identity, regardless of our religious beliefs. We should all have a common culture that everyone is comfortable with, where no one will feel alienated.”
Sermons misinterpreted
Senior academic Prof. Tissa Vitharana said that diversity in our society – religious as well as cultural and racial – has evolved over centuries, and the people had learnt to live in harmony. “There is no racial prejudice or antagonism within the civilians. The problem here is that there are grievances which are common to the whole of society, and politicians who claim to represent a particular section of our community find it useful to make out those grievances as specific to a racial or religious community,” he stated.
Further, he alleged that politicians arouse feelings within communities against the other communities, stating: “This process has been utilised in the course of our history. The parties that misinterpret these sermons magnify these differences and attribute the issues that people encounter to the sermons, whereas the reality is that we have a society which is divided into classes, extending from the very rich down to the unemployed, who live below the poverty line.”
This different class interest, whether it is the upper-middle or upper class, is in an economically advantageous position with regard to their standard of living, compared to the rest of society, where there is a rich-poor gap.
“This gap is cause for discord. Today, people are surviving on one or two meals per day. So in this situation, there is a build up of resentment against the ruling class. To stay in power, the principle of imperialism which is always used to divide and rule, is used by the powerful,” he explained.
The diversity of our population is used to create issues within the communities. In July 1983, the UNP Government of the time deliberately attacked innocent Tamil civilians. The outcome was racial riots and ultimately, it came to the point where Tamil division groups came up, the
LTTE became very powerful, and we had a 30-year war.
Muslims who enriched Sri Lanka’s cultural heritage
Arasi Marikar Wapchie Marikar: Hailing from a renowned Mason family, Arasi Marikar Wapchie Marikar started his career as an apprentice working under expert builders. His flair for Islamic architecture can be seen in the many arches used in his work. He constructed the National Museum of Sri Lanka.
Wapchie Marikar had also constructed the General Post Office in Colombo, the Colombo Customs building, Old Town Hall in Pettah, Galle Face Hotel, Victoria Arcade, Finlay Moir Building, the Clock Tower, Batternburg Battery, and many other buildings.
However, in January 1877, during the opening ceremony of the Colombo Museum, Wapchie Marikar noticed that among the crowd were many Muslims present. Fearing that they would spend their time at the Museum on Friday during Jumma prayers, he requested that the Museum be closed on Fridays. This request was adhered to by all authorities in charge of the Museum to this day.
Wapchie Marikar will be long remembered as the builder of several other iconic buildings in Colombo.
Haji Mohomed Ismail: For people who frequent Kandy town, the Ismail clock tower that was built in 1947 by Haji Mohomed Ismail still stands as a meeting point, landmark, and beautiful icon. Since people did not have wristwatches in the late 40s, this was a very useful contribution for the workers of the city and for buses to be on time. Built in memory of his beloved son, Mohomed Zacky Ismail, and those who lost their lives in Kadugannawa on 14 August 1947 under tragic circumstances, this iconic monument marks the centre of the city of Kandy.
S.H. Moosajee: Seema Malakaya of the Gangaramaya Temple situated in the Beira Lake, was originally constructed in the late 19th Century. Situated a few hundred metres to its east, the original structure slowly sank into the water in the 1970s. In 1976, Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa was brought in to redesign and construct the temple, which stands in this form today. The reconstruction was funded by a Sri Lankan Muslim businessman, S.H. Moosajee, and his wife, in memory of their son Ameer S. Moosajee.
Mohideen Baig(1919–1991): A renowned musician, known particularly for his Buddhist devotional music, moved to Sri Lanka from Salem in Tamil Nadu. A Hydrabadi Muslim by origin, Baig was considered a highly-influential multicultural/multi-religious figure in the country's arts history. Baig was followed into the music industry by his son Ishak, who also achieved considerable success, although not as well-recognised as his father.