The heart-wrenching incident of a Sri Lankan national being beaten to death and his lifeless body being set on fire over an alleged act amounting to blasphemy last week has sparked an international discussion and debate. Even though the tragic death of the Sri Lankan is our main concern as Sri Lankans, to the international community, this incident is indicative of the prevailing and persisting religious extremism in Pakistan and in other parts of the world.
Despite its standing in the world today, both economically and socially, Pakistan is a country with immense potential. With the fifth largest population in the world, it has a huge domestic market and a massive workforce, and is also blessed with an abundance of natural and cultural resources. The country should be an economic powerhouse. In fact, decades ago, Pakistan stood shoulder to shoulder with India in many economic indicators, and even stood above its giant neighbour on a few of them. Yet, over the past three decades, India, by becoming a more open, tolerant, and free nation, has surpassed Pakistan in virtually every economic metric and now stands head and shoulders above it.
One of the reasons for the decline of Pakistan has been its lack of openness to new ideas and restrictive laws, fuelled by strict religious and cultural norms. Pakistan was created in 1947 as a homeland for Indian Muslims following the partition, making it one of only two countries that were formed on the basis of a religion; the other being Israel. Therefore, it is virtually impossible to divorce Islam from Pakistan and for it to move towards being a secular State.
However, the extent to which religion, in this case a strict interpretation of Islam, permeates through every aspect of life, society, and economy in Pakistan has created a breeding ground for extremism, radicalisation, and intolerance. General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s leader from 1977 to 1988, decisively turned Pakistan towards this strict interpretation of Islam, with the indirect result being the creation and nurturing of violent extremist groups such as the Pakistani Taliban. None of his successors have been able to, or had the will to, eliminate these groups. Due to the famous diplomatic tensions the country has with India and the latter’s superior military might, these groups are also being looked at as protectors by segments of Pakistani society who believe they could attack India or Indians in retaliation for any offensive moves by India towards Pakistan.
These militia groups, as well as a host of other factors, have deterred tourists, despite the spectacular natural beauty and tourist attractions the country has to offer. The instability and the climate of fear created by these groups and other militant Islamist groups have also kept foreign investors away from the country despite being a sizeable market of over 200 million people. Overall, the economy has suffered immensely due to the extremism of certain segments of Pakistani society, and it’s hard to imagine Pakistan realising its full potential until it eradicates this menace for good.
The story of Pakistan is relatable to Sri Lanka as well. Sri Lanka was historically a nation that was highly influenced by Buddhist ideologies, which advocate loving-kindness and tolerance. However, somewhere along the line, the people of almost all backgrounds embraced other ideologies which affected how they interpreted what Buddhism, or any other religious, social, and cultural ideology, teaches.
There are several takeaways from what happened in Pakistan and what followed; the main one being how extremism – be it religious, societal, cultural, or otherwise – can drive masses to go to the extreme with absolutely no regard to even the basic sentiments of humanity. Even though Sri Lanka has not recorded incidents of lynching of this nature, the existence of different forms of extremism is undeniable. In fact, extremism is neither a new nor an outdated concept to Sri Lanka. The three-decade war waged by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), multiple clashes between different ethnic and religious groups which were triggered by extremist ideologies on the part of both Sinhala-Buddhist groups and Islamic groups, and the Easter Sunday attacks of 2019, are examples that support the claim that extremism in Sri Lanka cannot only be destructive, but can also persist unnoticed.
In this context, perhaps, in addition to concerns pertaining to Sri Lankan migrant workers’ safety and working conditions, as a country, we should pay more attention to different forms of extremism that are growing right under our noses, before they could become uncontrollable and wreak havoc in the country, again. It is also important that Sri Lanka acknowledges the fact that there are extremists representing almost all forms of school of thought.
What Sri Lanka has done to address extremism, especially following the Easter Sunday attacks, is questionable. While the enthusiasm the authorities had immediately after the Easter Sunday attacks seems to have ebbed away, what we have done to address extremism was predominantly centred around only the Muslim community, even though extremism on the part of certain Sinhala-Buddhists and other religious and ethnic groups came to light following the said attacks. ALthough the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) on the Easter Sunday attacks recommended legal action against Sinhala-Buddhist groups as well, thus far, proper action has not been taken in that regard.
What happened in Pakistan is also a message that Sri Lanka should revisit its approaches to addressing extremism, which relies mainly on banning and censoring extremist groups and extremist ideologies. Even though Pakistan has laws against blasphemy (which in itself is highly controversial), no person who alleged that the deceased Sri Lankan national had committed an act of blasphemy sought that country’s legal system’s assistance. This is a lesson for Sri Lanka too; legal and policy actions are not the only solution to address extremism, and massive ideological and societal changes are necessary.
It is high time for Sri Lanka to acknowledge that changing ideologies is what thwarts extremism, and that real change happens in people’s minds, not in law books.Extreme lessons from Pakistan
07 Dec 2021
Extreme lessons from Pakistan
07 Dec 2021
The heart-wrenching incident of a Sri Lankan national being beaten to death and his lifeless body being set on fire over an alleged act amounting to blasphemy last week has sparked an international discussion and debate. Even though the tragic death of the Sri Lankan is our main concern as Sri Lankans, to the international community, this incident is indicative of the prevailing and persisting religious extremism in Pakistan and in other parts of the world.
Despite its standing in the world today, both economically and socially, Pakistan is a country with immense potential. With the fifth largest population in the world, it has a huge domestic market and a massive workforce, and is also blessed with an abundance of natural and cultural resources. The country should be an economic powerhouse. In fact, decades ago, Pakistan stood shoulder to shoulder with India in many economic indicators, and even stood above its giant neighbour on a few of them. Yet, over the past three decades, India, by becoming a more open, tolerant, and free nation, has surpassed Pakistan in virtually every economic metric and now stands head and shoulders above it.
One of the reasons for the decline of Pakistan has been its lack of openness to new ideas and restrictive laws, fuelled by strict religious and cultural norms. Pakistan was created in 1947 as a homeland for Indian Muslims following the partition, making it one of only two countries that were formed on the basis of a religion; the other being Israel. Therefore, it is virtually impossible to divorce Islam from Pakistan and for it to move towards being a secular State.
However, the extent to which religion, in this case a strict interpretation of Islam, permeates through every aspect of life, society, and economy in Pakistan has created a breeding ground for extremism, radicalisation, and intolerance. General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s leader from 1977 to 1988, decisively turned Pakistan towards this strict interpretation of Islam, with the indirect result being the creation and nurturing of violent extremist groups such as the Pakistani Taliban. None of his successors have been able to, or had the will to, eliminate these groups. Due to the famous diplomatic tensions the country has with India and the latter’s superior military might, these groups are also being looked at as protectors by segments of Pakistani society who believe they could attack India or Indians in retaliation for any offensive moves by India towards Pakistan.
These militia groups, as well as a host of other factors, have deterred tourists, despite the spectacular natural beauty and tourist attractions the country has to offer. The instability and the climate of fear created by these groups and other militant Islamist groups have also kept foreign investors away from the country despite being a sizeable market of over 200 million people. Overall, the economy has suffered immensely due to the extremism of certain segments of Pakistani society, and it’s hard to imagine Pakistan realising its full potential until it eradicates this menace for good.
The story of Pakistan is relatable to Sri Lanka as well. Sri Lanka was historically a nation that was highly influenced by Buddhist ideologies, which advocate loving-kindness and tolerance. However, somewhere along the line, the people of almost all backgrounds embraced other ideologies which affected how they interpreted what Buddhism, or any other religious, social, and cultural ideology, teaches.
There are several takeaways from what happened in Pakistan and what followed; the main one being how extremism – be it religious, societal, cultural, or otherwise – can drive masses to go to the extreme with absolutely no regard to even the basic sentiments of humanity. Even though Sri Lanka has not recorded incidents of lynching of this nature, the existence of different forms of extremism is undeniable. In fact, extremism is neither a new nor an outdated concept to Sri Lanka. The three-decade war waged by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), multiple clashes between different ethnic and religious groups which were triggered by extremist ideologies on the part of both Sinhala-Buddhist groups and Islamic groups, and the Easter Sunday attacks of 2019, are examples that support the claim that extremism in Sri Lanka cannot only be destructive, but can also persist unnoticed.
In this context, perhaps, in addition to concerns pertaining to Sri Lankan migrant workers’ safety and working conditions, as a country, we should pay more attention to different forms of extremism that are growing right under our noses, before they could become uncontrollable and wreak havoc in the country, again. It is also important that Sri Lanka acknowledges the fact that there are extremists representing almost all forms of school of thought.
What Sri Lanka has done to address extremism, especially following the Easter Sunday attacks, is questionable. While the enthusiasm the authorities had immediately after the Easter Sunday attacks seems to have ebbed away, what we have done to address extremism was predominantly centred around only the Muslim community, even though extremism on the part of certain Sinhala-Buddhists and other religious and ethnic groups came to light following the said attacks. ALthough the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) on the Easter Sunday attacks recommended legal action against Sinhala-Buddhist groups as well, thus far, proper action has not been taken in that regard.
What happened in Pakistan is also a message that Sri Lanka should revisit its approaches to addressing extremism, which relies mainly on banning and censoring extremist groups and extremist ideologies. Even though Pakistan has laws against blasphemy (which in itself is highly controversial), no person who alleged that the deceased Sri Lankan national had committed an act of blasphemy sought that country’s legal system’s assistance. This is a lesson for Sri Lanka too; legal and policy actions are not the only solution to address extremism, and massive ideological and societal changes are necessary.
It is high time for Sri Lanka to acknowledge that changing ideologies is what thwarts extremism, and that real change happens in people’s minds, not in law books.Kapruka
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Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!