In this short note, I wish to share the views of many who have spoken to me about the controversy over the Easter Sunday suicide attacks. Most of them do not write to newspapers; 
neither do I, as a general rule. But at this point, I consider it important to contribute to the debate, in order that the citizens of this country may learn the truth, sooner than later. My focus in the present article is on religion, because, I believe, the Easter attacks were inspired by the false religiosity not only of an insignificant group of misguided religious believers. It is a call to discern between true religiosity and false religiosity.
The LTTE militant struggle calling for a Separate State, was resolved by the ‘fight to death’ between the military and the militants. Unlike the LTTE militancy, the type of militancy represented by the Easter Sunday attacks is not negotiable. Let me explain.The claim for a separate state leaves room for negotiations. In other words, the Tamil separatists could have agreed to one of several possibilities. But in the case of the type of Islamic militancy, there is no such possibility, since it is based on an ideology deriving from what I call a false religiosity or a false interpretation of religion.
"The moderate Muslims who do not agree unreservedly with their fundamentalist interpretations, and practice of certain Islamic texts. Hence, the threat is still real and it could flare up anytime, anywhere"
Their actions arising from their ideology was/is to annihilate all non-Muslims and possibly also the moderate Muslims who do not agree unreservedly with their fundamentalist interpretations, and practice of certain Islamic texts. Hence, the threat is still real and it could flare up anytime, anywhere.
Although the civil authorities claim that the threat is over, there is no guarantee that those misguided have been completely eliminated or neutralized. How does one eliminate an ideology? What is needed is rehabilitation and bringing Muslims and all others of extremist ideologies to sanity. Hence,the hard task of identifying those who adhere to extremist ideologies and rehabilitating them, or better bringing them to sanity,is the task of the Sri Lankan citizenry. Much is expected from the majority of moderate Muslims in this regard.
In a democracy, those responsible for maintaining peace should take the responsibility for any lapses. I remember a minister of transport in India resigning over a train derailment which killed dozens, though the minister had absolutely nothing to do directly with the accident. This is the democratic tradition. Such acts of moral courage and decency were not altogether absent in Sri Lanka, but in recent times such honesty, bravery and courage was not evident. Whether they are culpable or not, the minister of defence and the hierarchy below should take the responsibility for the lapse, simply because there was sufficient information and ample time to avoid the Easter disaster. Unfortunately, my country which has a history going back to over 2,500 years seems rather primitive in this regard.
No one has taken the responsibility for the disastrous lapse. This is a serious question and the citizens of this country are baffled by this insensitivity. No report has yet been publicized. People continue to question why house-to-house inspections were not conducted in the vicinity of the blasts in spite of the incessant requests by religious authorities that this be done.
The grave injustice done to the victims of these attacks is inexplicable. The perpetrators, their supporters and those who shunned their responsibility towards the security of the citizenry, should know that the blood of the victims cries to the heavens for justice.
"Sri Lanka is blessed with four major world religions. All religions need to give up their exclusive claims for salvation and develop philosophies and theologies which are capable of embracing those of other faiths"
No acceptable answer has been given to the people of this country about the number of swords, arms, ammunition and saffron robes found in certain enclaves. The growing fear that Islamic fundamentalists have silenced the majority of moderate Muslims and even bought over not only the Muslim politicians but also others including non-Muslim politicians has to be cleared by hard factual evidence to the contrary. Without this, one cannot claim that the fears, even the panic, of several persons is baseless.
Sri Lanka is a land blessed with four major world religions. All religions need to give up their exclusive claims for salvation and develop philosophies and theologies which are capable of embracing those of other faiths and no faith as well. To profess that there is no liberation outside one’s religion is baseless. If this were to be true, what was the fate of millions of our ancestors who lived before these religions were founded?
After all, all these religions are relative newcomers to the human society. Buddhism has a history of about 2,500 years, Christianity, 2000 and Islam 1500. The present society with these religions cannot claim to be better than those of our forefathers and mothers who lived for at least 40,000 years or so before us inspired by cosmic spirituality without any of these meta cosmic religions. Hence while clinging to all that is good in our religions, all believers need to dismiss unwarranted interpretations of sacred texts, superstition and exclusive claims for salvation. This is sanity. If religions make people insane and incapable of relating intelligibly and charitably to others, then such religions have no raison d’être. If gods prompt the massacre of innocent non-believers, how can such gods be said to exist?
"After all, all these religions are relative newcomers to the human society. Buddhism has a history of about 2,500 years, Christianity, 2000 and Islam 1500"
There is a poverty of philosophy/theology in all these religions. The problem is not the original religious inspiration of goodness, but the defective and bad philosophies/theologies which erroneously interpret the original experience. The sacred texts point to the primordial experience of religions, which is essentially salvific. These texts without exception are constrained by time and space. Hence, if they are to be acceptable in the present time, they should always be evaluated in the light of the original experience at the foundation of the various religions.
The author is one of Sri Lanka’s highest qualified Catholic Theologians.
