St. Anthony’s church Kochchikade soon after suicide attack
A simple question needs to be addressed on the Easter Sunday Bomb Attack in Sri Lanka. Could our Government pursue an intelligence based anti-terrorist drive to combat the ISIS linked terrorist groups without the bomb blasts happening? The answer is clearly NO. The local and international Human Rights Groups, Powerful Nations and even the Stakeholders of the bomb blast would have pounced on the Government with such force that it would have crippled operations. The inevitable happened; everybody is in a state of dismay. 
Where does the Crime really lie? Removing the terrorist threat is one thing, avoiding a terrorist attack is another. The Government had prior information of the attack. The VIPs on all sides safeguarded themselves based on this information, and leaving the people they lead to the mercy of the terrorists. What a bunch of cowards! I mean, all of them! It is impossible to imagine that such people are really human! Some went overseas and delayed their return to avoid taking responsibility. Some left this area to enjoy the cool of Nuwara eliya, others didn’t attend masses in the churches etc. The result; 250-plus people had been blown to pieces and 500 left injured.
We have yet to learn that terrorism cannot be managed. It has to be eliminated. The Mahabharata clearly says this about evil. Terrorists are genuine to their cause. Politicians play games with anything (including terrorism) for personal and other profits. This was one of the reasons for the 30-year war in Sri Lanka.
The relative state of the world is based on two things. One, the ‘Unfathomable Relationship with the so called beyond’ and the other, ‘Reason’. These two aspects have made the world what it is today. What the Islamic world has lost is the ‘Reason’ aspect of the equation. The Quran and other religious texts have been written for all time by individuals’ superior to the average human. If anyone says he/she is master of the Quran, Bible, Vedas or Thripitaka he is only fooling him/herself and the others. One has to understand the meaning, purpose, spirit and context in which the timeless and unchangeable verses have been stated. It is only by living them that the individual can have a better vision/relationship with the so called ‘World From Beyond’.
"If a bomb goes off anywhere in the world, there is a 90% chance to believe that it is the work of an Islamic terrorist group. Does this mean (as some try to make us believe) that all Muslims are terrorists? The answer is NO"
If a bomb goes off anywhere in the world, there is a 90% chance to believe that it is the work of an Islamic terrorist group. Does this mean (as some try to make us believe) that all Muslims are terrorists? The answer is NO.
It is like the Universities in Sri Lanka, where a united evil minority with power creates a lot of noise. The world outside links the visible minority with the entire university system. Thereafter all university students are labelled as being extremists. The same is true for the Global Islamic Community. The truth is, the silent and informal Islamic majority is full of colour, joy and happiness, just like you and me. Else, their system must be self-destructive (i.e. They must eat themselves up after eating us). But it has not happened. It has lasted for around 1500 years.
There is a lot to learn from the head of the local Catholic Church His Eminence Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith. The way he handled the aftermath -- in this hour of need -- prevented a countrywide backlash and further bloodshed. Many thanks and God’s blessings upon him. We must all learn from him that the best way to protect and further one’s religion is to live its teachings in the right spirit. Religion is something that needs to be lived silently by individuals. It should not be used as a commodity or a marketing tool to further other interests.
We can see developments in the political arena where the stage is being set so that the public are made to believe that a military leader is the need for the country. We hope and pray that the people of Sri Lanka would not fall prey to this. If one observes carefully, the civil government is doing a reasonable job to rid terrorism from the country. We do not need a military-based Government again.
"We have yet to learn that terrorism cannot be managed. It has to be eliminated. Terrorists are genuine to their cause. Politicians play games with anything (including terrorism) for personal and other profits. This was one of the reasons for the 30-year war in Sri Lanka"
A doctor is needed to help us out of a sickness, whereas we do not need him/her when we are fine. Similarly the military is needed now to flush out terrorism once and for all. Once the job is done, it is best that the military returns to the barracks.
Only political and personal gain could be achieved by extending the presence of the gun in civil society. If a military leader heads the country, the civil society would lose its diversity, dignity and colour. Only one way would exist for everything, just like what the Islamic community is faced with. This is a critical area to watch in the future.
