The prerogatives of humanity and citizenship

This weekend marks the 10th anniversary of the historic defeat of the LTTE. It coincides with Vesak. It comes just four weeks after a deadly attack by the National Thawheed Jama’ath (NTJ), an attack for which the ISIS has also claimed responsibility.

Hate cannot drive out hate

George Santayana’s philosophical adage “Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it” still holds true to its proclamation. As history keeps repeating itself, the lessons are many, but in Sri Lanka’s context, I would like to chronicle a couple of historical blunders where our leaders failed to study history and learn lessons from the mistakes and failures of the past. Being

Reward and punishment as tools to control a nation

The Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) is hellbent these days on strictly enforcing the law with the motive of avoiding another possible ‘Back July’ The method used to discipline this nation is the threat of punishment. May 13 (Monday) was a bad day because the presence of tension in areas like Kuliyapitiya, Hettipola, Bingiriya, Dummalasuriya, Rasnayakapuara and Kobeigane,

Virgins in Heaven and the cumulative effect of alienation…

Whether a given hadeeth in the Holy Traditions of Islam is authentic or fake could hardly have been a matter of interest to those who are not Muslims or scholars, under normal circumstances. Quite frankly speaking, why should it be? But when it comes to certain a hadeeth, as it turns out now, the answer has become a matter of life and death, not to those of Islamic

For presidential nomination, Mahinda’s safest bet is Maithri

“In our age there is no such thing as ‘keeping out of politics.’ All issues are political issues, and politics itself is a mass of lies, evasions, folly, hatred and schizophrenia.” ~ George Orwell Power, as a constantly moving legacy of those who held it, has its inherent baggage of corrupt and extremely-dishonest elements. Its powerful and ambitious psychological rudiments call for more and more, exposing man’s greed and gluttony beyon

WHITHER PARADISE?

We wonder if even God can help our country now. Our island home was a beautiful paradise and its inhabitants were God-fearing. That was, in the time of the benevolent, respected leaders who TRULY LOVED this country and its people. They fought long and hard to gain independence and maintained the TRUE SPIRIT OF THAT INDEPENDENCE they fought so hard to gain. When did our beautiful island paradise turn into the MONSTROSITY IT IS TODAY? In 1947, the

Whom can we trust?

Three weeks has passed since the Easter Sunday suicide bomb attacks on three churches and three luxury hotels, which killed nearly 300 people and it is 18 days since the last suicide explosion took place at Sainthamaruthu in the Ampara District. Yet, normalcy has not returned to the country. Instead, fear of more attacks and sporadic clashes between communities has engulfed the country.

Wahhabism and radicalization of local Muslims Fix it For Good

Intelligence-driven kinetic means can only do so much. The acid test would be to prevent the recurrence of the monstrosity that surfaced on the Easter Sunday. A good part of that responsibility lies with the local Muslim community. Their contribution to the success of intelligence operations has so far been crucial. However, confronting the ideology that is at the heart of Islamic terrorism needs greater perseverance and introspection, because of

Once upon a time in Kaththankudi

Sufism reigned. It was at its best in Kaththankudi. Aesthetics were part of the culture and there was a general air of lightness, positivism and cheerfulness. Women were bustling around the city in beautiful pastel coloured dresses. Lemon green, pink and light blue were the popular colours. The elderly women were dressed in simple silk sarees with white background. Nobody wore headdresses. Women worked alongside with their husbands and brothers i

A Sri Lankan Octogenarian Speaks

In my eighties - Do I look forward or backward April 21 Easter Sunday I was numb with grief but my mind went racing with multiple thoughts. Let calm descend over me to take stock of the situation. This reprehensible dastardly act was the work of criminal minded cowards who have forgotten the Quran’s message of mercy, forgiveness the categorical statement - Those who commit murder of even one person it is as if the whole human race has been annihi

How Bangladesh has kept Islamic radicals in check

Muslim-majority Bangladesh was born out of an explicitly secular and linguistic movement spearheaded by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. But it did not take long for the new born to show that it was “Islamic” as well as “Bengali”.

Rs.190 Million worth of Priorities ?

‘A supplementary budget of 190 million rupees for two bulletproof vehicles for the President and the newly-appointed Secretary of the Ministry of Defence has been passed in parliament! One of my neighbours made it a point to approach me during my morning walk to share this news.

Launching scurrilous ‘kelepattara’ by politicos has a history

Scurrilous Documents similar to Kavikola of the old times had vanished from our soil over the past few decades. However, the politicos will never allow those age old cultural habits to die naturally. They come forward to revive them occasionally.

Aasiya Bibi and growing tolerance of intolerance - EDITORIAL

Aasiya Bibi, a Pakistani Catholic woman who spent almost a decade on death-row over blasphemy allegations in Pakistan, was finally allowed to leave for Canada. According to latest information received, Asia Bibi is now in Canada.

Terrorism: Not to be managed, must be eliminated

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?

Family role in turning catastrophe into a blessing - EDITORIAL

On May 15th, the United Nations marks the International Day of Families. In Sri Lanka also the families – recognised worldwide as the nucleus of society -- need to play an effective role in restoring normalcy, inter-religious and inter-racial unity in diversity after the April 21 Easter Sunday massacres.

Are we paying for treachery?

Admittedly, there is a huge amount of work to be done, but the rapidity of the response and speed in which our police and security services apprehended the Islamist terrorists following the Easter Sunday attacks, and exposed the vast extent of their network, was the only silver lining in the unwarranted gloom that had descended upon our motherland. They deserve the gratitude of the nation, more so, because it was their prompt action alone that re

Maintaining peace: Lessons from the Qur’an

The Easter Sunday bombings came as a rude shock to me. When the news broke out that fateful Sunday morning that churches were being bombed, I found it hard to believe. My family was horrified. What manner of barbarians would take innocent lives and that too in a place of religious worship?

Identifying the killer ideology

The terrorist group that was behind the barbaric suicide bomb attacks on three churches and three five-star hotels on Easter Sunday (April 21) which killed nearly 300 innocent men, women and children seem to have been contained.

Destiny knocking at the door

“One should remember that Sri Lanka is yet to overcome the terrorist threats. This is because Sri Lanka has become a victim of global terrorism……We have already received support from several international intelligence services.

Negotiating this break in education - EDITORIAL

Most of our school children are at home these days and parents are both elated and concerned as a result. Parents are elated because there is no place safer for children than home. But they have their concerns because education has been disrupted.

Mainstream Muslims must unite to bring about a progressive Islam

The Easter Sunday terror attacks have opened the Pandora’s Box of questions on various aspects of Islam, its teachings and commands, amid an avalanche of Islamophobia, hate speech, distrust and scorn.

Ignoring terrorism in the courtyard

More than two weeks has gone by after the brutal and gruesome carnage that was unleashed against the innocent, unarmed Christian worshippers and unsuspecting diners, who had shown up in numbers to enjoy the Easter brunch at the leading hotels in Colombo.

Why Maithripala Sirisena hates SF

Presidency goes away beyond the holder’s personal likes and dislikes. It goes beyond the holder’s fears and pleasures; its scope is so large and extending beyond the personal boundaries of one’s lamentable limitations, a not-so-sophisticated intellect (if he has any) fails to embrace the immense responsibilities and demands that are rested upon the office.

Easter Sunday Attacks: Naming the enemy is a game now!

‘Terrorist has no religion’. That’s a poster-line. Appropriate, given the context of the Easter Sunday attack. It is moreover a statement that clearly disassociates the religious from the terrorists, especially those of the Muslim community in Sri Lanka. Simultaneously a Facebook group calling itself ‘Sri Lanka Unites (a young movement, they say, for hope and reconciliation, has

‘Where there is hatred, let us sow love’

In as much as we expressed our gratitude and appreciation to the members of our Intelligence Services, Armed Forces, Police and the STF for the effective and efficient manner in which they carried out search operations, arrested the suspects and seized their weapons caches, we also take some space today to express our gratitude and appreciation to the residents, who also

Muslim community under pressure for de-radicalization

Arabization of the local Muslims finally made way for the emergence of militants who blew themselves up on April 21 causing immeasurable damage to the country and its people. Only after the serial bombings that rocked the nation on April 21, some people, including the likes of top notched politicians, came to the realisation that a segment of the Muslim community was

Finding false hope in a clouded mind

After more than two weeks after the Easter Sunday bombings we are trying to understand two things; one is what these ruthless terrorists want and the other is whether the Holy Quran propagates violence of any kind.

CA President Justice Kodagoda on reforms to administration of justice

Delivering the inaugural speech at the ceremonial sitting held last Monday at the Court of Appeal (CA), the 47th and newly-appointed CA President Justice Yasantha Kodagoda expressed his concerns over reforms that could be introduced to the administration of justice, particularly to the CA.

CONFUSIONS AND CONTRADICTIONS

When a government stands divided among themselves, when the Prime Minister and the State Minister of Defence are left out of Security Council meetings and even the venues are kept secret to them; what kind of a democratic government are we looking at? When a government is divided to such an abysmal extent, how can it not fall? More importantly, how could the Prime