May Day: No rallies but religious unity in diversity

Today is May Day, but acting with wisdom, major parties have called off their rallies in view of the still tense security situation, 10 days after the Easter Sunday massacres involving suicide bombers of two ISIS linked terror groups in Sri Lanka. Instead of rallies, the parties will take part in religious ceremonies.

Time for repentance and mourning in sack clothes, ashes…….

For the very first time in my life, I missed an Easter Sunday’s Mass this year. No, it was not due to any forewarning that my father gave me or a bad omen that signalled me to stay in; neither was it some supernatural hunch to keep me and my family from any mishap that would have come by in the form of a terror bomb attack. It was in deed, due to late night dinning out with

PRICE OF PROGRESS

Human nature is basically selfish and we humans tend to pursue progress at the cost of accepted norms and values. The progression of human civilization seems to be at an exorbitant cost and the connectivity engineered through that sadly leaves us so much alone. We have only to open our newspapers to see the unending destruction of lives through absolute and utter

A ‘bloody week’ sees searchlight on social media

The horrendous terror attacks brought attention to the role of social media. It now seems almost inevitable that any major social event will be assessed in some way on what role social media play.

Need to act against ghettoization of minds to stem terrorism

An eminent Sri Lankan researcher on radicalization and terrorism, Dr. Rohan Gunaratna, urges the Sri Lankan government, the island’s political and religious leaders, and civil society, to ponder over the ill-effects of physical, social and psychological ghettoization which has been going on in Sri Lanka for quite some time. A co-author of “Three Pillars of Radicalization” (Oxford University Press, 2019), Singapore-based Dr. Gunaratna believes t

How Wahhabism was fostered until it’s too late

On Friday, the imam of a Sufi mosque in Saindamarudu was alerted by the locals about a suspicious crowd in a house in the neighbourhood housing scheme called, Bolivia village. That is an exclusively Muslim housing scheme of 400 houses built after the Indian Ocean tsunami. The owner of one of the houses there had given his residence on rent to a man who claims to be a telecom engineer from Kattankudy; since new tenants moved in, he has observed a

Professional approach needed to identify extremism

With the experience, the Sri Lankan security forces have gained during the more than the thirty-year-long war against the LTTE, the Sri Lankan chapter of the terrorist group that is behind the massacres in three churches and three luxury hotels on Easter Sunday would most probably be wiped out or contained very soon. The terrorists seem to be dedicated towards their deadly objectives, but not having the necessary military acumen for a long war a

In the aftermath of Easter Sunday Tragedy... Easter Sunday Attack needs no civil war solution

Almost all western countries such as US, UK, France, Canada, Germany and Australia have experienced flash terrorist attacks in the not too distant past. Terrorist attacks therefore unfortunately are a fact of life in the in the 21st century. If one thinks, a terrorist attack is a reason to write off a country and for the citizens to lose hope, take a good look at the US which saw 3000 kill

The terrorists are our common enemy: Disrupt, don’t prop up their vile narratives

April 21, 2019 will be remembered as one of our darkest of days. The deadly, near simultaneous suicide attacks that ripped through churches and hotels in Sri Lanka snatching 253 precious lives and injuring 521 individuals....

EXTREMISM - What can we do about it?

As recent events have shown, religious extremism is going to be the biggest challenge of our times. In every part of the world, extremists hijack religion to push their evil agendas, be it ISIS in the Middle East, Shiv Sena in India or the Bodu Bala Sena in Sri Lanka.

Terrorism from home-grown to FOREIGN inspired - EDITORIAL

In the aftermath of the crushing of the LTTE by the armed forces of this country, the people of Sri Lanka firmly believed a genuine peaceful era had dawned, and the country would settle into a peaceful era which existed in the pre-JR Jayawardena era.

Sri Lanka! Winter is Coming: Exploring the new Terror Wave

A week into the serial suicide bombings carried out by Islamist extremists, targeting places across Colombo and Batticaloa, Sri Lanka security forces are carrying out search and mop up operations across the country.....

Leader of Nation of Tawheed Jamaat Zahran Hashim alias ‘Abu Ubaida’

Easter Sunday is celebrated by Christians, both Catholic and Protestant, as the day on which the crucified Jesus Christ rose from the dead. It is a joyful day on which Christians sing jubilantly – Death, where is your sting? Grave, where is your victory? He’s alive, He’s alive, He is risen! In a cruel twist of fate, this year’s Easter on April 21 turned out to be a day of tragedy and sorrow. The destruction and carnage caused on Easter Sunday by

Religious leaders need to play bigger role

In the aftermath of the Easter Sunday slaughter which left hundreds killed or injured and made Sri Lanka an international lead story for the wrong reasons, peaceful and responsible citizens need to focus more on finding a solution than finding fault, so that as promised in the Holy Scriptures this catastrophe could be turned into a blessing for all. It is now clear that a small local terror group -- apparently linked to the notorious Islamic S

Easter Sunday massacre: Who is sabotaging national security?

“The opinions that are held with passion are always those for which no good ground exists; indeed the passion is the measure of the holder’s lack of rational conviction. Opinions in politics and religion are almost always held passionately.” ~ Bertrand Russell, Skeptical Essays Three hundred plus dead, more than five hundred inju

Two big whys: Why kill people? Why ignore warnings?

As the case with the Christians in Sri Lanka has been, the two million Muslims in the country too have not been able to come to terms with the situation after the barbaric terrorist attacks on innocent men, women and....

‘Terror’ beyond ‘blame game’ and the ‘Burqa’

A fear psychosis in society was the immediate fallout from the brutal and shocking attacks on Easter Sunday morning that was driven deep into the social psyche with more frightening news in the days that followed; a suspicious vehicle exploded...

Life inside a troubled nation - EDITORIAL

As Sri Lankans wake up each day praying for peace and a troublefree day there is still no room to shut our minds from the thought that terrorism still haunts this island nation. Schools are temporary closed and we have some solace...

The Easter massacre victims: They are part of me

As the country has been plunged into chaos and the people are struggling to recover from the shock of Easter Sunday’s terrorist carnage, my pains are multiple. It pains me to watch television news...

Amid this turmoil let us be channels of solace & succour

We in the Daily Mirror roundly condemn in the strongest possible terms, the bomb attacks on three churches – St. Anthony’s Church at Kochchikade in Colombo, St. Sebastian’s Church at Katuwapitiya in Negombo and Zion Church in Baticaloa and the three hotels – Kingsbury, Shangri-la and Cinnamon Grand in the heart of Colombo.

Identity and identification of extremists and extremism

Just over a year ago, on March 6, 2018 to be precise, following inter-religious unrest in Digana and elsewhere Lakshman Kiriella (UNP) said in Parliament that ‘a resolution should be brought and Buddhists should apologize to the Muslims in connection with the violence.’ Kiriella has not, as yet, called on Muslims to apologize to Christians and people of other faiths who perished in

Government crippled when responding to terror strike

Sri Lanka was so accustomed to the peace that dawned after the end of the war on May 19, 2009 that it relaxed security measures. The country, under two successive Governments, dispensed with all wartime restrictions and relaxed security measures during the past ten years. However, the peace it enjoyed was punctured by the serial bombings targeting three

Violent acts that prompt a religious inquiry

Reading the mind of someone practising the Islam faith would be much difficult than reading the mind of a terrorist. This could be because there are many breakaway sects of the Islam faith; each claiming purity of the religion in the way it is practised.

Commemorating the 26th Death Anniversary of Late Lalith Athulathmudali

The late Lalith Athulathmudali was at one time the Minister for National Security and one who took his responsibility very seriously and never forgot that he was primarily accountable to the people of this nation. The recent suicide bomb blasts were definitely a déjà vu for many of us who have lived through the 80’s and this article aims to demand accountability from the

Bombings place our democracy under duress, and strain our commitment to rights

Violence is designed to challenge our democratic values, which were formed and endorsed in saner times. When bombs are set off they bring out some of our natural instincts for safety and, in the process, weaken our connections to our values and erode our freedoms. When we allow that to happen, we become like the bombers who then win.

Narendra Modi: the unexpected beneficiary of SL violence

While the Sri Lankan government ignored the warning by India’s foreign intelligence agency of the possibility of Islamic terrorist attacks here, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it appears, is going to be an unexpected beneficiary of the Easter Sunday violence in Sri Lanka.

Social media blocked for over 24 hrs in SL after bombing... Blocking social media platforms yield effective results?

As news broke out last Sunday that multiple blasts in Sri Lanka had killed and injured hundreds, the country’s officials announced that social media would be blocked to avoid the spread of rumours and disinformation.

NOT POWER BUT FEAR!

Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize Winner once said: “It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it!!!” No words could describe more poignantly the situation prevailing in our country today!!! We need to take pragmatic cognizance of the issues that plague our

Engulfed by the shadows of terrorism

As Sri Lanka looks to pick up the pieces and rebuild a shattered nation following a series of suicide bombings, its citizens now ponder on the thought unlike never before as to what holds in store for them in the future.

Easter Sunday terror Inter-denominational statement by Christians in Jaffna

Easter is celebrated as a day of hope, life and end to violence. But this Easter day has been marred by violence and death on a large scale. We categorically condemn the brutal Easter Sunday attacks on churches and hotels around Sri Lanka. We convey our deepest sympathies and stand in solidarity with the families that have lost their loved ones, those injured and all