The editorial said, “India, especially Jammu and Kashmir, has suffered due to Islamic terror. Countries such as Sri Lanka, France, Britain, New Zealand have taken tough steps, the question is when will India do it.” It asked, “Why is India lagging behind?” when countries have taken steps to ban the burqa after terrorist attacks. It added that scores of young Muslim girls wanted to get rid of the tradition to cover their face in public.

The editorial accused many Muslims of not having “understood the true meaning of their religion (Islam)”. It said that they had confused it with traditions and customs like burqa, polygamy, triple talaq and resistance to family planning. “For instance, when any voice is raised against these practices, immediately there are cries of ‘Islam is in danger’. The order of preference among Muslims is religion taking precedence over nationalism. Muslim women have been sporting burqas/veils under the wrong impression that it is a Quranic tenet,” the editorial said.

As if linking the barbaric act of terrorism to a particular religion (Islam) wasn’t enough, the editorial went on to ask why India (land of Ram – the Hindu god) couldn’t take this courageous step, if Sri Lanka (land of Ravana- the demon in Hindu mythology) could do it. It said, “when it could be done in Ravan’s Lanka, when will it happen in Ram’s Ayodhya?,” further toying with the issues of Ayodhya and India as the land of Hindus- two major talking points in this election. Notably, Shiv Sena has allied with the right-wing Hindutva party, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that is infamous for its anti-Islamic stand and its polarisation strategies.

Union Minister and BJP’s candidate from Begusarai, Giriraj Singh, has supported Shiv Sena’s demand. Singh said, “In the country and all over the world several blasts have occurred in the guise of burqa. The burqa should be banned particularly at the time of elections. The Shiv Sena has demanded nothing wrong.” Singh has stirred controversies in the past as well due to his communal and outrageous remarks.

Though Shiv Sena’s president Uddhav Thackeray has dissociated himself and his party from this sensitive issue, senior Sena leader and executive editor, Sanjay Raut, has justified the editorial saying it is in line with Bal Thackeray’s views on national security. Raut, in the editorial, said that the current government had taken a decision to do away with Triple Talaq to save Muslim women from exploitation. Now, PM Modi will have to take a decision (on burqa ban) which will be “as courageous as the decision to conduct a surgical strike.” Adding further, he said, “We welcome the Sri Lankan government’s decision, and demand that PM Narendra Modi should take cue from it and clamp a ban on burqa in India in the national interest.”

However, the editorial has drawn sharp rebuttals from Muslim leaders as well as from the party itself. AIMIM chief, Asaduddin Owaisi, has condemned this demand and have urged the Election Commission (EC) to take note of this. “I request the EC to take cognisance of this article because it is trying to create divisions and polarisation within society. This is a grave violation of the Model Code of Conduct.”

Neelam Gorhe, Shiv Sena’s spokesperson, said “Today’s editorial has neither been discussed nor been announced by Uddhavji and thus it may be a personal opinion of the editor on the current affairs in Sri Lanka, but is not endorsed by the party president or the party.”

BJP spokesperson GVL Narsimha Rao said that there is no need for any such ban as “Under PM Narendra Modi’s leadership, India is safe.”

Ramdas Athawale, president of the Republican Party of India- BJP’s ally, strongly came out against the Sena and said, “Not all women who wear burqa are terrorists, it is their custom and right too. There should not be such a ban on burqa in India.”

It is to be noted that Sena’s editorial emphasizes on the ban in Sri Lanka as the rationale behind its own demand. However, Sri Lanka has banned any face-covering garment, with no explicit mention of the burqa or niqab, so that the terrorists  cannot hide their identity through any means. Contrarily, Sena’s editorial has directly asked for a burqa ban which clearly reflects the party’s ideology and continues to other the Muslim community.

While there is a heated debate over the correlation between burqa ban and national security, the authorities fail to take cognisance of this rigid patriarchal practice which curbs women’s right to choose and their right over their own body. Such bans or arguments over such bans only create communal disharmony with the issues of terrorism and women’s individuality getting ignored.

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3. Why Morocco’s burqa ban is more than just a security measure

The post “Happened in Ravan’s Lanka; When Will It Happen in Ram’s Ayodhya?”: Shiv Sena on Burqa Ban appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Indonesian Muslim student shows solidarity with victims of Sri Lankan bombings ( AFP )

Though the decree doesn’t explicitly state a ban on burqas or niqabs, the order clearly prohibits wearing any ‘face covering garment.’ This comes a few days after MP Ashu Marasinghe had submitted a private members’ motion to demand a ban on wearing burqa citing that it “was not a traditional Muslim attire” and thus should be outlawed on security grounds. The government delayed the decision on the advice of the Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe who advised that the opinions of the Islamic clerics should be taken into consideration. Notably, Muslims form only 10% of Sri Lanka’s 21 million population and  very few women there wear veils.

All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama (ACJU), an organisation of Muslim clerics, issued an order  asking women to avoid covering their faces with a niqab so security forces aren’t hindered in their efforts to maintain national security. “We have given guidance to the Muslim women to not cover their faces in this emergency situation,” ACJU assistant manager Farhan Faris said.

While the clerics and a portion of the Muslim population have agreed to comply with the presidential order, some have considered this as an anti-Islamic move. Owais Ibrahim, a Muslim shopkeeper, said he supported the ban on face covering for security reasons. “If it is not allowed it is not a problem. If we are living in Sri Lanka, we must respect their rules,” Ibrahim stated.

However, there are concerns within the Muslim community that a prolonged ban could fuel tensions in the religiously-diverse nation. A nation that emerged from a civil war with ethnic minority Tamil separatists, a decade ago. The Human Rights Watch, an international NGO, has condemned the ban. “That needless restriction means that Muslim women whose practice leads them to cover up now won’t be able to leave home,” the group’s executive director Kenneth Roth tweeted.

Reportedly, 150 people in connection with this nightmarish bloodshed have been arrested till now and the authorities are now hunting for around 140 followers of the jihadist group, Islamic State (IS) which has claimed responsibility for the attack and identified three militants – Abu Hammad, Abu Sufyan and Abu al-Qa’qa.  

The father and two brothers of Zahran Hashim, founder of an Islamist group National Towheed Jamaat (NTJ), which allegedly was behind the attacks, were killed in an operation by the security forces. Zahran and others wearing masks, had pledged their loyalty to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi before carrying out the attacks.

Many countries all over the world have banned wearing of veils either for liberating women from this rigid patriarchal norm or owing to some suicide attacks by people wearing veils like in the Chad and Cameroon attack. Astonishingly, in case of non-compliance of this order, the women are subjected to fine or even a jail term in different countries! However, such bans bring back the debate on religious freedom versus national security. It further links terror to one particular religious group thereby strengthening the Islamophobia which is already prevalent all over the world. Regrettably, what gets left behind in this entire discourse is a woman’s individual choice. Women have always been subjected to imposition of orders either by their husbands, fathers, other senior male figures or by the ‘paternalistic’ state. Further, the relation between banning veils and reduction in terror, is yet to be verified. This is not to say that veils are justified.

It is a known fact that veils are mostly forced on Muslim women by Muslim men; very few women wear it out of choice and that choice should be defended and respected. Even if  veils aren’t forced, young girls as little as five are made to wear them as a part of their culture and a ‘sign of modesty’. Eventually, they consider it as a part of their life and continue to wear it without ever questioning the existence of such a patriarchal custom.

Making laws against the wearing of niqabs or burqas will never help; not even for curbing terrorism. But to defend them as a religious and cultural marker of Muslim culture is simply erroneous to say the least. We need to make a distinction between Islam which is a system of ideas and Muslims as flesh and blood people. There is a thin line between religious freedom and women’s subversion and neither the state nor its citizens should cross this line.

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The post Ban on Veils for ‘Public Safety’: Presidential Order post-Easter Attacks in Sri Lanka appeared first on SabrangIndia.

I just read this report which says the responsibility has been claimed by the Islamic State and that it was their way of taking revenge on the New Zealand mosque attacks.

Seriously, Islamic state militants? Who are you taking revenge for? You and your Islamist predecessors are one of the major causes of Islamophobia all over the world (since 1979, you have been using Islam’s name to fight wars sometimes for America, sometime against America but always against the people!). You are one of the crucial partners in creating the refugee flood. You have killed the hopes of literally millions in your mad dance of blood and death! You are brutal, you are sick, you are blindly selfish and mindlessly destructive!

You killed them because they were Christians? You killed them because you wanted to make a point on an Easter morning??? You church bombers and the mosque attackers look the same, you think the same way, you are the same. Those killed, dismembered and terrorised in both these murderous attacks, they are the brothers and sisters.

As a human being, as the citizen of a neighbouring country, I completely oppose your blood thirst and war lust and as a Muslim, I disown you. Categorically. Point blank. Not in my name. Never in my name!

Know one thing: the Sri Lankans, the Christians, they are us!

#notinmyname
#howmuchbloodweneedtospill

The post #NotInMyName a heartfelt cry with the Christians of Sri Lanka appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Twenty-four persons were arrested in connection with the eight bombs blasts that left nearly 500 people injured. Late on Sunday, authorities defused an improvised pipe bomb on a road leading to the main terminal of the Colombo airport. Social media services continued to remain blocked in the country to curtail the spread of false information and ease tensions until the probe into the blasts is concluded.

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said four JD(S) workers were among the five Indians who were killed in the attacks. He added that three other workers were still missing.

————————————————————————————————————

(Reports from Sri Lanka Newspapers including The Sunday Observer)
 
Easter Sunday on the emerald isle of Sri Lanka was shattered by a A series of devastating bomb explosions have occurred on Easter Sunday morning (April 21) targeting multiple churches around the country and three luxury hotel complexes in Colombo.Six explosions occurred simultaneously across Sri Lanka, three of which targeted Catholic and Christian churches and three luxury hotels in Colombo. Explosions are reported in the Shangri-La, Kingsbury and the Cinnamon Grand Hotels. All of them took place between 8 and 8.45 a.m. The explosions are said to have occurred during Easter Sunday service at the churches. The staggering figure of over 205 dead with 35 of them being foreigners and (so far) and over 300 injured stunned Sri Lanka, India and the world. As the day wore on, reports of the attacks on the St Anthony’s Church in Kochchikade in Colombo 13, St. Sebastian’s Church, Katana and Zion Evangelical Church, Batticaloa, are confirmed by Sri Lanka Police. Among the injured are a large number of churchgoers and several foreigners.

 
Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith Fernando condemned the attack. The Cardinal requested the public to remain calm and advised not to “take [the] law into their hands”. He urged the public to help the victims and also donate blood if possible. Sri Lankan president, Maithripala Sirisena expressed shock and dismay at the attack. He noted that the Police and tri-forces have already commenced investigations and urged the public to stay calm and refrain from spreading misinformation.

Department of Government Information issued a public notice expressing condolences to those affected by the attack. The Department urged the public to not to get swayed by gossip. Till late into Sunday and Monday, social networking sites were shot down by the government. The Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe condemned the attack. He highlighted that the government is taking immediate steps to contain the situation.

PM @RW_UNP met w ministers n senior military personnel; all measures taken to maintain peace. Security tightened. Please stay calm. Please act responsibly. Please NO politics. We must all act together as #SriLanka citizens. My condolences to all families who lost loved ones. pic.twitter.com/j6e3qEPgNt
— Harsha de Silva (@HarshadeSilvaMP) April 21, 2019

Opposition Leader and former President Mahinda Rajapaksa condemned the attack.
It is absolutely barbaric to see such violent attacks on such a holy day. Whoever is behind these attacks must be dealt with immediately. My thoughts and prayers are with the families that lost loved ones and all of Sri Lanka.
— Mahinda Rajapaksa (@PresRajapaksa) April 21, 2019

Karu Jayasuriya, Speaker of Parliament issued a statement condemning the attack.
Multiple cowardly attacks this morning were not against any religion or ethnic group, but the whole Sri Lankan nation, bound together by friendship and brotherhood. In this difficult time, let us stand stronger to wipe out these heinous forces from our country, whoever they are. pic.twitter.com/n31N5GVTbG

— Karu Jayasuriya (@KaruOnline) April 21, 2019
An eighth explosion was reported in Dematagoda, Colombo 09 at about 2.40 p.m. This explosion reportedly took place at a house and a fire was reported as well. Three people admitted to Colombo General Hospital.
 
Sri Lankan State Minister Ruwan Wijegunawardene said that seven suspects have been arrested in connection with today’s coordinated attacks in Colombo, Negombo and Batticaloa. Government confirmed that most of the blasts were suicide bomb attacks, organised and carried out by one group.  It was only at 06 am on Monday morning that the police lifted state wide curfew imposed last evening.
 
Increasing anti-Christian attacks
The Sunday Observer published out of Sri Lanka reported that, from February 3 to April 14 this year, across Sri Lanka, there has been some sort of disruption against a Christian worship service every Sunday – on 11 successive Sundays to be specific.
Christians in Sri Lanka suffer violations of their right to religion and belief regularly, but most incidents do not make it to the news – or even to the Twittersphere. But the attack on the Methodist Church Centre in Anuradhapura, last Sunday, which was also Palm Sunday, a day of religious significance for Christians, was widely reported because of the forthright personal testimony and determined efforts of the President of the Methodist Conference, Bishop Asiri Perera, who had experienced the attack first hand.
In the past two months, this same church centre had obscenities shouted and stones pelted at it. A Municipal Councillor and villagers had forcibly broken in and threatened the priest and worshippers with assault. The Sunday before the Palm Sunday attack, they had cancelled the service due to intense pressure about the legality of their premises and services.

Types of violations
The violations reported this year against Christians include forcible entry to places of worship while services were ongoing, disrupting services, damaging properties, throwing stones and gathering outside places of worship in a threatening manner. Those leading prayers, hosting prayer services and participants have been threatened and obscene language used against them. Among the more serious violations was an assault of two females in two different incidents, a death threat and a threat to burn a place of worship.
At least 15 police complaints have been filed, some dealing with several violations. In some cases, police had refused or been reluctant to take complaints, sometimes going to the extent of siding with the alleged perpetrators, mocking and admonishing victims. On some occasions, police had refused to take matters to courts, demanded that victims file private plaints, and even refused to offer protection.

The right to Religion or belief cannot be restricted under any circumstances in the Sri Lankan Constitution. But one of the most regular violations have been questioning the legality of Christian prayers and places of worship, by Government officials, police, bhikkus and ordinary persons, often demanding registration, authorisation or approval from an official. Only on a few occasions have the police insisted on the right to freedom of religion or belief of Christians.

Numbers
This year, at least 13 churches and one individual have been affected in nine districts, with about 35 incidents and about 70 violations. Some churches have been affected multiple times, with multiple violations, such as disrupting a service, assault, death threats, shouting obscenities and damage to property.

Such violations against Christians have occurred regularly in Sri Lanka over several years, under successive governments.

A report by Verite Research in 2014 reported that a state institution or public servant was recorded as the key perpetrator of religious violence against Christians in 175 incidents (18%) out of 972 incidents examined between 1994 and 2014. Many of these have been diligently documented for years by the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka. 226 incidents of violence against Christians have been reported between January 2015 – June 2017 and 86 incidents in 2018. Many of the Christians under attack have been small rural Christian communities.

They have had little support from Churches which wield more political-social influence such as the Catholic Church, and various inter-religious bodies operating at local and national level. Though I have focused on the situation of Christians here, Muslims too have been under fire in Sri Lanka, with some of the harshest violence against them being concentrated within a few days in towns such as Aluthgama in 2014 and Digana in 2018. There have also been reports of violations against Hindus.

Way forward
Impunity has served as a licence for continued violence against religious minorities. Despite compelling evidence in some incidents, there has been a reluctance to use the existing legal framework to arrest and prosecute those responsible. Ironically, the ICCPR Act was recently used to imprison a writer and suppress free expression based on complaints by a Buddhist group that the writer has caused pain of mind to Buddhists and insulted Buddhism, but the same Act has not been used to arrest and prosecute those responsible for blatant and serious violations against Christians. Political will and legal action is essential to protect the rights of religious minorities.

Asserting rights sensitively would help, but it is unfair to expect victims to compromise and tolerate violations of their inalienable rights. Rather, the ‘good’ among the majorities, especially, Buddhists, must proactively protect the rights of religious minorities being persecuted and the more influential Christian churches must show support and solidarity to smaller and more vulnerable churches.

Unless and until all persons and communities, especially, the minorities and the vulnerable, can freely practise their religion without fear, religious harmony and co-existence will be a myth.

Examples of violations against Christians in 2019
1. As a female pastor and worshippers were preparing for a Sunday worship service, a mob of around 200 led by some bhikkus had forcibly entered the church premises, demanded to stop the worship, threatened the worshippers in obscene language, and damaged furniture and roofing sheets. A bhikku had threatened the Christians with death if they refused to stop their worship. The mob had also dragged a female worshipper on to the street, threw her at the feet of the bhikkus, and beaten her, and she had to be hospitalised. Some of the bhikkus had lodged a complaint, claiming the pastor was breaching the peace. At an inquiry, the monks and villagers had demanded the pastor stop conducting her services and only engage in worship in private. The Officer-in Charge (OIC) had told the pastor to comply with the demands of the monks and said the police wouldn’t provide her with further protection.

2. While a Sunday worship service was ongoing, bhikkus and a group of youth had forcibly entered the place of worship, shouting in obscene language and threatened the worshippers. Later, the policemen in civil clothes had tried to compel the pastor to attend an inquiry within 15 minutes, despite the pastor’s request for adequate time to consult his lawyer.

3. While a Sunday worship service was ongoing, a bhikkus had stood outside taking pictures of the premises and later, a group of around 35 villagers had gathered and stoned the premises. They had forcibly entered the place of worship and demanded to stop the worship immediately and threatened to burn the building if they refused to comply. A few days later, the pastor’s residence was stoned by unidentified individuals. The Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the police had refused the pastor’s request to refer the matter to court and told him to file a private plaint.

4. A pastor had received a copy of a letter addressed by a Divisional Secretary (DS) to the OIC of the local police, instructing the latter to stop Christian religious worship activities, claiming the place of worship was not registered with the DS. A few days later, while the Sunday service was ongoing, around 30 individuals, two police officers and the Grama Niladhari had questioned the pastor and told him to meet with the DS the following day. The DS had demanded the pastor stop his religious worship activities immediately and threatened to confiscate the pastor’s home (received through a tsunami resettlement scheme) if he refused to comply.

5. A group of 30 individuals had arrived at a place of worship and demanded to speak to the pastor, who was not there. Two individuals had then assaulted the female owner of the premises.

6. While a pastor and his wife were visiting a congregant’s home, a group of villagers had damaged the front door of the house and a cross hanging on it. The group had demanded to know about approval to carry out worship activities in the village and threatened the pastor. They had scolded the pastor’s wife in obscene language and attempted to assault the pastor. The police had been reluctant to take down the complaint.

7. Villagers had threatened a Christian not to invite a pastor to conduct bible studies in his home. Later, when he had gone to lodge another complaint to the police about threats to his life, he was arrested, based on a false allegation of assault. After he was released on bail, a government official had told him to stop having bible studies at his house.
 
 

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