Muslims should support Archbishop’s call to identify masterminds behind the Easter Sunday attacks!

More than a thousand-year-old peaceful presence of Muslims in the island was demonised and destroyed within a day by destructive forces over communal political issues and not for religious reasons – Pic by Shehan Gunasekara 

Sri Lanka’s historically peaceful Muslim community, the second biggest victimised sector after the Christians from the tragic Easter Sunday carnage, should firmly support the call made by the Archbishop of Colombo Malcom Cardinal Ranjith to bring to light the alleged masterminds behind the 21/4 suicide attacks on innocent Christians and others.

We share with the rest of the country the deep disappointment expressed by the Archbishop on the failure of the Easter Sunday Commission to investigate and provide answers to the critical issues raised on behalf of the worst affected victims. We also find the evaluation of the causes that led to several youths destroying hundreds of innocent lives by committing suicide, woefully inadequate.  

The failure to evaluate the circumstances of the purported wife of one of the suicide bombers, Pulasthini Rajendran alias Sarah’s alleged escape to India by boat or to recommend measures to extradite and investigate her is widely perceived in Sri Lanka as a costly gap in the report. In an online workshop on ‘Intelligence and National Security’ held on 16/02/21 the Indian High Commissioner here was reported in the media that Indian security agencies had recently arrested persons wanted by the Sri Lankan counterparts. Why not Pulasthini? 

The Archbishop’s globally publicised speech made on 21 July 2019, on the day of the re-consecration of the Katuwapitiya St. Sebastian’s Church, one of the Churches destroyed by a suicide bomber with a Muslim name had not been dealt with anywhere in the six-member Commission report. 

The Archbishop said, “Easter Sunday mayhem was an international conspiracy and not merely the work of Islamic extremists. The youth who carried out the bomb attacks were used by the international conspirators. Global Muslims have become victims of international forces. However, global Muslims should stand up against the conspirators who use Islamic ideologies to create mayhem all over the globe. They should join the people of other religions to confront those forces who insult Islam to fulfil their vested interests. 

“I have seen a report that ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi is in a military camp which is run by the most powerful nation in the world. I won’t mention the name of that country but clearly the ISIS leader is in a military camp which is run by this powerful nation. We are worried that ISIS leaders are being used by this powerful nation to fulfil their vested interests. We question whether this nation knew about the bomb attack. We also question whether some are trying to create a Sinhala Muslim backlash and create unrest in our country. I do not think a group of youths created the Easter Sunday carnage merely because of their ideologies with regard to Islam.”

The Archbishop in his Katuwapitiya speech also quoted Pope Francis as having said that so many conflicts in the world are because of the high productions of weapons! Legitimate questions are being raised in knowledgeable circles as to why the Commission failed to examine these serious revelations.  

More than a thousand-year-old peaceful presence of Muslims in the island was demonised and destroyed within a day by destructive forces over communal political issues and not for religious reasons.

A well-organised sinister campaign demonising Islam and unleashing violence on Muslims began in the aftermath of the defeat of LTTE in May 2009.This campaign reached its zenith when the entire Muslim community was blamed for the crime of Zahran Hashim and a handful of his lunatics. 

Within two years today leading Sinhalese professionals, respectable monks and even politicians openly claimed that the Muslim community has nothing to do with this tragedy while pointing the finger at those who benefitted from the carnage. Several top police and intelligence officers openly claimed that Zahran is not the leader and there were people above him. 

However, as Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith demands, Muslims and others would like to know the real architects of this dastardly crime which brought immense sufferings to Christians, Muslims and all others. Muslims too were subjected to reprisal attacks and killings, their residential, commercial and industrial properties burnt under the watchful eyes of the police.

We stand firmly against any attempt to divide and confront the people of our country on ethno-religious lines. We fully support the Archbishop’s demand while appreciating the concerns of respected Sinhalese personalities who have condemned the hate campaign against Islam and the Muslims.

M.M. Zuhair PC, former MP

Latheef Farook, Journalist and Author

Mass L. Usuf, Attorney at Law and Advocacy Columnist

Mansoor Dahlan, Theology Scholar