War and Peace

Imagine

By John Lennon

Imagine there's no countries

It isn't hard to do

Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion too

Imagine all the people

Living life in peace

Imagine no possessions

I wonder if you can

No need for greed or hunger

A brotherhood of man

Imagine all the people

Sharing all the world

You may say I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one

I hope someday you'll join us

And the world will live as one

My country may be well on the brink of another civil war. I hope I am very wrong about this one.

About 30 years ago, a civil war started between the Sinhalese (which makes up about 75% of the population) and the Tamils (which makes up about 11%) - it was a conflict between racial labels and it took 26 years to end. We gained nothing from it except for loss of trust, loss of lives and several decades of hindered economic progress.

In the recent times, incidents of violence are being reported between the Buddhists (which makes up about 70%) and the Muslims (which makes up about 10%) - this is a conflict between religious labels and at this point in time, it is too early to tell how it will end.

In both the cases above, the urge to start a war or incite violence was not something everyone under those particular races or religions wanted. It was the intention of some of them. But like a fire that is easy to spark with the right conditions, there are plenty of cinders lying around waiting to be sparked by deranged leaders of groups like the LTTE or more recently, the Bodu Bala Sena.

Are these just extremists fighting under the guise of race and religion to garner support of followers? Or does the very nature of religion and race serve to divide people and do us more harm than good?

The way I comprehend it, at the core of all ethnic tensions in Sri Lanka is a deep sense of insecurity on part of the Sinhalese Buddhist majority (to which I belong by circumstance of birth) over losing their identity and heritage to growing numbers of other racial and religious minorities. Although a tiny island on the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka has a rich and colourful history spanning several millenia. Its present identity is mostly a bittersweet result of historical kingdoms, religious influences, foreign invasions, war, literature, arts, crafts. etc. After the introduction of Buddhism in the 3rd century BC, it remains the predominant religion of the Sinhalese people who are considered the natives.

Growing up in Sri Lanka, I was instilled with ideas of patriotism and religion from my surroundings, despite attending a private school where we were taught no lessons on the history of Sri Lanka or religion.

In the racial sense, I was made to feel proud to be part of the dominant race and the brave ancestors from whom I descended. I even picked up the notion that the only country our race had was this tiny island of Sri Lanka and that it rightfully belonged to us and that all the rich history and culture it embodied would die with the death of it and therefore we had to protect it. I recall having petty fights with my friends (of another race) when we were children where I've insensitively asked them to go back to India if they were not happy to support the Sri Lankan cricket team! We laugh about it now, but unknown to me back then, these type of ideals probably made many citizens of other minorities feel unwelcome and identity-less despite being Sri Lankans for many generations.

It's only now that I have about 10 years between me and the period that I left Sri Lanka, do I fully realise that we are perhaps still living in the glory of a long-gone past and these romantic notions (which are not uncommon in most countries with ethnic struggles) are not practical or beneficial to the progress of a nation that is having a growing population of other races and religions. My shift in perspective is no doubt a result of living as minority in Singapore and Dubai for the last 10 years among people of various races and religions and understanding the value of an inclusive society.

In the religious sense, I was brought up with Buddhist values. Buddhism in its nature is a non-violent and tolerant religion (or philosophy, rather) that does not support egotistical attitudes or actions that cause any suffering to others. It encourages its followers to critically examine all views and beliefs thrown at them, including its own teachings. It preaches respect and harmony towards all religions and beings, which ironically, the radical Buddhist groups creating chaos on the island have conveniently forgotten. These groups thrive by manipulating the minds of their followers with a fear that many Indian and East Asian religions share - what becomes of their right to practice their religion freely if the country was swept over by a majority of any one of the Abrahamic religions that have little or no tolerance for other religious views? Would these rulers allow the same freedom and show the same respect to non-believers to build their respective places of worship, teach their children religion and practice peacefully?

Insecurities aside, no citizen of Sri Lanka deserves to be ostracized or discriminated based on whatever labels they carry on their birth certificates or live in constant the fear of having their livelihood destroyed or being physically hurt by extremists.

A great infographic on various world religions (best viewed in a larger size: click here)

Empires and civilizations rise and fall. Change is inevitable. Sri Lanka belongs equally to all its citizens, regardless of their racial/ religious labels and regardless of the country's history. The history of modern Sri Lanka needs to be re-written with a voice where all its citizens feel safe, welcome and wanted. No race or religion should be given preferential treatment over others so that we do not end up with the tensions that exist today. For now though, that day is very far away.