Photo of Salley in more connected days via BT Options
The chutzpah of this government knows no bounds. Every government since Independence has had to balance placating Sinhala nationalists (AKA racists) while at the same time actually running a sensible, inclusive nation that doesn’t send minority citizens, capital and foreign investment fleeing. Basically, they’ve had to pay lip service to nationalists while at the same time trying to run an actual nation. Every government has also generally failed, SWRD being killed by a nationalist monk and everyone after almost losing the country to various rebellions. In that context Mahinda is actually doing a better job by virtue of not being dead and not losing control of the country. But he’s still not doing a good job.
The difference is that Mahinda is operating from a position of relative security and he won’t use it to actually shore up the long term strength of the nation. Mahinda doesn’t have to depend on Sinhala nationalists for a tenuous, explosive and corrosive sort of power. But he coddles them nonetheless. For every other leader it’s been a sort of Faustian bargain which killed or maimed them in the end. Mahinda seems to be doing it cause he actually agrees with the devil a bit.
Take his government’s response to recent anti-Muslim sentiment. Under the Prevention Of Terrorism Act and various wartime laws, incitement of hate along ethnic lines is a crime. However, in practice, this rarely applies to attacks on minorities, it’s actually used against minorities more than anything. Hence you get the BBS group actually practicing hate speech against Muslims and they get tacit government and police support. Meanwhile a Muslim population who has spoken out is arrested under the same laws, ostensibly for saying something ‘inciteful’ in an Indian mag, but – according to DBS Jeyaraj – also for calling Mahinda’s wife a beauty queen. Which she was, but I think he said it disparagingly.
Whatever the soap opera politics behind it, the result is a very clear message. Racists are protected, those who speak out against them are not. And I haven’t even started on Duminda Silva. This kingdom grows more and more unjust and brazen by the day.
Except Asad Sally is a racist himself, and if he has threatened war or terrorism he should be behind bars.
That is what they are claiming he said. Did he actually say such a thing?
Dayan Jayatilleka thinks not:
http://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/the-azad-salley-affair/
Yes, tastyjujubes, this is exactly what government says and you guys believe and propagate it.
I am not a fan of Asad Sally and I am not sure if he said that statement or not. But if he did I agree on he being behind bars. But as Indi Said why was BBS treated in a different manner.
His arrest should send a message to Muslim radicals in Sri Lanka to watch what they say in public. Inciting a section of the population to take up arms against the state should be met with an iron fist.
Racism is institutionalized in Sri Lankan politics. It’s almost like if you aren’t, you can’t be popular with the (m)asses. The Sinhalese are a majority with a minority complex. Even some of our so called national heroes (such as Anagarika Dharmapala) were racists.
saying that if the govt. does nothing to stop the anti-muslim wave, then muslims will have no option but to take up arms is not incitement, it’s an observation. and this govt. knows it. supporters of the govt., however, who tend to be selectively blind to the injustices this regime does (much like yourself and tastyjujujbes up there), dont seem to know the difference at all.
I for one believe that by not engaging lawfully with the muslims, we’re just asking for more problems in this country. yes, i said it. now arrest me too, since by your definition i too just called on armed war against the state.
oh, and what muslim radicals are we on about? gnaanasaara says there are jihadist training camps deep in the east. but what exactly has he done to back up his claim? has he and his acolytes marched into the east with the security forces and exposed these places? no, instead he marches around colombo and in front of the dalada maligawa screaming filth, calling for abolishing halal and burqas. this fits perfectly into the saying “koheda yanne malle pol”.
in my opinion, terrorist camps, if they exist, should be the main focus of the BBS, not running around banning halal and closing down meat shops. gnaanasaara is either a liar or a man who has massive issues with prioritizing.
and you brainless sheep fall for this… and have the nerve to call yourselves educated.
while the BBS runs free not only here but abroad as well!
sigh… when will you stop and listen to the entirely one-sided delusion you’ve created for yourself?
What delusion? If Asad Sally threatened an armed campaign against the state, he should he should be locked up.
There is plenty of Muslim extremism in Sri Lanka: http://tinyurl.com/cp7wqts
What Asad Sally is purported to have said to a Tamil magazine from Tamil Nadu: “the Muslims too should launch an armed struggle against the state in the same manner in which Tamils conducted a campaign earlier…(and) that such a struggle would commence once necessary arms are procured.”
If true, he should be locked up. This is not a game.
Part of the problem is that Muslim extremists have been allowed to run riot in Sri Lanka. These Muslim politicians have also been bullying the Tamils in the North (Rishad Bathiudeen for example) and in the east in places like Kalmunai and Sammanthurai where Muslims dominate.
Once on this website I said that Muslims would become the largest religious group in the country in about 400 years. I was wrong. According to the stats in Wikipedia, Muslims are growing at about 0.5% faster per year than I thought, which would mean they’d become the largest religious group in about 170 years.
Seriously you guys have a problem. The way you talk what you ppl what is an 100% Buddhist country. During my childhood I was always think how come LTTE was formed since Sri Lanka is a place where anyone can live happily. But today I realize at that time we might have had lot of ppl like you and you guys pushed tamils for that.
looking at the current level of activity I can even see why Tamils still feel that they are not safe in Sri Lanka. Keep up your good work and one day would come where all minority in Sri Lanka will not feel safe to live in Sri Lanka. When that day comes Sri Lanka wont have any support from international community.
So you want the Sri Lankan state to keep pandering to Muslim fundamentalists? Interesting. Muslims have more rights in Sri Lanka than they do in many other countries, including Muslim ones. At least the Ahamediyyas and the Shias aren’t getting bombed, killed and butchered on a daily basis in Sri Lanka like they are in Muslim paradises like Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, Indonesia etc. If Sri Lankan Muslims were the majority in Sri Lanka, do you think the Buddhists, Hindus and Christians would feel safe and sound?
I didnt Say “keep pandering to Muslim fundamentalists” what I say is why dont you see the same way for BBS or why are you so worried about Muslim growth rate. Or why does ppl great worried about Muslim business establishments in Sri Lanka and ask ppl not to buy stuff from them.
will you guys say the same to something like a Adidas cloths or Toyota cars and ask ppl to buy Sri Lankan Buddhist owned stuff. When more and more ppl start to think like this you guys are just isolating Sri Lanka from the globe.
Ya I agree muslims lived a better life than the countries you have given. But after all these year why ppl suddenly question on what Muslim wear and get worried about muslims owning clothing shops and now ppl even question about muslim kids covering the head at school ( these things have been like this for years ). Is it coz all these racists waited until they got it done with the LTTE
please note that I am not supporting Azath Salley by any means if he had said that in India he should get punished by law. But at the same time I don’t agree on the current Sri Lankan situation on anti-muslim attacks .
Well if he did make such a statement it would have made the news. Correct me if I am wrong but I don’t recall seeing that anywhere.
This is one website that has a translation of the interview
http://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/translation-of-azath-salleys-controversial-interview-muslims-will-also-take-up-arms/
Can anyone who can read Tamil did out the original and verify as well?
@Nafi,
My problem is that I don’t like religious fanatics. That is why I don’t like Bodu Bala Sena either (plus the fact they are stupid). I believe it is true if I said the Muslims are more religious than the Buddhists or the Christians or the Hindus in Sri Lanka. I don’t like religions and I don’t like it when people take them seriously. Plus there’s the fact that Abrahmic religions are the worst religions one can believe in.
//Azath Salley by any means if he had said that in India he should get punished by law//
Nonsense. Azath Salley was perfectly within his rights to say what he said. Freedom of Speech means you have the freedom to say anything you may want to say (unlike some morons who think it doesn’t include insulting the prophet). We limit this right occasionally for public good when this right is used to incite violence. But this limiting of such a fundamental right needs to be done only and only when it is absolutely necessary. Azath Salley just has a mouth bigger than his brain. He didn’t make any credible threat against the government or the Sinhalese people. As people in the government themselves say on MTV news, Azath Salley really is not much of a threat to the government.
Well Nafi, why are you worried about the Jews and Israel and the US and western culture? Simple fact is that a lot of people do not want Sri Lanka to be an Islamic country or another Saudi Arabia. Sri Lanka has a long tradition of Buddhist + Hindu history/culture and people are well within their rights to maintain that. Why do Muslims want everyone to boycott the Jews? Have a look at what these Sri Lankan Muslims want: http://tinyurl.com/cv2xhfz — so boycotting Jewish business establishments is okay, but boycotting Muslim business establishments is not okay?
Perhaps the fault is not with others but with the Muslim community itself? Perhaps many Muslims segregate themselves and try too hard to be Arabs in a South Asian country? IMO the niqab is a type of cultural apartheid.
Sri Lanka is turning into a fascist state. There appears to be no free speech in Sri Lanka. All these years I thought the Tamils were wrong to support the LTTE. But it looks like the Sinhalese extremists are hell bent on harassing the minorities. Salley is right that if things continue like this there will be a new armed struggle in SL.
abdussamad, any armed struggle by Muslim extremists will no doubt will be put down with an iron fist. The Sri Lankan army, navy and airforce are still combat ready and have not been demobilised. Current world opinion is not favourable to Muslims, and Sri Lanka’s Muslims will have no friends.