The First Racial Riot in Sri Lanka:

The First Racial Riot:

The very first racial riot in the island was in 1915. It was between the Sinhala Buddhists and the Muslims – 136 Muslims were killed and 205 were injured and raped. Nearly 85 mosques were damaged and more than 4,075 Muslim-owned shops were looted by the Sinhala rioters, from Central province to the Western and North Western provinces.

The riot subdued the fighting spirit of the Muslims, but the attack on Muslims again started in 1974, and tension intensified between the Sinhalese and Muslims in Mylumkulam in Puttalam. Government officials and the Police showed their partiality and supported the Sinhalese.

In January 1976, as
a consequence of the assault of a Muslim youth by a Sinhalese bus driver (CTB), Sinhala-Muslims riots broke out in Puttalam.

The Muslims in Sirampiaddy, Pottuvil and other villagers were severely attacked. A Mosque at Pottuvil (Quela Mosque) was completely destroyed and 18 Muslims who were assembled in another Mosque in Puttalam were shot dead by the Police in Puttalam.

The Muslims working in the Cement Cooperation in Puttalam were attacked and no protection was given by the Police.

Again in 1982, from 30 July to 4 August, Sinhala-Muslim riots broke out in Galle and then spread to Kandy, Mawanella and other parts, including Colombo.

In November 2002, Sinhala-Muslim riots took place in Chillaw. A group of Sinhalese burnt down many houses belonging to Muslims and several people were severely injured in this incident. A Muslim refugee camp in Puttalam was also attacked and 75 Muslim families were forced to seek shelter in the nearby Mosque.

In Katugoda in Galle, a 22 year old Muslim youth was shot dead and several others were injured.

In August 2006, a case was filed by some Sinhalese against the purchase of 30 acres of land by Muslims in Palavi, Puttalam. This case was rejected by the Court. When the Muslims who were displaced from Jaffna, were moving onto this land, and a group of Sinhalese, led by a Buddhist monk, immediately chased them away violently, and preventing them from settling in Palavi. On the same day they installed a statue of Buddha in that village.

Muslims in this country were traditionally considered ‘aliens’ by some early Sinhala Buddhist leaders.

Anagarika Dharmapala writing months after the first racial riot said, “What the German is to the Britisher … The Muhammedian is to the Sinhalese. He is an alien to the Sinhalese by religion race and language … To the Sinhalese without the Buddhism death is preferable. The British officials may shoot, hang, quarter imprison and do anything to the Sinhalese, but there will always be bad blood between Moors and the Sinhalese. The peaceful Sinhalese have at last shown that they can no longer bear the insults of the alien. The whole nation in one day has risen against the Moor people; the causes are economic and spiritual.” (Guruge 1965: 541)

This clearly shows that the Sinhalese Buddhists were targeting Muslims continuously right after the racial riot of 1915 - to date. Muslims are a Tamil speaking minority group and their ethnicity is based not on language, but on religion and since from 1915, they remain an isolated group and they even failed either to trust or take into confidence the Tamils – another Tamil speaking minority ethnic group in the country. Even Tamils on several occasions stretched out their friendly hands, but Colombo based Muslim leaders were not willing to hold the hands of friendship and continued to remain an isolated group.

In 1990 October, LTTE leader V, Prabhakaran chased the Muslims in the Northern Province and they are still languishing in several camps in Puttalam and in other places.

Even though Muslims identified themselves with the Majority community Sinhalese, the attack on then them continues.

The new Buddhist forces have emerged, such as Jathika Hela Urumiya, Bodu Bala Sena and Sinhala Raavya, bent on ethnic cleansing in the country.

 Source: http://www.asiantribune.com/node/62188