Identity in Jaffna and Jewish Badge in Germany
Repost This ArticleTamil residents in Jaffna are reportedly being forced to carry a special document of identification issued by security forces, in addition to the national identity card provided by the Emigration and Immigration Department. In other words, these Tamils have been ignominiously reduced, in the eyes of government authorities, to the status of non-nationals of their own country.
Not only that, in order to get this security clearance, as reported in a weekend newspaper, one is obliged to disclose his/her political affiliations too.
About 20 years ago, the visa application form of the USA in their Paris diplomatic mission contained a rather impolite question like this: “Have you ever been a member of a political party affiliated with Marxism?â€Â
It is possible that the USA has a right to pore over all outsiders wishing to enter their territory, though it may be queried as to its political correctness in a world where one’s right to hold any political opinion is inalienably guaranteed in a democracy of which the USA claims to be the world’s leading guardian. In our case, the person involved is not a foreigner but a citizen of the same country whose political opinion is demanded to be divulged by security personnel. A precedent of more vicious variety can be traced to a catastrophe that swept Europe, some 68 years back.
The country of initiation was Germany under Adolf Hitler. He legalized a system, not only in his country but also in the countries he consequently subjugated, to identify a segment of the population for the initial purpose of discriminatory administrative measures, and to facilitate the process of human selection for the Holocaust named ‘Final Solution†to the Jewish Question, at a later stage. Under this law, all Jews over 10 years of age had to wear a yellow badge in the shape of the six pointed Star of David inscribed with the word “Judeâ€Â, on the upper left hand side of the dress.
The history of Jewish people being derogatively identified as second-class citizens of wherever they happened to live goes back to a period earlier than the Middle Ages. As recorded history abundantly testifies, Jews have been condemned from time to time in various societies to live with a social stigma, characterized by external symbols like badges, most often the Star of David worn on the chest or bands of different colors wrapped over the head. However, this practice had gone into oblivion by the beginning of the 20th century.
In 1935, two years after coming to power in Germany Hitler took it upon himself to deprive all Jews of their citizenship thereby making a sizable segment of the German population a People sans state. In 1939, he legalized the Jewish badge, which was to be worn by every Jew over 10.
Some ethnic groups can be identified by countenance. ‘He looks like a Tamilâ€Â, we have heard many Sinhalese uttering in referring to people of dark complexion. Nowadays, as revealed in the media and in some court cases, our police officers manning road blocks seem to be going by these characteristics, if not to apprehend suspects of terrorism, at least to maltreat innocent Tamils. Jews too, though not scientifically proven, are believed to be having certain features like a long nose different from that of other ethnic groups. However, their way of dressing certainly marks them out as Jews, to which they have no objection at all. On the contrary, they have all along been proud to be identified as Jews and preferred to be distinct from others in every respect. It is like a traditional Sinhalese with an Ariya Sinhala national dress wishing to be identified, not without some sense of pride, as a true Sinhalese.
Yet, if a certain government with the intention of humiliating or persecuting a section of its own population, especially on racial or religious grounds, endeavors to enact discriminatory criteria the ethnic and religious sensibilities of those people would definitely be hurt.
With the beginning of the Second World War, Hitler’s “Final Solution†that paved way for the Holocaust in Europe needed an efficient mechanism to single out Jews. The result was the adoption of the Jewish badge. A political commentator who witnessed this new phenomenon on its first day of implementation has noted thus; “Yesterday I saw people on the streets. Today I see Jewish people and non-Jewish people.â€Â
This new arrangement caused so much of pain to Jews that most of them curtailing their outings consigned themselves to be indoors, a virtual voluntary house arrest. If it were necessary go out they carried something like a book so that they could hide the badge being shown, by way of holding the book over the badge. If caught not wearing the badge due to sheer reluctance in some cases or mere forgetting with many elders, one earned the wrath of the authorities resulting in being thrown into prison with no clemency. Therefore, the trauma instilled in the mind of the affected was such that people resorted to a habit of getting a hand written notice displayed on the interior side of their house doors as a precaution against probable absentmindedness. “Is the badge OK?†“Don’t forget the badge†“Where is your badge?’ are the common reminders.
The resemblance between hometown and homeland that existed in Sri Lanka was decisively undermined during the last 30-40 years with homeland gaining a refined political significance. There was a time when a Sinhalese villager referring to his place of birth as “I am from Matara†was not at all different from a Tamil referring to his birthplace as “I am from Jaffnaâ€Â. But while the Sinhalese retained the same connotation of cultural root regarding his birthplace, the Tamil was forced by circumstances not of his making to redefine the same statement with an added political weight, thereby wedging a permanent cleavage between the two terms. Now for the Tamil nationalist, Jaffna is not just the backwater he was born into, but also a territory his ethnic spirit claims adherence to. This paradigmatic semiological shift with crucial political underpinnings was making headway in the war weary psyche in the northeast region in proportion to the degree in which the Tamil was relegated to the status of a second-class citizen. The responsibility squarely lies with the Sinhala rulers.
Even after shifting from the hometown to the concept of homeland I believe the Tamil people are still largely capable of resigning themelves to live in a united Sri Lanka with their Sinhala brethren. May be that is their sincere wish too. But one cannot live by wishful aspirations alone. They might keep on clinging to the inclination of co-existence as long as they manage to perceive themselves as equals with Sinhala-Buddhists. But having to carry the national identity card in one hand and a military attestation in the other hand to prove your worthiness as a resident of a particular region would push you to run an extra mile in claiming a separate state where you won’t be an outcast anymore.
Sometimes I wonder whether while we have been habitually misreading our history, Tamils have been writing the history for us. Those who sympathize with the terror unleashed by the JVP as a “youth uprising†in the south, do not hesitate to brand the LTTE as a terrorist outfit. Those who still curse the ruthless state suppression in the 80’s cheer the same when meted out on the north.
Self-deception is fascinatingly soothing, of course. We have to believe that we are winning the war, in the first place. We have to believe that Prabhakaran’s last birthday has passed, once and for all. The day we hoist our patriotic lion flag in Kilinochi is “in the sightâ€Â, for sure!
Therefore, let us keep “Waiting for Godotâ€Â.
Gviyangoda@hotmail.fr
I think your position is based on a flawed premise. It wasn’t only the Jews in Germany who were, as you say, “reduced to the status of non-nationals in their own country.” Japanese-Americans in United States were also sent to camps, and were subjected to varying degrees of discrimination, although there was no immediate threat of them engaging in direct warfare within the country.
When you refer to Tamil residents in Jaffna as if there were non-Tamil residents there, we must not forget that all civilians in Jaffna are essentially Tamils, after they had purged the city of its Sinhalese and Muslim residents in the 1990s. Even during the peace interlude, newly admitted Sinhalese and Muslim students in the Jaffna University were harassed and driven out [2].
Tamils are not being discriminated against in Jaffna or elsewhere as a hysterical and irrational response to terror attacks, or as part of a calculated genocidal campaign. Sri Lanka is under siege by Tamil militants, of whom the Jaffna citizenry is largely supportive, and it is of paramount importance to maintain law and order in the city and protect it from enemy invasion and internal uprisings. If Tamils are suffering, that is as a result of the war – which is partly, if not mostly, of their own making – not the cause of its continuation. All these security measures were only imposed after the LTTE stepped up their attacks against Sri Lanka, commencing with cutting off the Mavil Aru water supply to Sinhalese residents. There is no reason why Tamils should have to carry special IDs or otherwise be treated differently, if there is no risk of each and every one of them being a suicide bomber. The sheer cost and inconvenience alone would be enough reason to wind down these restrictions once the LTTE is eliminated.
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_American_internment
2. http://www.lankatruth.com/full_story/2005/Dec_2005/20051207/20051207_4.htm
I think the article is an attempt to create a little tsunami in a teacup. Gamini Viyangoda has misidentified the document he takes issue with. First of all he calls it an identification document (which it isn’t), and then sets out to draw a parallel between it and the Jewish Star of David badge that the German Jews were forced to wear (which was in fact for identification). The GoSL has no reason to create a special ID document for Tamils; the Tamils already have one (as do the Sinhalese, Burghers, Moors, Malays, etc) — the National ID Card, which roughly specifies which community one belongs to. The document Viyangoda refers to is in order that Jaffna residents (99% Tamil) can prove it, and not be mistaken for Tiger infilterators from outside Jaffna. Sounds bureaucratic, but might prevent innocent civilians from being arrested, so why not?
The analogy is odd, Jews were forced to wear the star to make them stand out from the general German populace. In Jaffna pretty much everyone is Tamil, what would the purpose of a document identifying them as Tamil be? Considering that everyone is Tamil already. I know David explained it better, but the comparison is truly mind bogglingly stupid.
JM’s comment reminds me of the rationale my Sinhala friends gave after the riots in Colombo in 1956. That is, “The riots started because the Federal Party MPs were demonstarating against the Sinhala Only proposal, in front of the Parliament on the Galle Face Green. Again their excuse for the 1958 riots was that the Federal Party Members were demonstrating against the Sinhala Only Act. The message being given to the Tamils by such reasoning is that “Know your second class status, and accept what the First Class citizens dish out to you.
Use of Jewish Badge situation as an example for requesting the civilians in Jaffna to carry a special document is a total misinterpretation of what is going on in Jaffna.
LTTE send their cadres to Jaffna to spy and kill innocent Sri Lankan Tamils who are living under the protection of the Sri Lanka army. LTTE is desperate and trying its best to create havoc in Jaffna. The army is making all its efforts to distinguish the civilians from the LTTE cadres. This is a one side report. A good writer will ask the army for the reasons for the mentioned document. Report has to be balanced, and reporters have to be independent; they need to understand the hardship the people are going through due to the terrorist activities in Sri Lanka Reporters should not allow the terrorists to use them, the country has suffered enough terrorism has to end.
One should look at a problem from both side. The national identity card itself is discriminative. For Sinhalese it is only in Sinhala and for Tamils it is in Sinhala and Tamil. Tamils need Sinhala and Sinhalese do not need Tamil in a country where Tamil and Sinhala are official Languages? Who said there is no Sinhala people in Jaffna? All the forces in Jaffna are Sinhalese. It is Tamils who have to carry the national identity cards, the police report, and military document etc. etc. in their own country and treated as 2nd class citizens. Discrimination started even before the birth of LTTE. Those who simply refer recent incidents as reasons for the government to implement different undemocratic security measures by which Tamils in Sri Lanka have to undergo unbearable hardships do not see the whole picture of the seriousness of the problem. They just believe what the Sinhala media tell them and Sinhala media do not report THE REAL SITUATION in the North and East to the masses. If they do report impartially, the war would have ended long ago and the Sinhala masses would have known the real faces of their politicians. The recent mass arrest of Tamils in the South itself is fundamental human right violation. A lot of Tamils had all the necessary documents, but arrested and put into jail. This is how the government fight terrorism. How many Sinhalese know as how the Tamils in North and East live now a days? Do they know the many hardship they undergo? Do they aware of the economic embargo imposed on the people of Jaffna as well as those who live under the control of LTTE. Do they know how many get killed by unknown gun men in Jaffna daily? How many racial riots against Tamils in Sri Lanka until 1983? and now in the name of terrorism it is easy to erase the Tamils in Sri Lanka. Everyone who took up arms has his own sins. No one can achieve anything by means of arms, but death and destructions. It is not Sinhalese hoisting the lion flag in Killinochchi but Tamils live with human dignity in Sri Lanka is the need of the hour.
Jews were not terrorist!!
This author assumes that Jews in Germany were terrorists!! he is flawed to assum so and unfair for millions of innocent Jews. How many innocent people did they (Jews) kill in Berlin? how many German leaders did they assasinate? How many German villages did they wipeout? what part of Germany did they want? I know that majority of Tamils do not support Ltte, but when terrorist use the civilian population for cover to carry put their murderous agenda…what would the author suggest law enforment do to protect the innocent civilians.
Sounds bureaucratic, but might prevent innocent civilians from being arrested, so why not?
David…did having an ID card prevent the police and armed forces from taking innocent Tamils into custody after the bomb blast in Nugegoda?
I wish that for one year the majority in Sri Lanka could become the minority and undergo the present harrasment that Tamils have to put up with.
ps: David it not only ‘Sounds bureaucratic’ IT IS BUREAUCRATIC! A FARCE! ONLY THE PEOPLE SUFFER! WHEN WILL IT ALL END!
In August? Like the army commander said?
More interesting than the article itself is the fear that emanates from its detractors that the analogy is true.
VERY SOON the whole world will see re-emergence of another POL-POT in the name of Rajapakse brothers.
When I read the comments, most of them are written by people who have no real knowledge about Jaffna and the people who live there. Understand one thing people, Tamils did not just wake up one morning and say let’s create LTTE so we can wipe out 70000 people in Sri Lanka. Do not fool yourselves by giving in to the notion that, Sri Lanka was a nice country and LTTE purposely sabotage it. It was the last resort by Tamils for Sinhalese aggression to create the LTTE. As a Tamil who born and lived most of my life in Jaffna, I know the problem’s we face were not created by LTTE as some of you have written in this forum. Seems like some people have amnesia when it’s come to criticize LTTE. From 1948 to 1977, before LTTE was even born, who are they going to blame for the atrocities committed by Sinhalese to Tamils? Where were all these people and countries when Tamils were systematically cleansed by Sinhalese? I know the Tamils from eel am including the expatriates are so distressed and feel hopeless about what is going on today for our people.