Testing Muslims in the Month of Patience
Ramadan, the month of abstinence is when Muslims observe fast, voluntarily depriving themselves from all that are permitted to them on ordinary days. These abstentions are replaced with worship and acts that…
Author: Riza Yehiya
Madrasahs, Extremism and National Security
Photo by Gemunu Amarasinghe, via The nexus between Madrasah education and Islamic extremism have been in the global discussions ever since the emergence of the Taliban in Afghanistan. This phenomenon emerged in…
Denying the Right to Return
Shahul H.Hasbullah, Kandy Forum 2015. 124pp. ISBN 978-955-7902-00-5 Priced:Rs.500.00 Denying the Right to Return is an in-depth academic study on the history of Musali South and the issues and problems of the…
Urgency of paradigm shift in understanding ‘co-existence’
Image courtesy Gecko Sri Lanka blog Changing socio-political and economic scenarios, post war peace building needs in Sri Lanka and unleashing of anti-Muslim activities by Buddhist extremist groups have prompted discourses on…
Is Sri Lanka sinking in to an abyss of racism and apartheid?
Photo by Shilpa Samaratunge Two months since the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) inspired anti Muslim attack in Aluthgama took place causing scores of damage, destruction and death to the livelihood, properties and…
Priming the Sex Worker: Poverty or Prosperity?
Photo by AP, via Occupy.com The issue of sex work emerging as a recognizable profession in Sri Lanka is trending. This is evidenced by the materials appearing in the media and the recent…
Is there the problem of Co-Existence in the Sri Lankan society?
Lakruwan Wanniarachchi/AFP/Getty Images via The sweeping rate of post war changes in Sri Lanka in its sociopolitical and economic domains are so severe that the normalcy that prevailed during the war is…
Democracy in the Deep State: Sri Lanka & Egypt
Photo via , REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany 3rd July 2013 is a dark day in the history of Egypt and indeed in the democratic world. It was the day the deep state in…
The Asymmetric Relationship of Buddhist-Muslim Bond in Sri Lanka
The Buddhist –Muslim relationship in Sri Lanka is centuries old. It grew from the pre-Islamic Arab relationship with Sri Lanka and continued beyond the advent of Islam. Principally, the Arabs who built…
Strategy of Tension versus National Unity
Photo via The Globe and Mail, by Eranga Jayawardena/Associated Press The power system in modern societies is polycentric and therefore there are innumerable movers and shakers that influence society either in conflict or…
Why do Sri Lankan ‘patriots’ love Social Polarisation?
Photo by AFP, via Sri Lanka Brief Since the end of war in 2009, Sri Lanka has become a country full of zealots and patriots singing the song of country first, religion…
Sri Lankan Communities: The Cost of Distrust and Social Harmony
Today in the contemporary society there is a cost for everything, from the air that we breathe to the burial of the dead. But we never question the money’s worth for what…
Dambulla Mosque Attack: A Litmus Test of a Nation in Transition from Chauvinism to Civility
This is in response to the comments to my previous post – Dambulla Mosque Attack: Is there a hidden hand? At the time of writing this, there were nearly 50 comments displaying…
Dambulla Mosque attack: Is there a hidden hand?
Image courtesy BBC The storming of the Dambulla Mosque on Friday the 20th April and chasing away of the Muslim worshippers attending Friday prayers by a mob led by Buddhist priests is…
Climate Change, Food Security & Virtual Water an Asymmetric Threat to Sri Lanka
Image courtesy Mercy Corps Today, in an integrated and inter-dependent world, Sri Lanka does not have the leverage to reverse climate change but mitigate and adapt. Climate change is caused mostly by…