Pride with a difference
Photo courtesy Maithripala Sirisena Facebook page There are times in one’s life when one becomes very proud of one’s country. For many it is when we win in cricket or in war….
Religion and faith
Pope Francis and struggle for human rights in Sri Lanka
Photo courtesy CNS News Pope Francis is set to arrive in Sri Lanka, on 13th January, despite several appeals by Catholics including me, to postpone the visit. He will arrive few days…
Remembering Lasantha six years on: Launch of photo-essays on Sri Lanka
Photo by Abdul-Halik Azeez Journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge‘s murder on 8th January 2009 was utterly horrible and yet, even more unforgettable was the Rajapaksa government’s reaction to it. Lasantha’s last editorial, published posthumously, didn’t mince…
Towards an Enlightened Nation: An Epiphany Reflection
Photo from Nuklearfishing Epiphany is the festival of enlightenment. It commemorates the visit of the wise-persons from the east to the Christ child and is observed on the 6th of January. The…
Karma and Politics
Photo from Api Sri Lankan – French-Russian Philosopher Joseph de Maistre in 1811. Politics the world over is going through its test of time, as most “democratic” governments are now influenced either…
From dreams and visions to realities and hope: A Christmas Reflection
Photo courtesy Modern Magazine We keep Christmas this year amidst manifestoes, dreams and visions. Politicians want power; they resort to lofty manifestoes. People long for sincere governance and bread at affordable prices;…
An appeal from a Sri Lankan Catholic to Pope Francis: Please don’t come
Photograph courtesy Api Sri Lankan On 20th Nov. 2014, the President of Sri Lanka officially proclaimed his intention to hold presidential elections and seek a third term. This was when there was…
Online hate speech stokes fear of religious violence in Sri Lanka
Photo courtesy Thyagi Ruwanpathirana Hate speech is growing more effective and pervasive among media platforms in Sri Lanka, prompting concern from Muslim and Christian minorities amid mounting attacks. The Colombo-based Centre for…
Liking violence: A study of hate speech on Facebook in Sri Lanka
Photo courtesy Sri Lanka Brief The Centre for Policy Alternatives, the institutional anchor of , released today a report co-authored by Shilpa Samaratunge and I on hate speech online, looking at Facebook…
INFOGRAPHIC: Religious Violence in Post-War Sri Lanka
Religious tensions have been exacerbated in post-war Sri Lanka, contrary to claims by the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) that attacks against places of religious worship are isolated incidents. In Mach 2013,…
9/11 and My Muslimness
I was sitting in my garden, gazing at the stars listening to my Walkman, which was the only thing to do back then as you ticked off the minutes until the regulated…
Portraits of diversity from Myanmar vital for Sri Lanka
When the British administrator J.S. Furnivall coined the term “plural society” he was talking about colonial Burma to describe the extraordinary diversity of nationalities, ethnicities, races and religions that inhabited its cities….
Stand Up Against Extremism
Image courtesy NBC News Africa these days has been battling with EBOLA, a severe, infectious, often fatal disease in humans and primates with no apparent cure in sight. Many have been dying…
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…
That which shall not be named
Photo by AFP/LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI via On the 19th of July 2014, my cook hands me a police form to fill. It is one of those usual forms that we were inundated with…
