A Tale of Two Countries
Image from Niti Central “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch…
Religion and faith
A brief note on Buddhism, Ethnicity, and Peace
A walk through the archeological and artistic ruins in the North central province is not complete without a stop by the Sandakada pahana (the moonstone) that gives an artistic depiction of the…
Who needs Halaal?
When the big international fast food chains came to Sri Lanka they did not have halaal certification. However subsequently most of these chains went ‘halaal’. This had nothing to do with any…
Civil Society Organisations Condemn Anti Muslim Rhetoric and Attacks in Sri Lanka
Image taken from Protect the Buddhism – බුදු දහම ආරක්ෂාකරමු Facebook group. In recent months there has been an increased outpouring of virulent anti-Muslim sentiment by persons claiming to speak for all Sinhala Buddhists….
ANTI-MUSLIM EXTREMISM & DILEMMAS OF DIVERSITY IN SRI LANKA
Opening presentation at 2nd in Discussion series on Constitutional Reform organized by The Liberal Party) Having come out of the war, a war which I for one am glad the Sri Lankan…
Father Tissa Balsuriya’s struggle for social justice will continue in Sri Lanka
Photo courtesy the late Fr. Tissa’s blog We heard the sad news that the internationally acclaimed Sri Lankan catholic priest and theologian Father Tissa Balasuriya (Fr Tissa) has passed away. His exertions on…
Fr. Tissa Balasuriya: A loving and gentle rebel
Photo courtesy the late Fr. Tissa’s blog Fr. Tissa has been called a radical and rebel within the Catholic Church and society. This is perhaps because like Jesus, he never flinched from…
I’d rather be a cow in Sri Lanka
Photo courtesy What says the law? You will not kill. How does it say it? By killing! – Victor Hugo Rizana Nafeek’s execution on Wednesday (9th January) outraged many Sri Lankans. She…
Bodu Bala Senā and Buddhism’s militant face in Sri Lanka
Image courtesy website One of the first things I had to do in the new year was to firmly remind my (Lankan) Facebook friends to avoid posting or tagging me to any…
Keeping Up with the Times: Old Men, Power and Values
I was wondering how Deepa Mehta would put to the screen Salman Rushdie’s Midnights Children and then heard from her at the Ottawa premier that he wrote the screen play. The movie…
Why Religious Intolerance Makes Me Mad
Image courtesy My name is Anisha, I am a liberal Muslim woman and more than anything a proud Sri Lankan. I support the Sri Lankan cricket team…always have and always will. I…
A-Z of Sri Lankan English: V is for vel festival
A Hindu vel festival is better described in pictures than words. The photos here were taken a few years ago at the annual festival on Havelock Road, on a rainy August morning……
Religious sensitivities, the Islamic world and the communication revolution
Much hue and cry has been raised the world over the US made video titled “The Innocence of Islam”. In Sri Lanka too we have seen protests and numerous articles on the…
Innocence of the Muslims
Muslims have never shied away from discussing the private and public life of their Prophet Muhammed (PBUH). In fact they have welcomed an examination of his life and times. However when the…
Video on Mediated: Hard data on Sri Lanka, through art
Mediated is an art project that essentially seeks to create greater awareness around and engagement with aspects of post-war Sri Lanka’s ideational, constitutional, economic, social and religious challenges. Four individuals – a…