Over the past two weeks I have not really made any public direct comment on the horrible Easter Sunday Attacks in Sri Lanka. It has been too shocking and stressful to even write about this. I took time to console friends and family directly and indirectly affected by this and took time to discuss with associates how to avoid the situation getting worse. I even argued with people on social media who were lashing out painting the whole community as being responsible Yet the truth of the matter is that this was a deflection from my own true feelings and emotions about the subject. After all, what do you say at times like this? How can you reassure people who are scared that what took place is against Islam and those 'Muslims' who perpetrated this are not followers of the faith because they justified violence against innocents? How can you talk to people who you have worked with and be friends with, and who are now turning out to be racists and bigots, when they are scared and mistrustful? how do you reassure members of your community and family who are scared of the backlash that is coming and who remember '83? So i deflected, trying to find the right moment and the right time and to process what happened and what will happen. I tried to find peace within me before i could preach peace to others. I was hoping that ramadan would allow me the time and space for this to happen.
Unfortunately, i was asked to say a few words at an interfaith memorial that took place this afternoon (May 5th) in Geneva to remember and pray for those who have passed away. So i had to write and in writing i penned down some cathartic words which i think should be shared as my way of healing and dealing with the process.
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The Venerable Members of the Maha Sanga
The respected religious leaders and members of faith communities.
Your excellency the Ambassador A.L. Azeez of the permanent mission of Sri Lanka to the UN and the Ambassador of Sri Lanka in Switzerland
Colleagues from the Sri Lankan Mission
Ladies and Gentlemen from the community
Aybowan, Vannekam, As-salaamu Alaikum, A very Good Afternoon to you all.
I have been asked to say a few words as a means of a welcome. What does one say at such a sad and sombre occasion? Its been two weeks since this terrorist attack on our country and our people. Yet after two weeks, I like many of you are still in pain. My heart weeps at the violation of the innocent in the most safest and sacred of places during a holy day; remembering God in His House. They were not allowed that respect or the safety and security that comes in being in a place of worship. Nor were those guests in the hotels, afforded the basic of respect that a host offers a guest, that you are safe in our paradise island.
However, I am spiritually comforted by the fact that those innocents who were killed on 21st of April are in a better place than those terrorists who perpetrated this vile act because they went against the teachings and the basic spirit of the Divine: to know and love each other and to enjoin the good. Those terrorists will not know the peace that the innocents will feel.
Over the last few weeks we here in Geneva have been meeting quite frequently at different places of worship to pray and remember those who have passed. It is in the prayers and companionship of others that we find solace and in fact it is such strength of inter faith cordiality that our country Sri Lanka has not yet managed to blow up, because the faith leaders have come together to hold the peace.
Coming together in prayer is the minimum we can do from where we are in Geneva and we should do not only to be a support to each other during this time but as a comfort and a beacon of hope for the future in Sri Lanka, a future that is uncertain and fearful, and a future where we need to and want to ensure mistakes are not repeated as in the past because we know how bad these can turn out to be especially as the emotions of grief evolve to the emotions of anger. That anger needs to be channelled constructively because in the fog of terrorism we hear and see things that are done in the name of national security that challenge the notion of human dignity, as there are calls for introspection and accountability.
The Muslim community (and I say this as a Muslim) is going through this introspection as well as accountability; hurting, scared and fearful and collectively thinking that we did not do more to remove those weeds of hate and we need to do more. This will forever live with us as a badge of guilt of what if?
Yet there is a collective introspection and accountability that we need to do as a society and country as to not only why we didn't more to prevent this type violence; or do more collectively to tackle conditions for young men and women who are capable of such hate and do more to tackle the incitement to violence and hate. Our history in Sri Lanka shows us that young men and women have continuously been the victim of and perpetrators of such type of violence fed by the context of that time and this is something we need to really and honestly reflect on. History keeps on repeating itself and we seem to not have learned.
We realise that calls for introspection and accountability needs to be done also within the paradigm of humanity. if we want to avoid the radicalisation of another generation of youth who are angry at the injustice and inequality they, then we need to be humane and just in how we deal with this sensitive situation and with the communities who have suffered as well as those who might be suspect.
As members of dialogical faith traditions that have a lived experience in Sri Lanka we need to hold onto that notion of rising together like a phoenix. We need to collectively ensure that voices for tolerance and inclusivity are not silenced; that our democracy and decency are not broken or that we are unable to turn this moment into co-existence and not disharmony.
This is the hope that we must give Sri Lanka especially from living outside. This is what we need to do collectively as the community here in Geneva and the message to be sent to Sri Lanka to break out of the silos of parallel communities. We have met more times in the past week than perhaps over the last year. This needs to change as we need to come together at all our cultural and religious gatherings to know each other, to understand each other and to respect each other that in our diversity we have many commonalities that unite us as Sri Lankans, because if we do not know each other then we will not be able to understand each other. It just requires one person to stand up and walk across with the hand extended.
This is the hope we offer to those who were killed on Easter Sunday that we will not allow their deaths to be used to justify exactly what the terrorists wanted. We will not allow divisive forces to break us
it is the responsibility on those of us who survived is not to allow your deaths to be in vain. This is the legacy we owe them.
As Muslims embark on the Holy Month of Ramadan which embodies the spiritual need to empathise with the downtrodden, the victims and those who have suffered whilst praying for peace and compassion, our prayers for this Holy Month is for God to bless those who have passed and to protect those who have survived; we pray for peace and justice to be brought to the country and for sanity to prevail; we re dedicate ourselves towards working for peace and justice for all communities.
in ending my speech, i just want to remind myself and others that for us to truly build from the tragedy of Easter Sunday, we need to remember these words from Martin Luther King Jr:
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."
Thank you.
The respected religious leaders and members of faith communities.
Your excellency the Ambassador A.L. Azeez of the permanent mission of Sri Lanka to the UN and the Ambassador of Sri Lanka in Switzerland
Colleagues from the Sri Lankan Mission
Ladies and Gentlemen from the community
Aybowan, Vannekam, As-salaamu Alaikum, A very Good Afternoon to you all.
I have been asked to say a few words as a means of a welcome. What does one say at such a sad and sombre occasion? Its been two weeks since this terrorist attack on our country and our people. Yet after two weeks, I like many of you are still in pain. My heart weeps at the violation of the innocent in the most safest and sacred of places during a holy day; remembering God in His House. They were not allowed that respect or the safety and security that comes in being in a place of worship. Nor were those guests in the hotels, afforded the basic of respect that a host offers a guest, that you are safe in our paradise island.
However, I am spiritually comforted by the fact that those innocents who were killed on 21st of April are in a better place than those terrorists who perpetrated this vile act because they went against the teachings and the basic spirit of the Divine: to know and love each other and to enjoin the good. Those terrorists will not know the peace that the innocents will feel.
Over the last few weeks we here in Geneva have been meeting quite frequently at different places of worship to pray and remember those who have passed. It is in the prayers and companionship of others that we find solace and in fact it is such strength of inter faith cordiality that our country Sri Lanka has not yet managed to blow up, because the faith leaders have come together to hold the peace.
Coming together in prayer is the minimum we can do from where we are in Geneva and we should do not only to be a support to each other during this time but as a comfort and a beacon of hope for the future in Sri Lanka, a future that is uncertain and fearful, and a future where we need to and want to ensure mistakes are not repeated as in the past because we know how bad these can turn out to be especially as the emotions of grief evolve to the emotions of anger. That anger needs to be channelled constructively because in the fog of terrorism we hear and see things that are done in the name of national security that challenge the notion of human dignity, as there are calls for introspection and accountability.
The Muslim community (and I say this as a Muslim) is going through this introspection as well as accountability; hurting, scared and fearful and collectively thinking that we did not do more to remove those weeds of hate and we need to do more. This will forever live with us as a badge of guilt of what if?
Yet there is a collective introspection and accountability that we need to do as a society and country as to not only why we didn't more to prevent this type violence; or do more collectively to tackle conditions for young men and women who are capable of such hate and do more to tackle the incitement to violence and hate. Our history in Sri Lanka shows us that young men and women have continuously been the victim of and perpetrators of such type of violence fed by the context of that time and this is something we need to really and honestly reflect on. History keeps on repeating itself and we seem to not have learned.
We realise that calls for introspection and accountability needs to be done also within the paradigm of humanity. if we want to avoid the radicalisation of another generation of youth who are angry at the injustice and inequality they, then we need to be humane and just in how we deal with this sensitive situation and with the communities who have suffered as well as those who might be suspect.
As members of dialogical faith traditions that have a lived experience in Sri Lanka we need to hold onto that notion of rising together like a phoenix. We need to collectively ensure that voices for tolerance and inclusivity are not silenced; that our democracy and decency are not broken or that we are unable to turn this moment into co-existence and not disharmony.
This is the hope that we must give Sri Lanka especially from living outside. This is what we need to do collectively as the community here in Geneva and the message to be sent to Sri Lanka to break out of the silos of parallel communities. We have met more times in the past week than perhaps over the last year. This needs to change as we need to come together at all our cultural and religious gatherings to know each other, to understand each other and to respect each other that in our diversity we have many commonalities that unite us as Sri Lankans, because if we do not know each other then we will not be able to understand each other. It just requires one person to stand up and walk across with the hand extended.
This is the hope we offer to those who were killed on Easter Sunday that we will not allow their deaths to be used to justify exactly what the terrorists wanted. We will not allow divisive forces to break us
it is the responsibility on those of us who survived is not to allow your deaths to be in vain. This is the legacy we owe them.
As Muslims embark on the Holy Month of Ramadan which embodies the spiritual need to empathise with the downtrodden, the victims and those who have suffered whilst praying for peace and compassion, our prayers for this Holy Month is for God to bless those who have passed and to protect those who have survived; we pray for peace and justice to be brought to the country and for sanity to prevail; we re dedicate ourselves towards working for peace and justice for all communities.
in ending my speech, i just want to remind myself and others that for us to truly build from the tragedy of Easter Sunday, we need to remember these words from Martin Luther King Jr:
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."
Thank you.
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