The Easter attack victims no one speaks about
Shivani de Zylva-Thursday, June 20, 2019The terrorist attacks that took place on April 21, 2019 and the days that followed have opened a new space for anti-Muslim sentiment within Sri Lanka. Voices previously silent or on the fence about protecting this sacred Sinhala-Buddhist land from being taken over by Muslims, did not hesitate to join the bandwagon.
Sri Lankan ‘nationalists’ spared no time in jumping into conclusions about the affiliation of every Muslim citizen with global terrorists, labelling the entire Muslim community as sympathizers or passive offenders of the attacks that took place on Easter Sunday.
In the wave of racial stereotyping that followed the attacks, a point that was never a part of the mainstream discussion was that Muslims too were victims of the attack. Many innocent Muslims lost their lives and loved ones in the explosions.
Among the four Sri Lankan staff members who were killed at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel explosion were 23-year-old M. H. M. Ibrahim, 21-year-old M. N. M. Nisthar and also Arshad Yaheya who was enjoying a complimentary stay at the hotel to celebrate his 36th birthday. He left behind his wife and two daughters who were badly injured.
Zayan Chowdhury, the 8-year-old grandson of the leader of the ruling Awami league in Bangladesh was killed and his body was flown to Dhaka for the burial. A photograph that circulated the internet displayed a moving sight. Thousands of Bangladeshi Muslims had gathered there to mourn their loss. As Muslims they represented a population that did not condone what happened.
Victims and their families
Ahmed Zain Jaafari and Hani Maged Othman who were crew members of Saudi Arabian Airlines and two Turkish engineers Serhan SelcukNarici and Yigit Ali Cavus were also killed in the attack. SerhanNarici sent a message saying “Good Morning” to his father at 5.00 a.m. “That was the last I heard from him” his father said. Neither of them would have wished for this tragedy in the name of Islam.
Are these victims and their families also to blame for the attacks? They too are afraid of their safety and worry about keeping their loved ones safe. While their identity or beliefs have little to do with the real perpetrators, all Sri Lankan Muslims are now marked with the label of a terrorist. While they fear for the safety of their families, they must also now fear being blamed for it.
These innocent citizens of Sri Lanka are robbed of their chance to mourn with the rest of our nation. They are victims just as much as the rest and have been accused, threatened and thrown into a new battle. With the anti-Muslim riots that took place a few weeks ago, their tragedy has now turned into a fight for their lives. Their homes, shops, and places of worship were torched and destroyed.
There are illogical and irrational campaigns to boycott Muslim businesses and to chase them out of our country. What is the sense in this? Isn’t this too a form of extremism in different coloured robes? And by discriminating them, threatening them, and inducing fear and anger within the Muslim community, are we not making our island a breeding ground for more terrorists?
Multi-cultural history
Hate begets hate therefore, extremism begets extremism. This is not the time to passively watch as our multi-cultural history gets buried in the violence of an extreme few. Stand against this ignorance and instead stand with your friends and neighbours. Show them if they are afraid that they have a friend to rely on. Show them that our country is their home too, and that our future looks brighter if we choose to live in peace. Instead of threatening their lives, giving them a reason to stand proudly against the real terrorists who try to destroy our nation is a true victory. The process of building our country up will not be an easy task, but we all have a part to play.
