5 minutes agoWho are Buddhist extremists suspected of carrying out the attack on Sri Lanka?
Periskopi(7 years ago)
(7 years ago)Sri Lanka is a country which 10 years ago faced a bloody civil war. As a result of this war, 70,000 people and hundreds of thousands of others died. Sri Lanka is an island country that has 20 million inhabitants. Of these, 70% are Buddhists, 12% Hindu, 9.7% Muslims [...]
Sri Lanka is an island country that has 20 million inhabitants. Of these, 70% are Buddhists, 12% Hindu, 9.7% Muslims and 7.4% Christians. Not rarely have inter-religious tensions emerged between different communities. But what endangers peace and harmony is the ultra-nationalist group Bodu Bala Sena, otherwise known as the Power of Buddhist Power.
This group is known as a group of extreme Buddhism, and can freely compare to I SISwin, except for having another religion.
The leader of this group is Galagoda Atthe Gnanasara, who is also known as his followers as the holy Buddhist man. He is often portrayed as a face of terror because he constantly attacks people who do not belong to Buddhist faith.
In June 2014, Buddhist extremists entered and beat Muslims, burned their homes, and damaged shops in the Muslim neighborhoods of Sri Lanka. On that day, 16 Muslims died from foolish injuries.
A month later, 135 people were arrested by police but not also Gnanasara, who is supposed to have inspired them for the attack.
Even though Gnanasara had issued a statement to the police, he was not charged. While the police statement wrote “we should check whether he provoked those men, giving speeches at religious meetings”.
While later, after being released, he said his group “is trying to reduce violence, but it is not fair that a Buddhist monk was attacked by a young Muslim and not charged at all, while we are accused of inciting hatred”.
In Sri Lanka, authorities describe this group as a fascist group promoting the extreme form of Buddhism.
According to Dayan Jayatilleke, former US diplomat in Sri Lanka, described the group as “a summary of hate ideology, especially Islamophobia”, describing them as “ana fascist Buddhism”.
But why isn't this group being fought?
Sri Lanka's government is mostly made up of Buddhists. Sri Lanka's former defence minister, Gotabaya Rajapapasa, is considered one of the members of this group, even in 2013, he was photographed by the monk and chairman of this group, Ganasara.
By today's attack, where 207 people died from international media, this group is thought to be responsible.
