‘All communities deserve equal treatment’ – Kirby de Lanerolle
Open letter by Kirby de Lanerolle published in the Daily News on 30th April 2019
This open letter written by Kirby de Lanerolle was picked by Daily News Sri Lanka as well as many international news papers.
In the wake of mourning, we owe ourselves some soul-searching, as how we respond and move forward will shape and determine the vigilance of our nation towards hate. It is true of the saying that united we stand and divided we fall.
The spirit of hatred knows no kind, no race, no face. Though these recent attacks targeted churches, hotels, and tourist spaces on Easter Sunday and hordes of Christians and Catholics lost their lives and loved ones, many of the victims were, in fact, Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, and atheists…it is almost unbearably painful to think this tragedy could have been avoided or even mitigated.
Could it be that a systematic de-sensitisation towards minority rights were the cause for negligence by the authorities to act on the warning they received more than a week prior to the fatal terror attacks on Resurrection Sunday? It is of common knowledge that Sri Lankan Christians have lived in jeopardy without recourse to some of the most basic fundamental rights.
The simplicity of burying the dead in public cemeteries, construction of their churches or refurbishment, are violently objected in many areas. When pastors and believers go to the police after such attacks, investigations and responses have been slow or altogether void. The authorities’ responses to the current situation, where they indicated that they had prior information that attacks were going to take place but didn’t think it would be on this scale, is a case in point.
This alludes to two questions:
1) If the response to ‘smaller’ mob attacks and threats of violence go unaddressed, how would pre-warnings of large-scale attacks be treated any differently?
2) If the prior intelligence information that was received pointed to attacks on Parliament, ministerial residences, temples, and other “high-priority” targets, would the response from authorities have been different?
The Apostolic Diocese of Ceylon revived its mandate in 2015 as the need constituted the call to Cover, Protect, Advocate, and Educate the free churches in Sri Lanka. In less than a year, we welcomed over 600 churches because of the Advocacy and protection that it was offering.
Rev Dr. Kirby de Lanerolle with the ADC National Council, Board, and pastors.
Some of the higher Echelons of the government have been sympathetic towards the rights of Christians, but unfortunately, this has not filtered down to de facto bodies who carry out the protective work at the grass root levels. When frequent outcries of a minority in trouble fall on deaf ears of law enforcement rank and file, systematic de-sensitisations render these state bodies ineffective to be alert to threats, regardless of the magnitude of those threats.
Police stations throughout Sri Lanka are so used to receiving complaints from Christians that are persecuted that most of these allegations of discrimination and violence are met with patronising gestures, and seldom receive an effective response. On many an occasion, higher officials and ministers have to be contacted and influenced to ensure that Christians’ most basic rights are protected and that a vigilant investigation and protection system are in place.
It is vital that we call upon our nation’s leaders to lead by example and carry out their roles in a mindful manner that will not seed division and discrimination. Citizens and residents of Sri Lanka are watching closely for the protection that will be afforded to them as a whole in this state of emergency.
A Daily News article published on June 28 titled ‘Rooting out the seeds of hatred‘ featured the killing of a young Hindu convert by her own family for changing her religion and joining a local church. The police listed the incident as a ‘family feud’, instead of highlighting the fact that it was an ‘honour killing’ for changing faith. The Apostolic Diocese of Ceylon (ADC) attempted to get the attention of many media outlets to cover the story, to expose the fact that such hatred and consequence exists in Sri Lanka and are not made known. It did so for the purpose of educating and sensitising the public and officials to protect people against such crimes.
This is just one of the many cases that occur where the officials disregard the seed that grows into the tragic crimes that we are experiencing today. There were no other media outlets that wanted to cover this story as they feared that division would rise up. In actual fact; division already exists and placing such under a carpet for the temporary illusion of peace will not solve the problem; deeper dialogue is necessary.
The way forward after the tragedies that took place on Easter Sunday will be determined by how the leaders of this nation respond to ensure the protection of the church as a whole (as well as the nation); what are the lessons we can draw from to heal a nation from its roots? Three churches were attacked, of which one was a charismatic free church, considered a minority in Sri Lanka.
It is often the minorities that are left vulnerable and open post-calamity. We, as a nation, have had a history of war and unrest; can we look back and learn in humility to create a better tomorrow for the generation to come? If the highest authorities adhere and show strong ‘political will’ to give equal attention to the least and the softest voice, it sensitises the rank and file towards vigilance and comprehension of the seriousness of religious hate. A top-down approach is essential to solidify the inter-religious harmony that the island claims to embody.
The free churches have been meeting for many years in hotels, town halls, and convention centres because they often have no set structures of their own.
Terrorists are attracted to vulnerable and unprotected groups. It would be a faux pas to once again protect only one segment of the community. This has been a recurrence in Sri Lanka.
Since Christian persecution has been negligently handled, this segment’s vulnerability can be attractive to extremist and terrorist hate cells to take advantage of. It could be considered that one possible reason Sri Lanka was selected for this attack might be due to the fact that Christians are known to be unprotected, vulnerable targets, simplifying the organisation of violence against them. While the pressing question at present is why the prior report on the attack was ignored by a large body of authorities, it becomes easier to comprehend the lapse when one considers that authorities routinely ignore or gloss over threats against Christians.
It is time that the government states that religious hatred, even to the smallest of us, will be taken seriously. Sensitivity has to be built through awareness. Minority rights require to be promoted and protected with the same gusto, the same political-will-backed sentiment and same effectiveness as the rights of the majority groups; when the state affords all its citizens equal treatment, it is a healthy symptom of a good democracy.
It’s time as a nation, to search our hearts deeply and be able to have more sophisticated dialogue as to why we are intolerant towards others’ beliefs. If we do not consider our own prejudices, and how we can nation-build without fear of accommodating every race and faith as an equal stakeholder, we would leave a divided nation for generations to follow.
Today, moderate Muslims are in fear of a backlash, solely because one group can scandalise the entire community as ‘radicalised’. Leaving many who belong in and love Sri Lanka in fear of their own countrymen because we have not taken the time to dialogue and assure them they are safe and not vulnerable to misplaced backlash.
This must not be allowed to happen by Christians who have suffered this violence. Sensitivity to go deeper into understanding the groups that make up this beautiful island is a conversation that needs to be embraced. If we are to not move backward as a country, progressive religious and political leaders would need to sit together and take ownership of each other and account of each other’s well-being.
Even the smallest minority on this island, who may not possess the slightest political clout, still requires to be afforded the fundamental rights and equality of the whole. There is nothing less than every Sri Lankan deserves.
Our continued heartfelt prayers and support go out to everyone affected, of all origins and faiths.
Original Article at : Daily News
Author: Kirby de Lanerolle
