After a recent visit to Sri Lanka, Navi Phillay, the United Nation's Human Rights Chief, stated that she was disturbed by the "surge in the incitement of hatred and violence against religious minorities... and the lack of swift action against the perpetrators." Making up only 7.5% of Sri Lanka's multi-religious population, Christians are increasingly the targets of religiously motivated violence on the small island nation whose government seems inclined to ignore their suffering.
Violence against Christians Increases
With a population made up of 70% Buddhist, 12% Hindu, 10% Muslim and 7.5% Christian, Sri Lanka has often touted itself as a religiously diverse and tolerant country. The government of Sri Lanka often highlights the fact that in many cities, churches, mosques and temples are able to sit peacefully side by side. Unfortunately, this view of Sri Lanka may be a thing of the past.
In the year 2012, there were 52 violent incidents recorded against Christians, marking a 100% increase from year 2011. That number continued to rise in 2013. According to the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL), 65 violent incidents against Christians have already been recorded and the number is likely to increase during the months of November and December.
October 2013 saw seven violent incidents against Christians recorded by the NCEASL. These incidents include the forced closure of churches, the homes of Christian pastors being vandalized, arson, and Christian pastors being threatened with violence and/or beaten because of their faith activities.
Attacks are often perpetrated by hardline Sinhalese Buddhist monks who are seeking to preserve the Buddhist cultural tradition of Sri Lanka, using violence to ensure that tradition's preservation. Mobs that attack Christians and other religious minorities are often led by Sinhalese Buddhist monks amidst cries that Christianity is foreign to Sri Lanka and has no place in its society.
In a recent BBC article, one Christian pastor from Sri Lanka stepped forward to recount an attack on his church. "Two Buddhist monks rushed into the church," the pastor told the BBC. "Twenty-five to 30 villagers followed. They yelled insults at us, calling us traitors for preaching the word of God. They shouted 'this is a Buddhist nation, a Buddhist village'.
"They threatened to kill us; they said they would burn my house down when they came back." The pastor went on to tell the BBC that the monks and their followers beat him in front of his congregation and that he was told to discontinue worshiping in that location or face more severe punishment.
A Government Unaware and Unwilling
Among the most disturbing matters this rise in religious intolerance has exposed is the lack of action taken by the government of Sri Lanka to protect Christians. Most attacks on Christians occur with impunity. According to the NCEASL, most incidents of religiously motivated violence against Christians have yet to lead to arrests or other punitive actions even though the attacks occurred openly with eye witness, video and photographic evidence readily available. In some extreme cases, local government officials become active participants in violent incidents, especially when an attack leads to the forced closure of a church.
A recent quote from Udaya Gammanppila, a provincial minister for a Buddhist nationalist party, given to the BBC was telling of the Sri Lankan government's awareness of the plight of Christians in Sri Lanka. When confronted by a BBC reporter with the story of a pastor attacked by Buddhist monks, Mr. Gammanppila said the government was "unaware" of such attacks. He also went on to say that he was unaware of the 65 other incidents recorded by the NCEASL and that the reports were likely "made up" by the Christians.
Unfortunately, it looks like the plight of Christians in Sri Lanka will continue to get worse. With Buddhist hardliners gaining more support among the country's Buddhist population, compounded with the Sri Lankan government's unwillingness to protect Christians, the number of attacks will likely increase in 2014 in both number and intensity.
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