Former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, writing in the UK Guardian on Friday, urged the world to protect the religious freedoms of minorities in Sri Lanka, including Hindus, from religious extremism by the Sri Lankan state.
Integral to the Sri Lankan constitution is the state's responsibility to 'protect and foster' Buddhism.
Extracts from Blair's article:
"It is not only the acts of terror that should alarm us. It is the extremism that promotes persecution of religious minorities, too.
"The challenge is that much greater where human dignity is not respected and freedom of religion denied. This results in a general oppression of people of faith.
"It means we must support Muslims in Gujarat, India; non-Orthodox Christians in Moldova; Bahai's in Iran; Ahmadis in Pakistan; all Christians in north Africa; Hindus in Sri Lanka; Shia in several Sunni majority countries, and other places.
"The essence of democracy is that it is pluralistic. It is inherently secular, even if rooted in cultures that are profoundly religious. This is where democracy-friendly religion really means something very important in the way society is governed.
"It is about free media; freedom of expression; and about freedom of religion. It is also about an independent judiciary and the rule of law and even about free markets albeit with appropriate government intervention and regulation."
See related articles:
Sinhala Buddhist monks attack Japanese Buddhist temple (Oct 2011)
Monks destroy Muslim shrine as police stand idle (Sept 2011)
Rajapakse defiant against "alien cultures" (Sept 2011)
A new (cultural) campaign in Vanni (June 2010)
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.