| by Shenali Waduge
( March 30, 2013, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) There comes a time when tough actions need to be taken in the interest of the country. Inaction leads to dire consequences - 30 years of LTTE terror is what happened. The similarities between what we went through and what is enfolding now gives sufficient reason for prompt action. Power and money were the curses that delayed then and are likely to be the key obstacles for present inaction. Previous Governments were not resolved enough to take action and the country ended up suffering. That same fate cannot be repeated. The root causes for the current turmoil unfolding is well-known. If Muslims say Islam is a peaceful religion we must remove the factor that is not – that has been identified as Wahhabism. The common enemy of Islam, the Muslims and all non-Muslims is Wahabism. The Government of Sri Lanka needs to ban Wahhabism in Sri Lanka alongside all associate entities. Our soldiers cannot sacrifice their lives again when actions get delayed by the forces of political correctness, power and money.
What is pertinent and needs to be stressed is that while Sinhalese never had second thoughts about admitting the wrongs the JVP committed through its terror period of the 1980s, not very many Tamils were ready to openly denounce LTTE atrocities and it appears Muslims are taking that same path. Admitting and identifying the mischief maker is what is important in the interest of the peaceful existence that needs to prevail.
When areas of concern were identified which were likely to lead to worse situations, the messengers were branded as “racists” “rabble rouses” “militants” and extremist”. These were the first of planned incursions to provide foundations for issues that would lead to future tensions. When these were identified as “proliferation of mosques” “incursions on sacred areas” “loudspeaker usage at mosques” “halal certificate” “indoctrination of youth” “sharia laws/animal slaughter” the power of money ensured silence of officials combined with hired non-Muslim voices to promote an “anti-Muslim” slogan. Adding further spice are conspiracy theories by factors doing their best to divert the issue. Muslims are made to believe they have to accept Islam at face value while the Wahhabis are using automatic submission by Muslims to Islam to push their rigid agendas to eventually take over nations and even the Muslim people. This is what has happened to all the nations now victims of West combined Wahhabi destabilizing operations.
The “hired” voices of all ethnic groups are part and parcel of the greater damage being done because they are purposely deployed to divert and de-track efforts to solve issues. Their links and contacts with media also hired for the same role end up relaying conflicting, biased and manipulated versions fooling the public. There is no better word to describe them other than “traitors” of peace. Ironically, they herd as groups for all issues making it very obvious who they are. Be that as it may they should not be allowed to divert the present crisis situation.
Tamils had USD300million to promote a hidden agenda through an exterior shield of “Eelaam” while the Wahabi’s are using USD87billion where the agenda is pretty clear.
The issue of Tamils and Eelaam was never highlighted as that being transported from India. Ignoring key pieces of the puzzle ends up allowing external factors to usurp the issue to their advantage – it is only then that conspiracy theories can be applied. That is how a host of external forces became associated with the Tamil/Eelam issue. The present Muslim issue too is no different. Over a period of time the Wahhabis have been at work inside Sri Lanka and funding has made sure none of their agendas get exposed or banned – MEDIA, politicians, public officials, law enforcement authorities, NGOs, Islamic clerics and even Muslims are accountable for silently allowing such extremism to eat into the country and infiltrate the minds of youth who in time are likely to play the roles of insurgents who have unleashed unbearable suffering throughout the Middle East, Africa, South East Asia and now South Asia too.
A closer look at the chaos in the Muslim world the root cause is none other than Wahhabi’s in association with foreign Governments and foreign intelligence to destabilize nations. It was they who were responsible for 9/11, terrorism that prevails in Afghanistan, Iraq, Philippines, Abu Sayaf, Thailand, Indonesia, Libya, Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Jordan, Europe while in Egypt they support the Muslim Brotherhood.
Soon Africa will create its own Taliban. We cannot afford to have an Asian “Taliban”. Arab countries are all being ruined and people are selling their souls for money and power and the promoters of Wahhabism have plenty of it to dole out. The bulk of this funding goes to the construction and operating expenses of mosques, madrassas, and other religious institutions that preach Wahhabism. It also supports the training of imams; domination of mass media and publishing outlets; distribution of Wahhabi textbooks and other literature; and endowments to universities (in exchange for influence over the appointment of Islamic scholars).
Countries need to realize where the root cause lies and in what sense the Muslims themselves are victims. India has identified the root cause – 100,000 Muslims gathered in India’s largest Muslim populated state to boldly denounce fundamentalist Wahhabism (Oct 2011) as a “virus for society” declaring that “the flag-bearers of Wahhabism… do not lead the 80% Sunni and Sufi Muslim population of India”. (India's Muslims—some 150 million, or 14 percent of its citizens—are the third largest Islamic community in the world, after those of Indonesia, 215 million, and Pakistan, 160 million).
The term “Wahabis” / “Wahabism” was invented by the British to divide Muslims and for them to fight each other and weaken each other so the British could conquer Muslim land and rule them. That was far before Saudi Arabia even existed. The memoirs of Mr. Hempher, the British Spy to the Middle East shows British Foreign and Commonwealth Office created Wahhabism. This was another imperial ploy no different from the divide and rule. Britain created Saudi Arabia in collaboration with the Wahhabi Al-Saud tribe in 1932. It is illegal for a Muslim to wage a war on another Muslim so the British created Wahhabism that sanctioned a new fratricide with a new interpretation of Islam. Muslims need to realize their enemy. Being silent will not protect Islam or Muslims. Just as being silent on LTTE did not bring Eelaam for the Tamils. The British and the Wahhabi sponsors are no different. Wahabi’s go by different names – Ikhwan, Salifiyya, Mowahabin, Taliban, Deoband. They all follow a strident militant view of Sunni Islam. Osama bin Laden capitalized on this to indoctrinate youngsters to hate. Wahhabi’s are obsessed with purging Sufis, Shiites and other Muslims and all other Muslims who do not conform to their interpretation of Islam. Sounds similar to the LTTE rule of law and explains why many Tamils ended up dead.
If we know the culprit of peace it is good to keep a watch on those attempting to whitewash these culprits. Civil society movements emerged because of the silence of politicians and they must realize that their inaction is likely to worsen situations. The mistake Sri Lanka made with the LTTE was not to nip it in the bud when they could. A double jeopardy cannot be repeated.
Malaysia has a list of all radical Islamic groups and has banned many and has its intelligence keeping tab on their movements throughout the nation. Various other countries have adopted similar methods. Sri Lanka must follow best-practices as well.
If the common enemy of Islam, Muslims and non-Muslims has been identified as Wahhabism – it is this factor that is disuniting the people and communities of Sri Lanka and it is the duty of the Government of Sri Lanka to ban Wahhabism in Sri Lanka and to arrest and charge all those associated with it.
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