A Buddhist, a Muslim and an Undivided Nation

whizpen ♦ March 15, 2013 ♦ Leave a comment

No Halal. That’s what they said the last time. No Hijab. That’s what they say now. No Muslims. That’s what they would say the next time. Indirectly No Unity .That’s what they are trying to say the whole time. Who are these people?? What do they really want?? A few Buddhists friends even doubt whether these people who claim to safeguard Buddhism are Buddhists themselves, and let’s say, I am starting to have the same doubts too. It seems that on the pretext of strengthening Buddhism they are actually going against its teachings and trying to create a discord among the Buddhists and Muslims and hence, disunity in little Sri Lanka (And according to some media with the help of some foreign interests) . But on the other hand, listening to the supposedly “serious”, but rather amusing allegations against Islam also makes you wonder if it is not some sort of childish attempt at quick fame.
Buddhism, mind you, is a religion that dates back to more than 2600 years and a beautiful one too. It certainly doesn’t need an army to strengthen it and most certainly not by those who seem to be ignorant of the very essence of what Lord Buddha taught. Listening to some Buddhist sermons and the teachings of Lord Buddha I have to say that over and again I have been fascinated by its similarity to Islamic teachings. It’s actually the same thing, but just in a different way and a different manner. Buddhism teaches to eat what is pure, Islam says, eat what is permissible so that your body can be pure. Buddhism teaches women to wear conservatively when you go out, Islam says, cover everything except the face and hands. Whatever it is, this is not about which one is better than the other. All religions are alike and so are all humans irrespective of what religion they maybe. It is understanding this fact clearly that enables man to live in unity with one another and it was misunderstanding this that spelled trouble for Sri Lanka.
The thirty years of war that racked this little island has set back the country’s development and growth by three decades. This is our chance to move forward and another civil war is the last thing we need. It is our unity that would propel the country forward, fast into a developed nation. We have been ‘developing’ for long enough.
The opening line of these people in most speeches is usually “Maeka Bouddha ratak”, i.e. “This is a Buddhist country”. Let me tell you dear sir, that Sri Lanka is a multi ethnic country, PREDOMINANTLY a Buddhist one. And for us Muslims, this is our motherland, not Saudi Arabia. Know that whatever you say or do, we would never abandon this country. We were born as Sri Lankans, we live as Sri Lankans and we would also die as Sri Lankans.