Sri Lankan academics have condemned the recent violence instigated against the Muslim community. In a release issued collectively, they said they were outraged that action had not been taken speedily and decisively to stop the violence and bring those responsible to justice.
“The government must act firmly to prevent more destruction and bloodshed,” the communique said.
According to them the scale and nature of the recent attacks on the Muslim community are the result of years Sri Lanka pandering to chauvinistic nationalists.
“Targeted and organised attacks against Muslim communities in Ampara, Teldeniya, and Kandy are not isolated incidents, but must be seen within the long history of attacks on Muslims in Sri Lanka, including wartime violence by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) against Northern and Eastern Muslims,” they said.
They also called on the government to bring those responsible for the attacks before the law, while requesting the government to move on to long-term questions of Constitutional reform that can lay the foundation for a future of peace with justice and security for all its citizens, including minorities.
The release was signed by a large number of Sri Lankan academics working abroad at leading universities and hailing from various ethnic communities in the country.