Harun Nasrullah
On January 9, a Sri Lankan court sentenced controversial Buddhist monk Gnanasara Thero to nine months in prison and imposed a fine for failing to appear in court following an arrest warrant.
Gnanasara Thero, the leader of the far-right Buddhist group Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), has been a deeply divisive figure in Sri Lanka. In 2022, he was sentenced to four years in prison for incendiary remarks made in 2016, including the infamous declaration, “Islam is a cancer… it must be eradicated.” This statement, delivered during a press conference in Colombo’s Kirulapone area, drew widespread condemnation for inciting ethnic discord and hatred against the Muslim minority.
Although the 2022 sentence was appealed, Gnanasara was released on bail and allowed to continue his public activities.
Gnanasara has been linked to numerous incidents that have exacerbated Sri Lanka’s sectarian tensions. One of the most notorious was the Aluthgama riots in June 2014.
The violence began after an altercation between a Buddhist man and a Muslim shopkeeper but escalated following a provocative speech by Gnanasara at a BBS rally in Aluthgama on June 15.
In his speech, he declared, “We are not scared of these people [Muslims]; we will show them who is in charge here. If we cannot save this country, we will have no place in this world.” The incendiary rhetoric was widely viewed as a direct call to violence.
The riots that ensued resulted in widespread destruction of Muslim-owned homes, businesses, and mosques, leaving several people dead and many injured. Critics argue that the government’s failure to prevent the violence highlighted a lack of commitment to protecting minority communities.
Gnanasara’s history of inflammatory statements and campaigns has consistently targeted Sri Lanka’s Muslim population. In 2013, he led efforts to ban halal certification on products, claiming it was a covert method for Muslims to expand their religion and gain economic dominance. He declared, “Halal certification is a covert method by which Muslims are trying to expand their religion and take control of the economy.”
In 2016, he further alienated the Muslim community by proclaiming, “If Muslims want to live in this country, they must live according to the way the Sinhala Buddhist majority lives. They must not interfere in politics or try to control our nation.”
Gnanasara’s actions have drawn widespread criticism from both local and international observers. Human rights organizations, including the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), have condemned his rhetoric as blatant Islamophobia. The OIC’s human rights body has also raised concerns about the rise of majoritarian nationalism and discriminatory practices in Sri Lanka.
(Credit: WikiCommons)
