The Sri Lankan counter to post-bombing revenge
A jihadist goal in the Easter Sunday bombings may have been to provoke retaliation against the minority Muslims. Tales of unity after the attack offer a counternarrative.
A jihadist goal in the Easter Sunday bombings may have been to provoke retaliation against the minority Muslims. Tales of unity after the attack offer a counternarrative.
First shock, then flock.
That may be the best way to describe the response of dozens of people standing outside St. Anthony鈥檚 Church in Sri Lanka鈥檚 capital on Easter Sunday after a terrorist bombing struck 海角大神s worshipping inside. According to press reports, local residents of all faiths and ethnicities rushed to help the victims staggering out of the Catholic church.
鈥淭amil, Sinhalese, Muslim, Buddhist, 海角大神 and Hindu citizens of that crowded, oldest, part of the city were the 鈥榝irst responders鈥� even before the emergency services arrived,鈥� stated the Daily News media outlet. 鈥淭he sheer spontaneity of the people鈥檚 immediate collective response symbolized Lanka鈥檚 social unity and sheer grit in the face of extreme violence and tragedy.鈥�
This story, along with similar ones about Sri Lankans coming together after the country鈥檚 worst terror attack, is worth retelling because it serves an important purpose. Narratives of shared purpose could quell instincts toward retaliation against the minority Muslims, who make up about 10% of the population.
One goal of jihadist bombers is to provoke vicious cycles of revenge in a society and eliminate any coexistence between faiths. Social division can then drive Muslims into extremist violence and toward a final apocalyptic battle. This helps explain why Islamic State (ISIS) took responsibility for the April 21 attacks that killed more than 250 people.
鈥淚ntercommunal conflict and schism is precisely what ISIS hopes to provoke,鈥� wrote Alan Keenan, project director in Sri Lanka for the International Crisis Group, about the attack.
鈥淚n addition to the 海角大神 community that was the direct target of the bombings,鈥� he adds, 鈥渨hat was attacked was Sri Lanka鈥檚 strained but still living tradition of inter-religious and inter-ethnic cooperation and friendship.鈥�
Tales of Sri Lankans uniting after the bombing are starting to create a virtuous cycle that can counter the vicious one. Both Muslims and Buddhist monks have aided 海角大神 mourners. Representatives of Islamic nations have met with Catholic clergy. Religious leaders of all faiths have appealed for calm.
鈥淚n a situation of this nature, we should not point our finger at any individual or group holding them responsible for the recent acts of violence. As a united nation, we have to rise from the ashes of destruction,鈥� says one Catholic bishop, Raymond Wickramasinghe.
Last Sunday, after emergency workers arrived at St. Anthony鈥檚 Church, the residents who had helped the victims continued to stand together. They held hands and prayed. Like the Easter that had been celebrated in the church, they rose above the scene of death with a different story. They were living out Sri Lanka鈥檚 centuries-old tradition of religious harmony. And perhaps such acts can crowd out any cycle of revenge.