A statement of the Muslim Council of Sri Lanka, issued on January 2 (
source), reads
"The Muslim Council of Sri Lanka, which is a network of over 112 of the largest and most influential National organizations of Muslims in Sri Lanka vehemently, condemns in the strongest terms the savage and brutal attack on the innocent displaced people of Palestine in Gaza by the occupying power - the Zionist regime of Israel. As the Islamic New Year dawned on the Muslim world and people across the world welcomed the New-year 2009, the innocent children, young and the old people of Gaza were facing the bullets and bombs of the genocidal Israeli onslaught on them.
The unfolding mayhem as shown on TV of mangled bodies and devastated buildings has already risen to over 400 killed and maimed several thousand while causing massive destruction to Palestinian settlements. It is strikingly similar to the German blitz in the initial stage of World War Two. The pretexts too, are nearly the same and the behaviors of both Nazi and Israeli political and military leadership too are nearly identical.
The German Nazis sought to justify their blitz against their neighbors, using a plethora of carefully concocted lies and pretexts. Israel is virtually doing the same today, in decapitating Gaza while claiming that it is only fighting Hamas, whilst targeting and destroying schools, mosques, private homes, charities, public buildings, drug stores, colleges and universities.
It is horrifying that champions of the free world who are occupying countries on the pretext of liberating them have condoned, if not encouraged inhuman action of the Zionist Israel.
Today, Israel is decapitating Gaza while claiming that it is only fighting Hamas by targeting and destroying schools, mosques, private homes, charities, public buildings, drug stores, colleges and universities and committing genocide on the people of Gaza all under the false pretext of fighting Hamas.
The MCSL is surprised and shocked at the silence and inaction of the Organization of Islamic Countries and member nations and call upon the international community and the United Nations to take immediate steps to stop the barbaric and brutal action of Zionist Israel in blatant violation of international laws. The MCSL calls upon the Muslims of Sri Lanka to conduct special prayers after Jummah Prayers to bring peace to the suffering people of Palestine in Gaza."
But whilst the Muslim Council of Sri Lanka expresses their outrage over the Gaza killings, others see the situation slightly differently in the
backdrop of the Sri Lankan civil war. Fr. Vimal Tirimanna writes in a feature article in
The Island, titled
Gaza and Sri Lanka:
Double standards of the so-called 'International Community', that whilst the Western powers are quick to condemn the actions of the Sri Lankan military during their offensive against LTTE guerrillas in the north, the same Western powers are willing to give Israel
carte blanche to bomb Gaza into rubble.
Unfortunately the conclusion of Tirimanna is that in fairness the same privilegies should be granted the Sri Lankan state to use whatever methods needed to suppress the Tamil insurgency. Whilst such blunt statement might be rare, they are a clear example of the bizarre logic of the 'war on terror', namely that abuses are ok if done under the banner of 'anti-terrorism'. The behaviour of states like USA and Israel inspire others to adopt less human rights/international law-oriented approaches to the tactics of warfare. The fight for the freedom of Palestine is deeply connected with global struggles for freedom, democracy and international humanitarian law. No people is free, whilst another is oppressed.
