Mass L. Usuf –
Mass Usuf
Very unexpectedly a close Sinhalese friend of mine asked me why did not the Muslims retaliate when they were attacked? I was perplexed. Firstly, because he is a Sinhalese and, secondly, the thought of attacking people never occurs in the mind of a practising Muslim. Out of curiosity, I asked him “What do you mean by retaliate?” He said, “You all should have attacked business premises of the Sinhalese people in areas where you all are in majority.” Now, I became curious, since this is a Sinhalese speaking about attacking the Sinhalese. I asked him “What the hell is wrong with you and why are you talking like this?” He replied, “I am disgusted with these fellows. Believe me, after university I have never stepped into a temple.” Him mentioning ‘temple’ reminded me of our youthhood. I humorously reminded him how both of us used to hang around in the temple compound to catch a glimpse of his girlfriend. I said “Machan api bodhi pooja atha gaanawa mathakada, hebai esdeka wena kohedo neda.” He replied, “Those days are now gone. I really feel sorry for our growing up kids”
The question as to why the Muslims did not retaliate by attacking Sinhala houses or business premises requires an explanation. I have to distinguish here between a practising Muslim and a non-practising Muslim. The majority are generally, practising Muslims. In fact, the only religion in the world which has the largest number of practising followers is Islam. Anyway, we have our quota of black sheep like in any other community. A realistic comparison would be the Sinhalese racists who perpetrated the recent violence. They do not represent the majority of the respectable Sinhalese people. In fact, their criminal behaviour has embarrassed many Sinhalese people who feel ashamed.
Be Just Even To The Enemy