Keeping the Peace: Writings and Reflections on Peace-Building in Sri Lanka

Editor: Asiff Hussein    Publisher: Muslim Women’s Research and Action Forum

Pages: 102   Price: Rs.500

This work is a collection of essays and thoughts on peace-building in Sri Lanka by the leading peace advocates and activists of our times.  The book is a particularly timely release as Sri Lanka emerges from the shadow of a nearly thirty year civil war and the Easter Sunday Bombings that followed not long after.

Its many contributors have put their minds into making this book different from others of its kind by analysing in detail the causes of and impediments to peace as well as suggesting new and novel methods of approaching and addressing issues of co-existence and bridge-building between different communities.

Among the contributors to this volume are Dr.Jehan Perera, well known peace activist whose paper ‘Identifying Blockages to Peace in Sri Lanka’ gives and outline of the main impediments to peace including rise in nationalist sentiment, religious ideology, partisan politics and the role of certain sections of media which polarize rather than uniting communities through biased reporting. Reverend Adrian Aaron provides an insight into the Christian worldview of peace and its place in Biblical scripture and shows the way how peace can be achieved with ‘the other’ through some interesting case studies. Deshabandhu Jezima Ismail’s paper Lasting Peace: Dream, Fantasy or Reality? gives an idea of the Islamic view of peace and how it is to be attained by the Muslim community still reeling from the shock of the Easter Sunday Bombings and how focusing on the commonalties in different faith traditions can help chart a course to embark on interfaith dialogue and understanding.

Frances Bulathsinghala explores the need to re-examine the current peacebuilding paradigm by giving due place to traditional and time-tested locally evolved peace mechanisms and stresses on the need to move away from west-centric methods that have failed thus far. Shamara Wettimuny focuses on Restriction of Religious Rites as an Obstacle to Lasting Peace taking as examples some unfortunate incidents that took place in colonial times such as the Kotahena Riots and Kalutara Bo-Tree incident and concludes with the wish that the Sri Lankan state will not repeat the same errors as its colonial predecessor.

Asiff Hussein dwells on Mosque Tours as a unique interfaith initiative that has sought to build bridges with other communities by opening up mosques and offering tours combined with poster walkthroughs and highlighting cultural aspects in matters like culinary heritage and calligraphy, a method that could also be replicated in other places of religious worship. Aamina Muhsin delves on Role of Digital Media in Peacebuilding and calls for a change in mass media attitudes based on the proposition that it is good news, not bad news, that sells. Hanan Hussain writes on the effective use of videography to enhance peacebuilding efforts and Ameer Ahamed comes up with some unique propositions to eliminate bias which has serious implications for a lasting peace.

The work is also interspersed with sayings on war and peace throughout the ages from Rumi to Wilfred Owen and a repertoire of reminiscences and poetry on the subject by Sri Lankan poets such as Nelani Goonawardena, Sakuntala Sachithanandan, Himangi Jayasundere and Asgar Hussein.