Sri Lanka Muslim Congress leader Rauf Hakeem has issued an “unreserved apology to all Buddhists of Sri Lanka” over remarks made in a campaign meeting in the Eastern Province.
Hakeem reportedly congratulated President Mahinda Rajapaksa for defeating “terrorism” and called on him to eliminate what he termed “yellow robed terrorism”, referring to attacks on mosques led by the Buddhist clergy.
The comments outraged the Buddhist clergy and prompted a swift retraction from Hakeem. Extracts from his statement have been reproduced below.
Earlier Deputy Secretary of the JHU, Udaya Gammanpilla, commented,
Hakeem reportedly congratulated President Mahinda Rajapaksa for defeating “terrorism” and called on him to eliminate what he termed “yellow robed terrorism”, referring to attacks on mosques led by the Buddhist clergy.
The comments outraged the Buddhist clergy and prompted a swift retraction from Hakeem. Extracts from his statement have been reproduced below.
“A statement I made recently in Sainthamaruthu, Kalmunai, has created a very grave concern among Buddhists leaders and Buddhist prelates including the Jathika Hela Urumaya.See his full statement here.
With no further attempts at procrastination, I wish to tender an unreserved apology to all Buddhists of Sri Lanka. I specifically request the Maha Sangha of Sri Lanka to accept this apology for which I, as the Leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress take personal responsibility.
My reference to any grievance of the Muslims was entirely confined to a local issue in a very specific locality. Unfortunately, my choice of words, when removed from the specific context, has resulted in creating a perception that it was a derogatory remark on the Sangha who are the guardians of Buddhism, the predominant faith of our people.
As the Leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, I have always acknowledged that the Muslims are an integral part of the Sri Lankan nation. We have enjoyed the patronage and the benevolence of the Sinhala people from the time of Sinhala Kings."
Earlier Deputy Secretary of the JHU, Udaya Gammanpilla, commented,
“Rauf Hakeem’s statement clearly reflects the duplicity and double standards of the SLMC and his own. When he speaks in Sinhala and English in the South he praises the Sinhala monks and Buddhism. However, when he speaks in Tamil in the East, he insults the same monks labelling them yellow-robed terrorists.Also see our earlier post: 'Buddhists Behaving Badly' (03 August 2012)
He has forgotten that the majority of the country praises Buddhist monks and consider them sacred. In this backdrop he has done irreparable damage to Sinhalese and Muslims by aiming for short-term electoral gains.”
