Towards a future free from fears of Islamism II – nation.lk – The Nation Newspaper

By Rohana R. Wasala

The web portal reported Tuesday December 21, 2021: Riyadh holds 4-day EDM carnival. Commenting on the electronic dance music extravaganza, unprecedented in Saudi Arabia, the news anchor said, The de facto leader of the Islamic World, the Guardian of the two holiest sites in Islam, Saudi Arabia, did the unexpected this weekend. Its through a giant rave party, a four-day electronic music festival complete with psychedelic lights and international DJs .. With video footage of densely packed dancing men and women taken from the exhilarating event held two or three days previously flashing across the background screen, the newscaster continued: the images that you see are from Saudi Arabia (where) a giant party was held in the deserts of Riyadh with the blessings and money of the Saudi royal family, the House of Saud. They fully endorsed and sponsored this carnival. It was attended by artistes from all over the world. Tiesto, Martin Garrix, David Guetta, Afrojack you name them, the worlds leading DJs, performed at the rave. Their excitement was evident in their statements. One of the DJs was heard saying: It was the first time that there was going to be women and men being able to dance together, and there was also a very historical moment, and I am happy to be part of this . Of course, theres more things to be done to improve the country, but I think they are opening, are really going to the right direction, giving more rights to women, like four years ago women couldnt drive . they can come and dance. Its a huge evolution.

That was what one of the DJs taking part in the massive musical show said about its underlying significance for a socio-culturally changed future for the kingdom, the birth place of Islam, with a previous reputation as the exporter of Islamic fundamentalism. The news presenter then dwelt on the fact that the exuberant Western type of music festival in the traditionally conservative Saudi Arabia did indeed symbolise a huge evolution. She went on:

(QUOTE) Saudi men and women dancing with abandon, swaying to the beats of Western music, no gender segregation, no full-length robes, no face veils, no any religious restrictions for that matter. All this was unthinkable in Saudi Arabia just a few years back. Now it is happening By the way, this rave party comes close on the heels of the Red Sea International Film Festival, the first of its kind to be held in Saudi Arabia. It was a star-studded affair with women walking the red carpet in sleeveless gowns, a woman film-maker winning the Best Director award, and an openly queer man winning the Best Actor award What do you make of these changes? The sands are shifting in Saudi Arabia, its evident. The socially conservative kingdom is trying to shake off its regressive image. Its limiting the rule of religion in public life and fitting itself as a modern liberal and tourism-friendly kingdom. And this, we say, is a welcome change. Although critics of Saudi Arabia say its a facade (and) insist (that) the Saudi society is not making any fundamental meaningful change., ever since Mohamed bin Salman was made the Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia, hes embarked on a liberalisation drive, with loosened gender segregation norms, hes reopened cinemas, allowed women to drive, to go to stadiums, take the haj without a male guardian.In a way MBS has defanged the countrys religious police that not too long ago would dictate every facet of daily life. And those are all remarkable reforms, they deserve applause. But, I have also to say they are only half-measures, and very late at that. Some very problematic issues persist in the Saudi society. Saudi Arabia continues to arrest dissidents, to extend prison terms of activists. It continues to detain the rich on allegations of corruption, a tinkering with power structures, arbitrary reshuffling whom the Crown Prince thinks are potential challengers. Political reform remains taboo (END OF QUOTE)

The foregoing is based on a news item from an independent online news source that represents the international free media. The comments on the piece of news are those of the newscaster, about which we listeners and viewers may or may not agree with her, or regarding which we may just remain neutral. But the piece of news is true, and so is what she says about the Saudi Crown Princes commitment to a liberalisation drive and his determination to rid his country of its regressive image. What it indicates is that the tide is turning against violent Islamic extremism. It is the same in other countries, too. Isnt this good news for people all over the world who are faced with forms of violent Islamism? For, against this global anti-extremist background, we need not entertain exaggerated fears about the menace or resort to measures that are likely to breathe new life into it, instead of letting it die a natural death.

The Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salmans brave initiative is an extremely praiseworthy example in a world where, in spite of the steadily rising awareness, particularly among the educated youth, of the dangerous insanity of excessive religiosity and the increasing rejection of its political backers and sympathisers by the civilised world, the backward ruling classes seem to believe that they are required to tolerate or even appease the few extremists in order to win the hearts and minds of the ordinary faithful. The Saudi leaders reformist gestures make good news for non-Muslim majority countries, including Sri Lanka, where a few opportunistic Muslim politicians maintain secret dealngs with extremists while pretending that they had nothing to do with them.

It was justly suspected by many around the time of the 2019 Easter Sunday suicide bombings (i. e., both before and after the unspeakable horror) that a handful of opportunistic Sri Lankan Muslim politicians with a communal mindset were maintaining treacherous links with suicide-bombing extremists for personal political advantage. It is now well known that these sham champions of Muslims try to create the illusion of a non-existent Buddhist-Muslim conflict or disharmony in the country through false propaganda, which is a part of their scheming to position themselves between foreign donors inspired to genuinely help their Sri Lankan co-religionists that, they have been persuaded to wrongly believe, are being persecuted by the Sinhalese Buddhist majority. All our political, civil and religious leaders need to unite to convince the leaders of friendly Islamic nations not to be misled by these duplicitous, self-seeking Muslim politicos who ultimately betray not only the interests of Sri Lankan Muslims whom they claim to represent, but those of the whole nation.

I dealt with this subject in MWL should separate the wheat from the chaff/The Island/ May 4, 2021), where I wrote: What should be of greater concern for the government is the fact that, by contriving to get themselves identified as constituting the whole Muslim community of the country, the handful of Islamist extremists who are widely believed to have provided tacit or explicit support for the suicide bombers are also foisting themselves on its (the MWLs) powerful patronage. By the wheat in the title I meant the traditional Sri Lankan Muslim minority who have co-existed peacefully with the majority Sinhalese Buddhists and other minority communities over the centuries; by the chaff I meant opportunistic Muslim politicos who secretly associate with extremists, while masquerading as champions of the generality of peaceful Muslims. These duplicitous Muslim politicos manage to enjoy the best of both worlds by making shrewd changes of their loyalty at the right time to join the incoming administration, under whichever major partys leadership it gets formed. Leaders of both major parties dont hesitate to cut deals with these communalist Muslim politicians at critical moments.

This reminded me of certain statements that businessman-turned-politician Shiraz Yunus made recently which were critical of the government, of which he is a partner. He attacked the government while claiming to be Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksas national coordinator for Muslim affairs. The PMs media division has since denied that Yunus holds any position in the government and that he was expressing his individual personal opinions.

This is according to a statement in Sinhala from the Prime Ministers Media Division published in the online news portal lankacnews on December 4, 2021 (a day after the Sialkot incident); it was signed by Rohan Weliwita, the PMs Media Secretary. The statement was carried under a headline that translates into English as Mr Shiraz Yunus has not been appointed to any post in the Prime Ministers Office:

QUOTE

I wish to announce that Mr Shiraz Yunus does not work as a coordinating secretary to the Prime Minister; such a position has not not been granted by the Prime Ministers Office.

This is to declare that the PMs Office has no connection with the statements that Mr Shiraz Yunus makes claiming that he serves as the PMs coordinating secretary.

Meanwhile, he has not been given a post of any description in the PMs Office.

I wish to further state that his statements are completely personal and that neither the Prime inister nor the Prime Ministers Office endorses those ideas.

END OF QUOTE

Why shouldnt we ask the PMs media unit to tell it to the marines? This is hardly more than mere wordplay. In the following YouTube interview published more than five weeks ago, Shiraz Yunus didnt ever once refer to himself as a coordinating secretary; he claimed to be the Prime Ministers National Coordinator for Muslim Affairs. This interview took place more than a month before Priyantha Kumara was lynched by an Islamist mob. By denying after more than one month what Yunus never claimed (he never said he is/was acting as PMs coordinating secretary for Muslim affairs), the PMs media unit seems to be trying to eat the cake and have it, too. Did it have to take a heinous crime, like beating to death an helpless man and desecrating his dead body by burning it on a main road in Pakistan on December 3, 2021, by a lynch mob for alleged blasphemy for the PM (who is also the Minister of Buddha Sasana) to dissociate himself at long last from Yunuss baseless attacks on the Gotabaya loyalist faction in the government? Yunuss criticisms include the false charge of anti-Muslim discrimination as allegedly exemplified in the mandatory burning of Covid-19 dead ignoring the religious sensitivities of the Muslims. Government and Opposition leaders have an unavoidable responsibility to ensure the protection of the non-Muslim majority of the population and the moderate Muslims from the excesses of Islamist extremists. Politicians, please dont sacrifice these innocents on the altar of political correctness to please the opportunistic ruling elite of the Muslim community.

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Towards a future free from fears of Islamism II - nation.lk - The Nation Newspaper