Inter religious initiative from Shanti Sena CC in Sri Lanka

A project called Inter Religious cooperation for Community Development and social empowerment of one year duration was inaugurated by Sarvodaya Movement and  Shanthisena under the sponsorship of KARUNA Center for Peace Building, (USA). The project is designed to cover the following districts. Batticola,Trncomalee and  Padaviya, It will engage 80 religious leaders 20 from each belonging to the four major  faiths viz Buddhist, Hindu Christian and Islam  The purpose of the project is bring about amity and peace through capacity building of religious leaders and creating opportunities for them to interact through dialogue. The proposed activities are Inter and intra faith Workshops, community dialogues, community development projects, (Classes in Singhala Tamil Language, Computer " Sewing and Small Scale industrial training and Home grading)  Interreligious district meetings exposure visits etc. This project would be implemented by Shanthi sena CC. Under this project  

A four day inter-religious exchange visit was undertaken under the project of inter-religious Cooperation for Community Development and Social Empowerment. Forty religious leaders, 11 Buddhists, 10 Christians, 10 Hindus and 9 Islam from the East, Trincomalee, Padaviya and Batticoloa participated in this exposure visit to Galle. Eleven religious leaders from the Galle District Fr Nihal Nanayakkara and other religious leaders of Galle CC and interreligious foundation  which has been active in Galle since 1982hosted this delegation. Inter-faith Peace Foundation has been working in the Galle district for a longtime, to bring peace among the comunties. They have been active ever since, conducting inter faith and inter ethnic dialogues, community mediations, peace marches, inter-faith programs for community leaders, and district peace conferences.

On the first day of the exchange visit, a presentation was  done by Galle district inter-faith Peace Foundation which impressed the religious leaders from the East and they were very interested to learn how the Galle leaders' have worked over the years to address communal tensions. They were most impressed by a case example presented. Second day of the program, the religious leaders from East were able to participate in a Sramadana program which was undertaken in a school where students from all religions are studying together. They were involved with the students in painting school wall . In the evening of the second day program, religious leaders participated in a cultural program which focused on National cultural items.

Religious leaders were surprised and impressed by the work done in Galle and they left very much inspired to strengthen the interfaith committees in their districts. Those from Batticaloa also expressed interest in documenting examples from their own communities of inter-faith cooperation during the war. Religious leaders from east are looking forward to hosting a delegation from Galle in May at which time they can show case their activities.

Villages United: A Sri-Lankan Tale

During the height of Sri Lanka’s civil war an incident between two neighboring villages captured the extent of ethnic rivalries within the war-torn island. On the 12^th August 1990, Muslims from the village of Samanthurei in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka attacked the Tamil village of Weeramuni killing nearly 200 men, women and children. After the attack enmity between the two villages remained intense; the only interaction coming through sporadic eruptions of violence. As a memorial the Tamils of Weeramuni built a statue of a woman carrying a child that served as a constant reminder of the atrocities committed against them and perpetuated their ill feelings towards the rival village.

As a result of the unstable situation between the villages both were included in a 2008 NCA Project organized by Sarvodaya (the long established and largest NGO in Sri Lanka) that aimed to improve the leadership skills of youths affected by the war. During the programme, the youths selected from the two villages, Ms. T Sri. Wadani of the Tamil village and Ms. I Rinosha of the Muslim village, struck up a very close friendship and took on board much of what was taught as part of the project. On returning to their respective villages, both founded Shanthi Sena youth organizations that aimed to educate and improve the awareness of the locals through teachings and activities. Despite the obstacles facing them, the girls managed to maintain their friendship and against all odds organized a youth exchange programme in August of 2009, similar to the one they themselves had attended, in the Tamil village of Weeramuni. The programme was attended by youths from both villages and also from other parts of Sri Lanka including Kaluttara, Galle and Polonnaruwa.

The exchange programme worked to improve relations between the two villages and gradually the communities began interacting with each other. One of the most significant acts of the rehabilitation process was the joint effort of both the Sinhala and Muslim youths in cleaning up the Kovil in Weeramuni and its’ adjoining cemetery; symbolic because it is an area usually permitted only to Hindus and because it was here that the first outbreaks of violence begun in 1990. A Tamil teacher captured the changing mood of the local villagers when he expressed that this day was the “happiest of his life” and was full of praise for the efforts of youths from the different communities.

The camp ended on an emotional note and the participants bade farewell. The aftermath of the event has seen the people of the two villages exchange visits and the relationship between them dramatically improve. The change can be credited to the indefatigable effort of these two girls from the two villages. Remaining humble however, they consider it a victory for the people who were prepared to put aside previous differences and enact real change by trying to understand and accept one another.

Both girls continue to work to improve the situation between their villages. Wadani is now Sarvodaya society secretary for Weeramuni and Rinosha continues in her role as Shanthi Sena leader. The seeds that were sewn by the two have germinated and the aftermath is a story of gathering the harvest. Their initiatives met with some resistance, not all was well, but with time the idea of harmony and peace have sunk into the heads of even the senior citizens. The cessation of war and the ensuing development work have provided an environment where peace activities have become meaningful, the communities can now live side by side and look to develop partnerships to bring prosperity to both.

Wadani and Rinosha also still share a dream. They feel that the monument built to remember the gruesome events of 1990 should be removed and in its place built a statue commemorating the brother hood, or perhaps more fittingly the sisterhood, of humanity. The villages now share a peaceful co-existence and discussions regarding the removal of the monument are on-going.