Sri Lanka: recent crises in a multi-religious society

ABSTRACT

Sri Lanka has traditionally been known as a predominantly Buddhist country, where people belonging to Hindu, Muslim and Christian religions have co-existed, largely peacefully, for centuries. From time to time, opportunistic politicians and a small minority of militant religious leaders have tried to foment unrest among religious groups. The civil war that lasted for 30 years resulted in the murder of Buddhist and Muslim devotees and damage to sacred places of worship. The Easter Sunday attacks in 2021 by Muslim militants set back modest efforts underway to promote religious harmony. This article examines the causes and implications of such challenges.

KEYWORDS:

• Constitutional guarantees
• ethnic disturbances
• economic problems
• national security concerns
• nation-building

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).