By Latheef Farook
Devanagala
is a beautiful peaceful village in the central hills about six
kilometers from Mawanella on the way to Hemmathagama. The village has
been known for the rock called Devanagala Rock. There is a Buddhist
temple and an inscription on the rock. According
to those in the village Devanagala area was believed to have been the
place from where Sinhalese kings dispatched garrisons to different
places. Muslims in the village claim that they were settled there by
Sinhalese kings to defend the Kandyan kingdom from invaders.
People
in the area, both Sinhalese and Muslims alike, have been farmers and
small time traders .They were living for generations like one family
caring and sharing for each other. Even during the 2001 anti Muslim
riots in Mawanella, Devanagala area was unaffected as both Muslims and
Sinhalese there lived in traditional harmony.
During
the past few decades Muslims concentrated on education and produced
numerous professionals, intellectuals, religious scholars and others.
Thus their living standard improved.
Today’s
racist rabble rousers, following their personal agendas to the
detriment of all, were unheard of even five or six years ago.
It
appears that racism has its origin during the State Council days when
in 1940 under the archaeological act this rock was brought under
archaeological department and a distance of fifty yards from the rock
declared as a buffer zone.
Those
who issued the gazette notification were aware that both Sinhalese and
Muslims lived in the area and the interest and welfare of the two
communities need to be taken into consideration. However there was no
such human consideration, when it comes to Muslims’ rights, in bringing
the rock under the archaeological department.
This
act was revised by a 4 June 2004 gazette notification which increased
the buffer zone from fifty yards to 200 yards. In yet another gazette
notification a year later in 2005 the buffer zone was increased to cover
400 yards bringing a sizable population of Sinhalese and Muslims within
this buffer zone.
In
the buffer zone around the rock today there are around 500 Muslim
families with little more than 3000 people. Muslims have documentary
evidence dating back to around 200 years to prove their presence in the
area and some claim that they were living there for more than 400 years.
Their rights were simply dismissed when the rock and buffer zones were
gazetted
People
in the area were not aware of these gazette notifications and its
implications in their lives and properties .They went on with their
routine life unaffected by these gazette notifications and the ever
expanding buffer zones.
However
ever since the 2004 gazette notification handful of Sinhalese from
outside Devanagala area began to claim that the rock and the area
surrounding the rock belongs to Sinhalese and began rising racist
slogans against Muslims. The aim was to put the Sinhalese against the
Muslims.
Encouraged
by the overall support the racist elements received from the
authorities to impose their views on the Kuragala rock issue, here in
Devanagala too they began a campaign to evict Muslims living around the
Devanagala rock within 400 yards.
However
even today most Sinhalese in the area have nothing to do with this anti
Muslim campaign. They point out that not only Sinhalese but Muslims in
the village too protected the rock which the Muslims visit every time
visitors come.
According
to the people in the area, in the aftermath of the Kuragala issue, two
controversial pradeshiya members, not from the Devanagala area, formed
an organization called “Maithree Sahana Patahanama”-MSP. This has
nothing to do with the Sinhalese in the area or the mainstream Sinhalese
community.
The
newly formed MSP began poisoning the minds of Sinhalese aimed at
inciting them against Muslims as has been done in other areas in the
island. As part of this program they distributed hand bills.
Though
the Devanagala rock is of archaeological and not religious importance
the MSP repeatedly demanded the archaeological department to evict the
Muslims from the area from the buffer zone as it was a sacred area
where only Buddhist should live. Under pressure from these racist
elements and, perhaps from other invisible forces, the archeological
department officials visited the area and tried to demarcate the rock
and the buffer zone.
People
in the area pointed out that there is no approved survey plan and no
research was done to clearly identify the historic rock. As a result
people in the area, both Sinhalese and Muslims, remain confused as to
how the archaeological department is going to decide which is the rock
and where the buffer zone is.
Muslims
asked officials how they would demarcate the rock and the buffer zone
without a proper approved plan. Muslims also pointed out that they posed
no threat to the rock and asked why they should leave the place where
they lived for centuries.
They
asked why the archaeological department should implement MSO racist
elements’ agenda against them and accuse the archaeological department
officials of
making contradictory statements.
making contradictory statements.
Meanwhile
the archaeological department has banned Muslim owned buildings in the
buffer zone from carrying out any repair work to their buidings without
their prior approval.
The
most shameful aspect of the MSPs demand is that only Muslims in the
buffer zone should be evicted and not the Sinhalese. When the Muslims
questioned the unjust nature of this request, the archaeological
department officials have no answer.
People
in the area want to go ahead with their day to day life in peace as in
the past before MSP came into the scene. However racist elements are
hell bent on making this a flashpoint without realizing the seriousness.
A
meeting was held at the Kegalla Kachcheri on 4 December 2013. It was
attended by Ministers Athauda Senevertne and Jagath Balsuriya, Director
Arachaeoloigal department and his team, AGAs, GA and DS, Muslims from
the village involved and the MPS representatives.
Following
the meeting it was decided that the officials of archaeological
department visit the area before demarcating the rock and buffer zone on
December 23 .This date was postponed.
With
the government taking no measure to protect, helpless Muslims in the
village live in fear not knowing what is going to happen to them .
Now
the question is whether driving out Devanagala Muslims from their
ancestral lands and homes is the priority at a time when the country is
passing through its most difficult period in history in view of the
lawlessness, crime and corruption.
This
move strikes the very basic human rights of Devanagala Muslims. The
tragedy is that this happens at a time when the country is facing
charges of human rights violation from many powerful quarters.
The
government talks about reconciliation and communal harmony while
turning a Nelsonian eye to the lawlessness and the flouting of the basic
human rights of the Muslim by a handful of racists. Indications are
that no lesson was learnt from the racist slogans of the past which
turned the country into Asia’s worst killing field for decades.
Muslim politicians turned out to be sell outs and clinging on to the government despite repeated harassment of Muslims.
Under
the circumstance Muslims remain a frustrated lot. Is it the eruption of
this bottled up frustration that these mischief makers are looking for?
Perhaps these provocations are to force Muslims to react so that
racist elements could attack Muslims island wide to commemorate the 1915
Sinhala Muslim riots?
