Sri Lanka hardline group calls for halal boycott

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21494959

A new hardline Sinhalese Buddhist group in Sri Lanka has called for the
abolition of the Muslim halal system of certifying foods and other
goods.
The Bodu Bala Sena, or Buddhist Strength Force, also said foreign
propagators of religions should leave the country within a month.
Thousands of supporters of the group attended a rally in a suburb of the
capital, Colombo.
The calls come at a time of mounting religious tension in the country.
There have been several attacks on both mosques and Muslim-owned
businesses as well as on Christian churches and the clergy, the BBC’s
Charles Haviland reports from Colombo.
‘Unofficial police’
Thousands of men and women filled the grounds of the rally and the
surrounding streets at Maharagama in Colombo’s outer suburbs to hear
nationalist speeches by the group’s monks.
As we finished filming at the rally, our three-member BBC team and
driver were seriously threatened with violence by some members of a mob
of more than 20 young men who told us not to drive off.
Some police arrived and looked on as my Sri Lankan colleagues were
verbally abused in filthy language, described as “traitors” and accused
of having “foreign parents” and working for a “foreign conspirator” who
was “against Sri Lanka”.
Some of them warned us that if we returned to the location – the mainly
Buddhist suburb of Maharagama – it would “be the end” of us.
The police held back the more aggressive youths but appeared to comply
with the mob by barricading our vehicle, calling us “suspicious” and
ordering us not to leave until they got the go-ahead from their
superior. That was worrying.
As we waited for him, the mob took a large number of photos of us and
our vehicle. A little later the senior policeman arrived. He seemed
good-humoured and waved us off.
The leaders called for a boycott of halal meat and demanded shops clear
their stocks by April, the AFP news agency reports.
Youth activists at the rally wore T-shirts denouncing the Muslim halal
method of slaughtering animals to eat.
The group’s secretary-general, Venerable Galaboda Aththe Gnanasara, told
the crowds that “only monks can save this race”, referring to
Sinhalese.
He claimed that Christian and Muslim extremists were threatening
Buddhists, and said hundreds of monks were ready to fight. “Our country
is a Sinhalese one and we are its unofficial police,” he said.
The group has denied being anti-minority, and has dissociated itself
from the recent attacks on Muslim and Christian targets.
But one member of the group, Dilanthe Withanage, accused “some” unnamed
countries of “funding Christian fundamentalists as well as Muslim
fundamentalists” in Sri Lanka.
Both Muslims and Christians deny promoting extremism in Sri Lanka, our
correspondent reports.
President Mahinda Rajapakse has called on monks not to incite religious
hatred and violence, but one opposition politician told the BBC that
“the situation is very bad”.
“Any moment, the ethnic riot will start between Sinhalese and Muslims,”
said Mujeebur Rahuman of the opposition United National Party.
“They are now working freely. Nobody is talking about this organisation
and the government is not trying to stop their activities.”
The Buddhist Sinhalese make up three-quarters of Sri Lanka’s 20 million
population.
Muslims constitute about 10% and have generally had good relations with
the Sinhalese majority.

Thanks

I think the problem is that Islamophobia has been somewhat institutionalised in France. This is an inevitable consequence of an entire religion being targeted through the enacting of laws aimed at limiting someones ability to follow their religion. I personally don’t agree with the Niqab, but millions of women around the world do, including members of my family. But when laws are brought in that specifically target a religious or ethnic group, then subconsciously it tells people that said group is ‘fair game’ so to speak. It is inevitable that this will happen more and more in numerous countries simply because the governments of those countries have encouraged it through their actions.

Unfortunately this is a problem around the world, and the root cause is some form of extremism, be it secular (as in France), or religious as in places like Saudi Arabia, Israel or the US. I think George Carlin was right when he said its all just d**k waving! Men all over the world are insecure, and as a result have to try and force others to follow their ways, and lets face it, its usually men that cause the issues! The problem we have right now is that the sane voices are being drowned out by the crazies, everywhere! The Sheikh of a London Mosque gives a beautifully impassioned speech on how ridiculous the whole notion of a Muslim patrol in London is, yet the only platform he gets is on Al Jazeera, whereas a racist old hag whose main response to this Sheikh was that Britain is a dog loving beer chugging society gets the same platform, and many more (this is the lady that was featured here a few weeks ago because of the article she wrote in the telegraph complaining that there aren’t enough white people in London any more)!

Calling those guys “philosophers” is like calling Robert Spencer “deacon”

oh the horrible “not islamaphobia” will it never end?