Heal the Past & Build the Future through Enhancing the Freedom of Religion and Belief in Sri Lanka, 2022

 

Recognizing the importance of religious harmony as an essential factor for sustainable development in a multi-religious and multi-ethnic country such as Sri Lanka, the South Asia Policy  & Research Institute (SAPRI) joined hands with the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) to launch a project on Enhancing the Freedom of Religion & Belief in the country, leading to ‘Heal the Past and Build the Future’.

 

The project was implemented from January to July 2022 with clergy from the four main religions as target groups for an intra-faith dialogue initially, to be followed by an interfaith dialogue among the same participant clergy. The project activities with the participation of Buddhist, Hindu, Catholic/Christian and Islam clergy were conducted in the districts of Galle, Gampaha and Kurunegala having a prominent multi-religious and multi-ethnic presence. The main objective of the project was to promote harmony and co-existence in Sri Lanka,

        

The project commenced with a workshop for the training of facilitators in the three districts as the district facilitators played an important role in the selection of participants and ensuring their continued association with project activities while assisting with logistical arrangements.

 

A curriculum workshop was conducted thereafter with experts, academics and clergy of different religions who offered their contribution to the project process.

 

ToT sessions were held next to train the resource persons on the modes of organizing the workshops, incorporating the interests of the participants while focusing on achieving the project targets.

In view of the relevance of the involvement and contribution of the beneficiaries of the project in project planning and implementation, Project Planning Workshops with Beneficiary Participation were held in the three districts. The input of the beneficiaries was fed into the structuring of the project and the agendas of the project activities drawn up accordingly. The actual project process commenced thereafter.

The first phase of the project was intra-faith dialogue workshops. Groups of Buddhist;    Hindu; Catholic/Christian; and Islam clergy of the three districts met as separate groups in each district twice, and discussed the intricacies of their own religion and attempted to understand ‘other’ religions and learn their main features in order to recognize the similarities and differences among religions. The knowledge the project participants gained on other religions was expected to nurture an interest among the participants towards positive interaction with members of other religions, both the clergy and laity.

The lessons learnt at the intra-faith dialogue sessions were expected to lead the participant clergy to strive for peace and development among different groups in the society encouraging them to live in harmony and appreciate co-existence.

The next phase of the project will be Interfaith Dialogue for the multi-religious clergy who went through the Intra-faith Dialogue process.They would, thereafter, break into groups comprising multi-religious clergy and commence interaction with their respective communities to foster harmony and peaceful co-existence at the grassroots level.

SAPRI with Moulavis in Mannar: The Latest Chapter of Building Tolerance, July 2017

                                                 

                                 SAPRI's Workshop for Moulavis held n Mannar

    Further expanding on its Building Religious Harmony initiative, the South Asia Policy & Research  Institute (SAPRI),  reached out to the district of Mannar in the Northern Province by organising a participatory workshop for Muslim Moulavis in the district, in collaboration with “Bridging Lanka”, an NGO in Sri Lanka having a partnership with Australia based organizations promoting ethno- religious and social integration.

  Al Azhar National School served as the venue of the event that took place on 23rd July 2017.

Mannar, a district with a majority population of Muslims and Tamils, is considered one of the most underdeveloped districts in the country. The district has 96 mosques and 5 madrasas. The workshop therefore was intended to test the waters of reception of the rural Muslim religious community towards interfaith dialogue and communal integration.

The workshop agenda motivated the participants to utilize Islamic teachings to form responses to modern-day issues including religious intolerance. The objective of the workshop was that the empowerment of Moulavis will result in their playing a leadership role in mitigating acts of religious intolerance in the society.

The session was interactive and engaging.  It encouraged the participants to open up and share their views and perceptions on the observance of religious harmony and coexistence in their district as well as in the country. Open discussion of haunting wounds and concerns of the community is a tried and tested method of SAPRI, to innovate practical and community driven solutions to ground level issues.

The Moulavis recognized a number of potential hindrances to effective interfaith dialogue, including the language barrier. The workshop itself was conducted in Tamil. The lack of formal education other than the Islamic education received at Madrasas was recognized as an issue,which was also linked to the lack of self-confidence in the participants.

The workshop saw icebreaker activities that encouraged collective thinking, which laid the foundation for a successful and cooperative group activity session that followed.

Activities on the importance of clear communication were conducted in an interesting manner while conveying the message of clarity and emphasizing the cooperation necessary in effective communication.The group activity session was then conducted, to get specific suggestions and ideas of the participants on the issues they face as Moulavis within their communities.

SAPRI representatives received overwhelming gratitude from the participant Moulavis of the workshop, for organizing an event that encouraged retrospection as well as an open discussion on common concerns faced by Muslim clergy members, which would undoubtedly lead toward the promotion of a tolerant society.

The programme ‘Building Religious Harmony’ is one of SAPRI’s prominent efforts that is on-going, having begun in 2013. Similar workshops targeting clergy representatives were previously conducted as intra-faith sessions in several districts including Galle, Puttalam and Kegalle, while several interfaith sessions were held in Imbulpe / Belihuloya with the participation of clergy from all major religions in the country.

Stakeholders' Observations on the Religious Harmony Project Activities and the Way Forward

                                                                    

                                                                      

Overall, the projects witnessed great enthusiasm and all the participants strongly emphasized the need to  continue such programs in the long term as their positive messages need to be reinforced frequently and widely, for greater impact.

# Provincial Councilor of Sabaragamuwa Province, Mr. B. Ariyawansa-                                “ [ Workshops were] an exceptional programme where members of all religions and ethnicities  as well as political parties were brought together for capacity development; also resulting in building friendship and cordiality  among participants. Grateful to Chair, SAPRI, Madam Kumaratunga for introducing the programme 

#         Ven. Maduwanwela Sadhdhamangala Thero of Embilipitiya-   “ The project paved the way for eliminating incorrect and false notions on religions and religious practices and will help to mitigate tension related to religious differences. It introduces perceptions of different religions to people who believe that only their religion and its practices should be respected" 

#  A Sunday School Teacher, “the experience the workshops provided, to dialogue rather than debate; to exercise restraint and not initiate violence; and, network with those of other religions;  was valuable and one which should be shared with the future generation"

#  A Female Political Actiivist, “Youth participation should be increased as they play an active role in society and they are the future leaders. Therefore, with the help of Youth Councils, village level Multi Religious Youth Committees should be started 

#  A School Principal- “The project activities taught the necessity to establish structures and mechanisms to ensure equal opportunities to all, in order to prevent conflict 

#  A Female Police Officer- “ Children, the future generation, should be educated on the need for harmony and be involved in multi-religious activities.”

Comments and observations from Buddhist Clergy workshops

• "The Buddhist clergy should conduct themselves with dignity and decorum all the time, thus commanding the respect of the people, belonging to all religions".
• A monk from Kalpitiya remarked “we have recognized that Buddhist monks are not empowered to face the modern day challenges in a changing world. As such there is a need to introduce to them, contemporary religions, English language and computer literacy.”
• "Initiate multi-religious discussions in Buddhist Temples, Hindu Kovils, Mosques and Churches in the community, with the clergy in each place of religious worship hosting the clergy of other religions”.

SAPRI‟s comments

=  Among the key revelations that emerged from the programs was the people's acceptance of the need for such initiatives and the appetite/will for them. The workshops were well received by the participants who appreciated the knowledge they gained.

 =  The workshops provided the much important space for interfaith dialogue and networking  opportunities for the four different religious communities. The sharing of knowledge and experiences cleared misconceptions and built awareness, which contributed to the sustainability of  the project and its successful outcome.

 =  The project met its set targets and resulted in the creation of several interfaith platforms in each district to ensure small scale activities that are ongoing. The development of action plans by the participants themselves in each district gave the project sustainability beyond the involvement of SAPRI.

 =  The activities conducted at the workshops were novel and innovative, and, had the lively  participation of all ethnic and religious groups providing diversity. Therefore the participants found the capacity building workshops interesting and productive, leading to positive results.

 =  SAPRI believes that religion is a flashpoint for most conflicts globally. In such conflicts it is difficult to achieve a common ground where agreements can be reached, due to deep attachments in individuals, based on perceived values and principles. As such, continued efforts should be made to change mind-sets and attitudes to prevent conflicts and ensure the harmonious existence of any society.

 As the United Nations Human Rights Charter validates-

 “Recognizing that inter-religious dialogue and understanding, including the awareness of differences and commonalities among peoples and civilizations, contribute to the peaceful resolution of conflicts and disputes and reduce the potential for animosity, clashes and even violence ..... ”