Friday, 07 April 2006 00:00
To cook a good rice cake, you need heat from above and heat from below.
-- Philippine grassroots peace activist Cesar Villanueva1
For more than two decades, Sri Lankans have been caught up in a grinding ethnic struggle that has claimed an estimated 65,000 lives. A cease-fire signed by the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2001, along with the heightened spirit of reconciliation that appeared after the 2004 tsunami claimed some 40,000 lives in a matter of minutes, raised hopes that this seemingly intractable conflict had reached a turning point. But the LTTE-enforced boycott of national elections in Tamil areas and subsequent victory of hardliner Mahinda Rajapakse suggest that the already fragile peace is at risk.
In this highly polarized context, the church should be a source of hope because it is one of the few national institutions that cross ethnic lines. Unfortunately, local Christian leaders have often been reluctant to exploit their unique position on behalf of peace and justice for the victims of this terrible war.
It is hard to overstate the animosity and polarization that civil war has created in Sri Lankan society. Since 1983, the war has progressed through a number of peaks and valleys, shaping Sri Lanka's history and politics on every level, from the village to the international arena. Some notable events include the flight of tens of thousands of Tamils abroad, the assassination of three national leaders (two in Sri Lanka and one in India), a large-scale international peacekeeping force, and the world's most deadly suicide bombing campaign prior to 9/11. Until now, the cease-fire signed in Oslo has held, but it appears increasingly tenuous as opportunistic politicians and naive international NGOs squander the social capital that has been built during the Tsunami reconstruction effort.
Religion is clearly a relevant variable in Sri Lankan political affairs. For instance, the Sri Lankan constitution gives primacy to Buddhism; the LTTE has targeted sacred sites; and there have been numerous attacks on churches, mosques, and temples by politically influential fundamentalist monks.2 Still, the principal polarizing axis in Sri Lanka is not religious and there is a bridging role to be played by faith communities in addressing the most salient ethnic and political divisions.
The Christian faith has put down deep roots in Sri Lankan society. Moreover, for better or worse, the church's national profile has grown significantly during Tsunami reconstruction. The Christian community makes up 9% of the population and is concentrated in the western half of the island, with only the Roman Catholic Church enjoying full geographical coverage (and comprising 90% of Sri Lanka's Christians).3 Sri Lanka's Protestant ranks are divided between older, traditional churches (mostly Anglican and Methodist), and newer charismatic denominations like the Assemblies of God.
For the most part, the mainline churches have been much more willing to engage the difficult political and social issues that are certain to be lynchpins of any durable and sustainable peace.4 Unfortunately, the more evangelically minded congregations, which are also experiencing the most rapid growth, have focused inward and stood aloof of political issues that do not directly affect their ability to evangelize. While the reasons for this reluctance are on some level understandable, this is a tragic missed opportunity to be "salt and light" to a hurting society.
The primary strengths that the church brings to bear are its interethnic makeup and "rooted" character.5 Because of stringent visa restrictions aimed at limiting the number of foreign missionaries, the vast majority of local Christian leaders are native Sri Lankans.6 The indigenous nature of the Sri Lankan church positions it well to complement formal peace negotiations with the equally crucial process of healing multiethnic communities fractured by decades of violence. This so-called "social peace" is central to a sustainable conflict resolution because it ensures that, "when opportunists come on the scene and attempt to stoke ethnic and religious animosity, there is a solid base of social capital to counter them."7
There are a number of ongoing dialogues that are channeling the assets of faith communities in the service of this goal. One such initiative is the Inter-religious Peace Foundation (IRPF), which seeks to establish common ground between Sri Lanka's diverse religions. The IRFP operates from the premise that "religiosity" in and of itself, "can act as a unifying factor among individuals and communities of different religious and ethnic backgrounds."8 In other words, while the world's major religions differ in important ways, they all share some commonalities, such as reverence for the sacred and principles of justice, that can be drawn upon to build bridges between and within communities.
These grassroots efforts will form the cornerstone of any durable resolution of the Sri Lankan conflict and Christians have a responsibility to take on a leadership role. At the same time, there are two major challenges that Christian peacemakers need to address if they want to maximize their effectiveness.
First, in peacebuilding, there is frequently a tension between reconciliation and justice. The victims of atrocities often desire retribution that can be destabilizing, putting peace in jeopardy, especially in the short-run. Village-level peacemakers need to be firmly rooted in the particularities of the local experience, sensitive to the anguish of the victimized, but ultimately focused on the long-term well being of the community as a whole. This is a difficult balance, but one that Christians, equipped with a gospel that marries mercy and justice, must strive for.
There is an additional challenge that must be mitigated if the Sri Lankan church is to take on a leadership role in micro-level peacemaking. Recently, there have been a number of disturbing incidents, including church burnings and attacks on clergy, as well as proposed legislation aimed at restricting evangelism and freedom of conscience.9 Most of the attacks have been carried out or provoked by extremist elements in the Buddhist clergy. Because of the decentralized organizational structure of Sinhalese Buddhism, it is difficult to determine the true extent of anti-Christian sentiment.10 While these developments need not necessarily disrupt the peacebuilding effort, Christian peacemakers need to take the threat seriously and carefully consider the particular local context and degree of goodwill.
The situation on the ground in Sri Lanka remains unstable and unpredictable. At the moment, the future of the formal peace process is in doubt, and new divisions are complicating the picture as tensions mount between Hindu/Christian Tamils and Muslim Tamils in the East. Although this is a challenging arena that demands considerable sacrifices of time and resources, the church has a responsibility to leverage its unique characteristics, engage where it can be effective, bridge divisions, and demonstrate God's peace and justice to broken communities.
