Religion can play a key role in helping to bring about peace and reconciliation in the country, said participants in a multi-religions conference held in Colombo last week.
Speaking at “Moving Beyond Conflict”, a two-day conference attended by religious representatives from around the world, Rev. Ebenezer Joseph called on religious leaders and groups to come together to help end the conflict in the North.
“The spiritual resources of this country have not been adequately used to address the conflict and other violence,” said Rev. Joseph, who is the head of the Methodist Church in Sri Lanka and co-secretary of the Congress of Religions. “If all religious come together, politicians of all parties will bow down.”
The event was organised by the Congress of Religions, the Mahabodhi Society, the Hindu Priests’ Council, Muslim Aid, the Methodist Church of Sri Lanka, and the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR).
The conference looked at ways in which religions can play a role in the social reconciliation and reconstruction process in a war-ravaged country.
In his address, Rev. Joseph referred to the success of the Kalmunai Peace Foundation in Sri Lanka. The foundation was established in the 1990s to address issues resulting from violence in Kalmunai, and to promote amity among the different communities in the Eastern Province.
“We have had small-scale experience of peace-keeping through religion, and now it is time to take this to a national level,” Rev. Joseph said.
He pointed out how the Kalmunai Peace Foundation gradually expanded its activities to address other community issues, such as environment protection, and how these initiatives helped reduce tension in the community.
Rev. Joseph said religion could play a significant role in post-conflict social reconstruction by removing fear and suspicion.
He said the conference participants would work on an action plan, involving religious leaders and groups, to look at how religious resources can be used at ground level to help bring about an end to the conflict.
Another guest speaker, Rev. Dr. Z. Kameela, Bishop of Namibia, reflected on how religion had played a role in helping the oppressed people of South Africa when the country was divided by draconian apartheid laws.
“In South Africa, the government used examples from the Old Testament, such as the building of the Tower of Babel, to oppress the blacks and send out a message that God did not want people to be united,” Rev. Kameela said.
“However, later on, Christianity was the basis of liberation. People began to spread the message that God wanted people to be united, as they belonged to one family.
“Similarly, in Sri Lanka, religion can be a basis for bringing about peace in the country. Religion has positive powers, such as love, compassion, grace and freedom, all of which need to be instilled in the leaders of all parties, including the government and terrorists.”
Amolak Rattam Kohli, former governor of the Indian state of Mizoram, the scene of a decades-long conflict, said the government should address the grievances and dissatisfactions of the country’s minority groups. He said the further alienation of minorities that were already oppressed would only worsen the situation.
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