All must unite against terror and extremism says Lord Sheikh

Interfaith Meeting in the House of Parliament

All must unite against terror and extremism – Lord Sheikh

Dr. Mozammel Haque

An Interfaith meeting, held in the House of Lords, Westminster, on Monday, 29 April, 2019, was organised by Lord Sheikh, Peer of the House of Lords in partnership with the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in the UK, Manisha Gunasekera, in remembrance of the victims of the Easter Sunday terror attacks in Sri Lanka. It was attended by Members of the House of Lords, Members of Parliament, High Commissioner of Sri Lanka, leaders and Sri Lankan Diaspora.

Lord Sheikh welcoming the gathering

Minute’s silence observed

Lord Sheikh asked the gathering “to be upstanding, to observe a minute’s silence to mark the victims of the Sri Lankan attacks. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Our prayers and thoughts go to the relatives of the deceased persons and those who have been injured. May God Almighty bless the souls of the deceased and restore health to the people who have been injured.”

Friendship with Sri Lanka and Sri Lankans

Lord Sheikh disclosed his friendship with Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankans.  He mentioned, “I have met the leadership of the country and built connections with the present and previous High Commissioners as well as the Sri Lankan diaspora in the UK.”

“I was indeed devastated and very upset by the unhuman and cruel attacks on churches and hotels resulting in deaths, injuries and carnage.  On Easter Monday, I telephoned Her Excellency, Manisha Gunasekera and subsequently wrote to her.  I also went to the Sri Lankan High Commission to sign the Book of Condolences,” mentioned Lord Sheikh.

We must stand by Sri Lankans in times of tragedy

Lord Sheikh also said, “We must stand by our Sri Lankan friends in times of tragedy and, in fact, at all times.  We must all totally condemn the actions of the perpetrators and what they have done should not result in any division or animosity within the communities in the UK, Sri Lanka and in fact, throughout the world.

Lord Sheikh called for unity and solidarity

against extremism and terrorism

Lord Sheikh called for unity and solidarity against extremism and terrorism. He said, “We must all unite and join hands to face evil and establish solidarity against bigotry, extremism and terrorism of any sort wherever it may occur. I understand that the Metropolitan Police Counter-Terrorism command has sent a team of specialist officers to help with security and intelligence activities. I also understand that family liaison officers are in Sri Lanka to support families of British victims.”

Totally against the principles of Islam

Lord Sheikh mentioned that it seems that the perpetrators of these evil actions are Muslims who belong to a group called NTJ.  What these people have done is totally against the principles of Islam. They are absolutely wrong and are misled in their beliefs and actions.”

Lord Sheikh said, “Islam is indeed a religion of peace and does not allow any form of suicide attack or terrorist activity. It is written in the Holy Quran “Whoever kills an innocent person it is though he has killed all mankind, and whoever saves a life it is as though he has saved all mankind.”

“I would like to emphasise that Muslims regard Christians as people of the book. The books of Allah are the Holy Quran, the Torah, the Gospel of Jesus and the Psalms of David. The Roman Catholics pay a great deal of reverence to Mary, Mother of Jesus,” said Lord Sheikh.

A chapter entitled Sura Maryam in the Qur’an

Lord Sheikh also mentioned, “I would like to state that in the Holy Quran, there is a chapter titled ‘Sura Maryam’ which means ‘Chapter on Mary’. This chapter refers to the birth of Jesus by Maryam. Maryam or Mary, the mother of Jesus, is regarded by the Muslims as one of the most righteous ladies in the Islamic tradition. In the Holy Quran, no other lady is mentioned more times than Maryam.”

Jihad does not mean killing innocent people.

Lord Sheikh said, “If the perpetrators are under the fallacy that they are waging jihad when they committed these evil actions, I would say that this is not jihad, as jihad does not mean that you kill innocent people.  If the perpetrators were helped by Isis, then I would like to say that I am totally against what Isis say and do.”

ISIS’s evil ideology is totally

against the principle of Islam

Lord Sheikh said the ISIS’s evil ideology is totally against the principle of Islam. He mentioned, “Their evil ideology is totally against the principle of Islam. Isis has to a very large extent been defeated in Iraq and Syria, but we must bear in mind that their evil ideology is still prevalent, and we must combat this evil ideology whenever or wherever it manifests. If these acts in Sri Lanka were a revenge for the New Zealand massacre, then I believe that this was totally out of order as two wrongs do not make a right.”

Not in my name

Lord Sheikh emphasised that what has happened in Sri Lanka was not in my name.

Promoting interfaith dialogue

and fostering harmony

Lord Sheikh is actively involved in promoting interfaith dialogue and fostering harmony between people. He said, “I am also involved in combatting radicalisation and extremism. I have prepared reports on these subjects and spoken at various mosques and centres. In fact, I was speaking last Saturday at the Islamic Cultural Centre and London Central Mosque on Muslim issues.”

Lord Sheikh added, “I am working with Mak Chishty to set up an initiative to combat radicalisation and extremism worldwide. I would like to say that I am very concerned about the ill treatment of Christians around the world.”

After the welcoming address by Lord Sheikh, the High Commissioner of the Socialist Democratic Republic of Sri Lanka, Her Excellency Manisha Gunasekera addressed the event.

Address of the High Commissioner

of Sri Lanks H.E. Manisha Gunasekera

On this occasion, The High Commissioner of Sri Lanka, H.E. Manisha Gunasekera addressed the audience. She addressed The Bishop of Westminster, The Most Venerable Clergy, The Lord Sheikh, The Lord Ahmad, Lords, Ladies, MPs, Ladies and Gentlemen.

,

Terror Attacks in Sri Lanka

Her Excellency said, “We are gathered here today to remember the over 250 victims who lost their lives, and the over 500 people who were injured in the most heinous of multiple terror attacks that targeted Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, the holiest of days for the Christian community.”

Unprecedented – one of the deadliest terror attacks

H.E. Manisha Gunasekera mentioned, “Among the over 40 foreign nationals who lost their lives, were those from the UK, the US, Spain, Turkey, Portugal, the Netherlands, Japan, Denmark, India, China, Bangladesh, Australia and Saudi Arabia.  The sheer scale, magnitude and precision of the attacks were unprecedented, and lead to their categorization as one of the deadliest terror attacks of our times.”

Global condemnation of this carnage

She said, “While the world’s spotlight is on Sri Lanka at this moment in coming to terms with and in addressing this tragedy, it also highlights the growing terrorist threat to secular, democratic states; as well as the rapidly transforming international nexus between terrorism and radicalization today.  There has been global condemnation of this carnage, and global recognition of the need for concerted action to combat this threat.” 

Religions peacefully co-existed in this island

H.E. Manisha Gunasekera mentioned, “Freedom of religion is fundamental to our freedoms today, and religions have happily and peacefully co-existed in our island nation since time immemorial.  While being a predominantly Buddhist country, Sri Lanka’s very fabric and identity is multi-faith.   The terrorists therefore, while targeting the Christian community, also targeted the very multi-faith, multi-cultural nature of being Sri Lankan.”

Embrace the very multi-faith message

of universal love and loving kindness

“All people of Sri Lanka have risen in solidarity with the victims and the Christian community at this moment of tragedy.  To give into messages of hatred and division at this time would be to give into the perpetrators of this heinous crime.  We therefore embrace the very multi-faith message of universal love and loving kindness in response to this tragedy.  The British Sri Lankan diaspora in the UK stands together, united in all their faiths, supporting the victims of this tragedy, in solidarity with Sri Lanka,” said Gunasekera

The High Commissioner Manisha Gunasekera expressed her gratefulness to “the UK Government and to the political leadership of the UK for the support and solidarity extended to Sri Lanka at this challenging time,” said Manisha and added, “I thank Lord Sheikh for organizing this multi-faith meeting which provides us with a moment for prayer and reflection together.”

Sri Lankan High Commissioner also thanked all “for coming together today in solidarity, brotherhood and sisterhood. As per Buddhist practice, the purpose of religion is to control oneself, not control others.  Herein lies the very essence of the freedom of religion.”

Lord Bourne’s Speech

Lord Nick Bourne of Aberystwyth, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Minister for Faith and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Wales, said, “I am deeply saddened by the attacks which took place on Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka.”

He mentioned, “The Communities Secretary, the Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP, has written an open letter to all Sri Lankan communities in Britain, expressing our condolences and reaffirming our commitment to a diverse and united Britain.”

Lord Bourne also said, “These cowardly attackers targeted Christians on their most holy day, in what should have been places of sanctuary.  They also attacked people who were going about their daily lives – families having breakfast and workers going about their daily routines.”

Speaking about Sri Lanka as a country, Lord Bourne mentioned, “Sri Lanka is, like many here, a country I hold dear.  I have only ever been met with warmth and kindness when I have been there. And it is with warmth and kindness that we must return to – to each other as we offer comfort and support.”

Lord Bourne said, “We cannot let terrorists divide us and force us to live in fear or hatred.  We must be better than that. We will continue in our efforts to bring communities together, to build understanding and mutual respect.”

Press Release

Followings are the Press Release issued by the High Commission of Sri Lanka, London, on 1^st of May, 2019. It said, “Members of Parliament, faith leaders and Sri Lankan diaspora deplore Sri Lanka terror attacks as ‘not in our name’ and propound universal loving kindness and solidarity at inter-faith meeting in UK Parliament.”

It also said, “UK Members of Parliament, faith leaders and the British Sri Lankan community leaders deplored the Easter Sunday terror attacks in Sri Lanka, condoled with the victims’ families, and propounded universal loving kindness at an inter-faith meeting held in the House of Lords, Westminster on Monday 29 April 2019.  The interfaith meeting was organised by the Lord Sheikh, Member of the House of Lords in partnership with the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in the UK Manisha Gunasekera, in remembrance of the victims of the Easter Sunday terror attacks in Sri Lanka.”

The press  release also mentioned, “High Commissioner Manisha Gunasekera in her address observed that the world’s spotlight is on Sri Lanka at this moment, in addressing this tragedy, which also highlights the growing terrorist threat to secular democratic states as well as the rapidly transforming international nexus between terrorism and radicalisation today. She referred to the global condemnation of this carnage and the global recognition of the need for concerted action to combat this existential threat today. The High Commissioner emphasised that, while being a predominantly Buddhist country, Sri Lanka’s very fabric and identity is multi-faith. The terrorists, therefore, while targeting the Christian community, also targeted the very multi-cultural and multi-faith nature of being Sri Lankan. She commended the British Sri Lankan community of all faiths for standing in solidarity with Sri Lanka and the victims at this moment.  The High Commissioner extended her deep appreciation to Lord Sheikh for organizing this interfaith meeting which provided a much needed moment of prayer and reflection for everyone.”

“The Lord Nick Bourne of Aberystwyth, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Minister for Faith and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Wales, speaking on behalf of the members of the House of Lords, referred to the universal condemnation of attacks on faith in Sri Lanka as in other parts of the world, and the external links of such attacks.  He emphasised that ‘we must remain very clear that ‘this is not done in our name.’  Referring to the support extended by the UK political leadership across party lines to Sri Lanka in the face of this tragedy, he called for all faiths and communities to stand united and resolute against such attacks.  ‘As somebody who has visited Sri Lanka frequently, my heart goes out to the people of Sri Lanka,’ added Lord Bourne,” it was also added.

The press release also mentioned about Rt. Hon. Alistair Burt. It said, “The Rt Hon. Alistair Burt, former Minister for South Asia at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and former Minister of State for International Development, deplored the abuse of faith and lack of tolerance prevalent globally, and indicated that ‘an attack on one, is an attack on all’.  He emphasised the celebration of togetherness and unity as opposed to perpetuation of divisions, and appreciated his links with Sri Lanka.”

The press release also acknowledged and mentioned about those who spoke at the event and those who attended the event. It mentioned: The Most Venerable Bogoda Seelawimala Nayaka Thero, Chief Sangha Nayake of Great Britain; Mr John Wilson, Bishop of Westminster; Rev Hudson-Wilkin, Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons; Rabbai David Mason; Rev Father Sudham Perera, Chaplain of the Sri Lankan Catholic Sinhala Speaking Community; Krishan Kant Attri, Hindu Chaplain to the UK Army; Dr Ahmad Al Dubayan (Muslim Leader), the  Director-General of the  Islamic Cultural Centre & The Central London Mosque Trust; Imam Qasim and Mr Yousuf Al Khoei were among the faith leaders that addressed the gathering.  The Lord Dholakia OBE DL; The Rt Hon. Lord Swraj Paul; Virendra Sharma MP; Catherine West MP; Seema Malhotra MP and Afzal Khan MP, also addressed the gathering. Liz McInnes MP and Shadow Minister for South Asia; Christian Matheson MP, and UK Commonwealth Envoy Philip Parham were among those who attended the Meeting, along with members of the British-Sri Lankan community.