We Are Not The Terrorists

It is a weekday afternoon at the Sadh Dharamhajika Viharaya in the Colombo suburb of Rajagiriya.

- Frances Bulathsinghala

Viharaya means monks’ living quarters, but these particular premises serve as offices of the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) and its secretary-general, Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero. In the spacious garden, a group of youth are arranging chairs and tables, for a cooking demonstration by a young man who makes powders of grains and herbs. “These are rural Sinhalese youth who have no one to support them,” says Dr Dilanthe Withanage, CEO of the BBS, who is an IT lecturer. “We help them start their businesses and promote them the way we can.” He says that he had initially got together with Gnanasara Thero to help Sinhala businesses. But gradually, the BBS took on a different shape to counter “many issues”, including the ‘halal controversy’, he says.

“Sinhalese businesspersons were complaining about how they had to pay the halal certification committee-appointed member in Sri Lanka to ensure that the food being produced was halal,” he says. “If they did not get the halal certificate, their products would be rejected from food markets. We checked with traditional Muslims of Sri Lanka and they informed us that all this was not needed because they knew how to differentiate between what was halal and what was not, and did not want unnecessary complications.” “Please understand,” he adds, “we did not start BBS to create any trouble. Only to strive for the rights of the Sinhalese, who are a global minority. We are currently fighting to quell Wahhabi extremism.” Excerpts from an exclusive interview with the controversial Gnanasara Thero:

Q/ What made you become a monk?