Religion, Extremism and Buddhist-Muslim Relations in Sri Lanka

This chapter examines nonviolent (or occasionally violent) conflicts between Sinhala Buddhists and Muslims from a historical, social, political and economic lens. It argues that emerging conflict between Muslims and Sinhala Buddhists has reproduced ethno-religious conflict between the two groups since pre-independence times. It contends that the recent manifestations of violent extremism within a section of Muslim and Sinhala Buddhist communities have historical as well as political, economic and structural roots that can be traced to the processes and politics of state formation since Sri Lanka's independence in 1948. Moreover, perceptions of unresolved conflicts between Muslims and the Sinhala Buddhists over the years, coupled with religious revivalism within both communities, have created a favourable condition for the simultaneous rise of religious extremism and its polarising social effects in contemporary Sri Lanka.