Grandpass mosque incident is in a way to an answer to the Weliweriya mass uprising. In spite of stories made by the pro government media, the protest of masses against water pollution started due to pressing needs.

Water in that whole area was becoming unusable for day to day home use. Acid level rose sharply in the last few years. Though there could be number of reasons, people were certain that some factories were responsible for the continued growth of pollution.

Hence masses were demanding the government to safeguard their access to safe water. It was a spontaneous mass movement led by religious leaders who were daily in contact with these people.

Government claims that there was a terrorist or conspiratorial group which created an incident for the army to be called in. It is still not clear who and for what reason the army was called for a brutal attack. Only a fascistic conspirator could create such a genocidal attack to suppress a genuine mass movement demanding a popular welfare.

Thus this repression created a mass anger towards the government and protest erupted in many areas condemning this military action. Opposition declared that they are organizing a huge demonstration in Fort on 14^th August.

It is possible that the conspirators responsible for the military action concluded, unless the mass attention is diverted towards Sinhala chauvinism, on going mass protest could multiply in to a mass rebellion.

It could spread at least within the western province. Did they use a simple dispute that was there during the fasting period to produce a dirty Muslim Buddhist conflict in Colombo? It can develop into a controversy affecting many areas in the country.

We have seen in the history how fascists mastered this kind of ‘conflict creations’. In Germany, they claimed to defend the German race from conspiracies of Jews.

Law was taken into their hand to display heroism on behalf of German people. Jews and other minority groups were attacked in order to mobilize German people on racist basis. In the final analysis it was to counter the growth of social struggle and spread of democratic and socialist ideas among the German people.

Saving the majority nation from minority groups is a very powerful slogan that could undermine campaigns on social and democratic issues. It is easy to arouse chauvinism among the majority, and divert the attention of the working masses within the majority nation, from social problems. Hence always fascistic interventions take place whenever there is growth of mass unrest based on social democratic issues.

One can understand the rise of Sinhala chauvinism, but it is really surprising the use of Buddhism for the benefit of chauvinist campaigns.

Buddha promoted only four feelings and advocated suppression of thrushna for this purpose. Those four feelings are Meththa, Karuna, Muthitha, and Upeksha.

1. Meththa means to accept and stand for the right of life of the other, to defend the right of existence of the other;

2. Karuna means to accept and stand for the share of the other, to defend the share of the other;

3. Muthitha means to appreciate and praise achievement of the other, to defend the creation of the other; finally

4. Upeksha means to be patient and merciful for others mistake, to forgive and forget the mistake of the other.

In order to establish such consciousness one has to defeat the deployment of thrushna in ones mind.

Now the question arises whether those who claim to defend Buddhism work according to this fundamental teaching of Buddhism. At least do they attempt to work according to such noble Chethana or intentions? Clearly the answer is no.

In that case how such people could do any good to Buddha’s preaching? Are they spreading Buddhism or destroying the very essence of Buddhism?

So, these organizations that claim to defend Buddhism and resort to thuggery and violence against other believers, do nothing to defend the religion but do much harm to Buddhism. Such organizations and their leaders are really agents of thrushna.

The word Buddha is related to the Tamil word Puthiya. It means awakening or the beginning. Buddha said he fought and defeated Mara. Mara means death and destruction.

So what is before us today in the political domain is the struggle to defeat MARA the force of destruction.