by Shenali Waduge · 26th April 2022
On 21st April 2019, 8 suicide bombers carried out attacks on 3 churches, 3 hotels and 1 guest house. This mass suicide killed close to 300 people and has injured many more. It took place during the government of President Maithripala Sirisena & Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe. The suicides took place inspite of over 90 intel warnings from India before the attacks, giving even names of the suicide bombers & locations of the attacks. These facts are well known to all in particular the Cardinal. The subsequent investigations reveal that a number of people (politicians, public officials & others) were also aware of the intel on the attacks while weeks previously there was enough of evidence to presume something was brewing after discovery of weapons & other untoward incidents. However, suddenly, the whole narrative is being changed & the key to returning to the correct narrative is found in the tape released by Zaharan & his suicide team hours before the suicide attacks.
The link will enable you to listen to the entire tape & the English translation, however to facilitate the discussion & to ensure Cardinal & his team are not led astray Zaharan’s reasons for the attacks are given below.
Zaharan begins by acknowledging his allegiance to Allah as the Supreme.
Here, we are told that Zaharan & team are only carrying out a ‘noble’ deed ‘encouraged in Islam’ – we presume this to be taking one’s life for one’s faith.
This confirms that Zaharan & team are sacrificing their lives & they view the suicide attack as a ‘heroic death attack’ and towards martyrdom.
Zaharan has also provided the answer to why he is carrying out the suicide attack. Unfortunately, it is not to bring any political party or individual to power as is being suddenly promoted. Zaharan refers to a village in Syria which had been victim of over 80 crusades & the village had been completely destroyed after showering white phosphorous.
Zaharan says that he is doing the suicide attack on behalf of these people who were burnt by the crusade countries.
We do not need to remind Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith of that dark past as he will know only too well how white phosphorous was also used in the recent past.
Zaharan goes on to bewail the deaths that occurred to have children lose their parents, their husbands and killing of mujahideens but his assertion that the people whom he killed committed these murders is wrong & unfair by the dead. Zaharan says that he and his team are avenging the murders during the crusades.
So for crimes that took place hundreds of years earlier Zaharan & his team is carrying vengeance to follow an eye for an eye revenge triggered by the New Zealand mosque attack.
The Cardinal must seriously address this issue for obviously there are many who are holding grudge against the crusades & likewise vice versa. It is unfortunate that people who had nothing to do with the crimes during the Crusades or the crime that took place in New Zealand were targeted & killed.
That the Cardinal needs to revisit this dark past is imperative because Zaharan said that this struggle is a Creed Struggle & that they will not think twice about become martyrs for a cause. This issue is something between these 2 parties & unnecessarily impacting on others.
Zaharan has made clear what the ultimate goal is – to turn a nation into Shariah and use jihad to do so. There is no negotiations & we are to expect bombs. This was exactly what happened. There is again no mention of any political party, elections of preference for any politician.
Zaharan warns everyone of the consequences.
We are told that his men would travel in vehicles laden with explosives & this was exactly what happened. Each of them had no skull left.
Zaharan next says to go after ‘disbelievers’ – who are they?
Zaharan next gives further examples of why he & his associates are carrying out the attacks.
Zaharan says that Islam does not differentiate a civilian & army and Islam has only 2 divisions – Believer and Disbeliever. A Disbeliever is spared only if he pays taxes. These are all topics separate to the discussion. But it does however highlight a historical angst that the Cardinal may need to deal with & provide closure. This is where real reconciliation is needed. This is an anger getting carried forward through centuries.
Luckily this guy is no more!
Once again Zaharan reiterates that the suicide is for Allah & his religion – Cardinal it is not to put anyone in power as someone has led you to believe.
The other important fact mentioned here is that the explosives were prepared by them with. The money used for this was their own & no disbelievers money was used. This also nullifies any of Cardinal’s overtures that the Easter Attack had political motives in planning or execution.
This is a premonition of what was to come. The tapes came to be known only after the attacks but the tapes tells us of the reasons why Zaharan & team desired to sacrifice their lives & attain martyrdom.
This is the first reference to Sri Lanka. Zaharan has throughout the tapes made mention of only 2 Sri Lankan names – one being Gnanasara Thero & the other is probably Mohammadu Ibrahim Mohamed Naufer, the mastermind behind the Easter Sunday attacks or Mohamed Ibrahim the father of the 2 suicide bombers.
Listen to the entire transcript of the declaration hours prior to the suicide attacks. Their body language does not show any signs of remorse, sorrow or hesitancy for the acts of crime they were about to commit. From the tapes it is clear that martyrdom is viewed as a gift and suicide in the name of religion is not a crime in their eyes. These are certainly topics for debate yet the reason at this juncture is the erroneous manner the Easter Sunday attacks are being diverted to which is completely contradictory to what the suicide bombers planned to do as given in their own confessions.
Therefore, having listened to the tapes it completely nullifies the notions the Cardinal and the Church are suddenly peddling & it would be best that they listen to the tapes & relieve their doubts.
However, innocent people whatever their religion or ethnicity should not have to be victims of ancient rivalries. The Church & Islam must separately sort out their differences.
In the case of Easter Sunday mass murders – the reasons for the suicide is confessed by the main suicide bomber himself.
Therefore, the Cardinal & others peddling a political twist should allow the dead to rest in peace.
Shenali D Waduge