Anti-Christian violence endangers the language-based Sinhalese unity against Tamils.

Evidence

Also, while interethnic Sinhalese-Tamil marriages have declined over the past quarter century, Sinhalese Christians and Buddhists marry each other frequently. The most recent anti-Christian violence (which has, in the main, been intraethnic violence) threatens to undermine this Sinhalese unity: The message emanating from the nationalists suggests that the only worthy Sinhalese are Buddhist Sinhalese. — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 241

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the reader’s core question about what binds groups when the ethnic enemy shifts — nationalists manufacture a new internal enemy, Christians, eclipsing the older construct. — connects to: Language loyalty overrides religious division to unify Sinhalese against Tamils. — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist…, 241; Sinhalese nationalist violence against Christians is opportunistic rather than primordial — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist…, 245; Constructed anti-Christian enmity redirected prior anti-Tamil violence toward a new invented enemy. — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist…, 246 (+6 more)

Broader Connections

• Sinhalese nationalist violence against Christians is opportunistic rather than primordial #contradicts (0.85) — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 245
• Religious and political divisions can split one language into two #expands (0.85) — L. P. Harvey, Muslims in Spain, 1500 to 1614, 672
• Constructed anti-Christian enmity redirected prior anti-Tamil violence toward a new invented enemy. #corroborates (0.80) — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 246
• Extremist Sinhalese parties weaponized Buddhism against Tamil devolution #expands (0.75) — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 157
• Religious unity across ethnic lines rests on rituals and language generating obligated interdependence #qualifies (0.75)
• A religion’s violence depends on context, not inherent character #qualifies (0.70)
• Cultural coexistence corroded Christian identity until forced martyrdom protests #corroborates (0.70) — R. W. Southern, Western Views of Islam in the Middle…, 135