Electoral majoritarianism in 1956 gave rise to anti-Tamil violence and empowered extremists.

Evidence

A telegenic and telefluent monk, Gangodawila Soma was partly responsible for the anti-Christian violence of 2003 and 2004. The monk, who harbored presidential ambitions, initially built a following by advising people on mundane matters but gradually took on controversial issues, including the ethnic conflict, supposedly pro-LTTE nongovernmental organizations, and unethical conversions. Gangodawila Soma repeatedly asserted that two types of terrorism confronted Sri Lanka: LTTE terrorism and missionary terrorism. In doing so, he resorted to chauvinistic rhetoric and made the missionaries look just as villainous as the LTTE. Not surprisingly, especially in the last year of his life, his fans began attacking Christian churches just as a previous generation had attacked Tamil homes and businesses. … When Gangodawila Soma passed away in December 2003 while in Russia, his followers and political opportunists claimed his death was part of a Christian conspiracy to undermine Buddhism. Although the autopsy proved the monk’s demise was due to a diabetic-related heart attack, they resorted to a poster campaign claiming he had been murdered. — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 246 (#complicates, via linked claim)

In postindependence Sri Lanka, numerous extremist Sinhalese organizations have mobilized against the devolution of power to the Tamils. These groups support political Buddhism even as they manipulate Buddhism. They most certainly are among the protagonists promoting the nationalist ideology. The three most prominent political parties in this regard are the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (People’s Liberation Front—JVP), the Sinhala Urumaya (Sinhala Heritage Party—SU), and the Jathika Hela Urumaya (National Sinhalese Heritage Party—JHU). — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 157 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Constructed anti-Christian enmity redirected prior anti-Tamil violence toward a new invented enemy. — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist…, 246; Extremist Sinhalese parties weaponized Buddhism against Tamil devolution — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist…, 157; Sinhalese politicians frame both protection and violence toward Tamils as majority prerogative — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist…, 187 (+5 more)

Related

• Constructed anti-Christian enmity redirected prior anti-Tamil violence toward a new invented enemy. (similarity 0.90)
• Extremist Sinhalese parties weaponized Buddhism against Tamil devolution (similarity 0.86)
• Sinhalese politicians frame both protection and violence toward Tamils as majority prerogative (similarity 0.85)
• A monk’s rhetoric conflating missionaries with the LTTE redirected nationalist violence onto Christians. (similarity 0.85)
• A popular monk’s rhetoric redirected community violence at new targets. (similarity 0.84)
• Post-1956 Sri Lankan extremists sustained each other by feeding off reciprocal escalation (similarity 0.83)
• Sinhalese Buddhist nationalist ideology commands broad popular support in Sri Lanka (similarity 0.82)
• A majoritarian Sinhalese Buddhist nationalist ethos is now broadly accepted across Sri Lankan society (similarity 0.82)
• Some Sinhalese nationalist writers publicly endorse genocide against Tamils (similarity 0.82)
• Sinhalese nationalist violence against Christians is opportunistic rather than primordial (similarity 0.82)
• Sinhalese Buddhist extremists define legitimate Sri Lankan identity as exclusively Sinhalese Buddhist (similarity 0.81)
• Sinhalese Buddhist nationalist ideology itself blocks Sri Lankan conflict resolution (similarity 0.81)
• Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism will persist and could expand to other minorities (similarity 0.81)
• LTTE attacks on Buddhist sacred sites hardened Sinhalese antipathy (similarity 0.81)
• Entrenched Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism forecloses federal solutions and portends broader attacks on minorities (similarity 0.81)

Broader Connections

• Constructed anti-Christian enmity redirected prior anti-Tamil violence toward a new invented enemy. #complicates (0.78) — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 246
• Extremist Sinhalese parties weaponized Buddhism against Tamil devolution #expands (0.72) — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 157