Cricket cited as model of inter-ethnoreligious unity in war-torn Sri Lanka

Ecumenical News International reports Cricket held up as alternative to sectarianism in Sri Lanka (Apr12,2k7).

Anglican Bishop Duleep de Chickera of Colombo says his island nation, bleeding from deep ethnic divisions, should emulate the cohesion of the successful Sri Lankan cricket team currently in the Cricket World Cup - writes Anto Akkara.

"At this time of World Cup fervour, we can do well to remember it is not just the prowess of our team that is noteworthy. Its visible unity in ethno-religious diversity, which enhances its performance, is also remarkable," Bishop de Chickera noted in his recent Easter message.

The national cricket team comprises members of the ethnic minority Tamils and majority Sinhalase. It has players from the Buddhist, Christian, Hindu and Muslim faiths. Bishop de Chickera noted it "should spur our nation towards a similar goal of unity in diversity".

Sri Lanka is one of the top contenders for a semi-final berth in the ongoing World Cup cricket in the West Indies after beating strong teams like India and England.

"The players of different ethnic and religious background have knit together so well and play as a team. This raises hopes not only for Sri Lankan cricket, but also for the future of our island," Bishop de Chickera told Ecumenical News International on 10 April from Jaffna – the Tamil heartland in the far north. "If our nation of different ethnic backgrounds can bat together as a team, certainly there can be lasting peace."

Around 40 civilians were killed during Holy Week alone at the beginning of April in bomb blasts, indiscriminate shelling and sporadic shootings.

The latest of bloodshed occurred on 7 April when a pastor, Yesu Kumar, from the Assemblies of God Church in Vankalai perished along with six others in a bus bomb blast while more than 20 people were injured.

The defence ministry has said more than 4000 people had died due to violence between December 2005 and the first week of March 2007. This includes 675 civilians and 1040 security personnel in the latest upsurge of fighting. The Tamil Tigers have waged a 35-year campaign for independence in a conflict that has claimed nearly 65,000 lives on the island.

It's great to hear how a sport can model competitive good sportsmanship without racial or sectarian religious markers, teams crossing the larger societal divides, especially in an area of civil war. But, since the pastor mentioned was Assemblies of God, there should be mentioned here that fanatical Buddhists and fantantical Hindus have turned violently on missionary Christian faiths, like that of the Assemblies of God. There's a difference between seeking converts, or becoming a convert to a different religion (both non-violent but unpalatable to many families and communities which are threatened by lack of uniformity), and religious harassment / violence which seeks to enforce uniformity. Cricket can only help overcome barriers to a certain extent, but to whatever extent it's certainly welcome. The main thing for cricketeers is to play a top-notch game.

UPDATE:

Amnesty International delivers a politically-correct slap at Sri Lankan bishop who cited inter-ethnocreligious cooperation among cricket players [Le journal chretien (Apr14,2k7).