Historical Relationship between the Buddhists and the Muslims in Sri Lanka

Abstract

That Sri Lanka is a pluralistic nation is an undeniable fact. It is the home of many communities which have contributed to its being for a long time. It is this variety, this unity in diversity, which gives it strength and beauty. In this multi-ethnic social environment, members of all communities live in peace and harmony with in social integration one with another. Accordingly, since settling down in the island more than1200 years ago, the Muslims established very cordial ties with the Buddhist people in Sri Lanka. The relationship between them may be cited as a unique example of ethnic harmony in multi-religious societies. Evidently, this is a longstanding relationship formed over a very long period of time and developed and preserved with trust and good understanding between these two communities. As such, it has stood the test of time and has been able to withstand the numerous attempts made by various colonial powers and chauvinistic racist elements to destroy it. Given the above background, therefore, the purpose of this paper is to identify historical relationship between the Buddhists and the Muslims in Sri Lanka in order to identify the changing nature of the relationship from the early Arab-Muslim settlements to the end of civil war in 2009.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n4s2p278