SL: RACISM AND MUTUR MASSACRE....!

Racism and Muttur Massacre......By Izeth Hussain
I wrote two articles in The Island of September 29 and October 16 about the massacre of 17 AFC workers at Muttur, in both of which I postulated that a crypto-fascist racist gang had been trying to foment dangerous anti-Muslim hatred. In the first I wrote that falsity had somehow been made to prevail about a non-existent UTHR report assigning Muslim responsibility for the massacre, "taking in" Godage and doubtless many others. It should be clear that I was counting Godage not among members of that gang, but among those who were taken in by that gang.

In my second article I was even more explicit in exonerating Godage because I wrote, "But before proceeding any further I want to put my former colleague and friend K.Godage in the clear. His published writings attest that he more or less shares my views on the ethnic problem. I would not therefore regard him as an anti-Muslim racist or fascist. It appears that he and others have been misled over the facts …".

I was therefore astounded to receive Godage’s letter of October 16 which began "Despite my writing to you and explaining how I came to be misinformed that it was a ‘Muslim Home-guard’ regiment or whatever that killed the Tamil NGO staff you have today once again called me a ‘Crypto Fascist’ …" I did not get the earlier letter to which he refers. After reflection I wrote my letter to the Island (October 30) pointing out that as I had not been specially appointed public inquisitor on the Muttur massacre, Godage owed an explanation to the public and not to me. I hoped that it would appear soon in the Island so that the authorities could be facilitated in making their enquiries into what looked like an attempt to foment dangerous anti-Muslim hatred.

I have now received a further letter from Godage stating that he made his explanation to me only because I had lumped him with a "Crypto-fascist racist gang". I did nothing of the sort. I did the very opposite as the reader can see from the irrefutable facts set out above. He writes that he has no intention of offering any explanations to any one through the newspapers. I hope, however, that the Government will enquire into what looks like an attempt to foment dangerous anti-Muslim hatred, and that Godage will be forthcoming to the authorities with details on how he came to be misinformed. I wish to have nothing further to do with Godage in relation to the Muttur massacre.

I come now to the far more important problem of racism. In my second article I wrote, "The finding of scapegoats and the mad racism that notoriously goes with it as shown by European anti-Semitism are recognized features of fascism."

As if in illustration of that point I recently received a letter in connection with my articles on the Muttur massacre in which the following occurs, "… you Sinhala or Tamil Muslim bastard (your forefathers did not bring their women with them when they came to this country, they screwed Sinhala and Tamil women and produced, there was no formal marriage, and they would have slept around and produced the likes of your forefathers)."

I will mention no names as I want any discussion of this matter to be well above the ad hominem level. But I must say that the writer is a very prominent public personage, and he is apparently an Advisor to an important Minister. He and I have known each other for decades, during which time there has been no disagreement or unpleasantness between us. His outburst of mad racism comes as a surprise.


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