The Plural Action for Inclusion, Reconciliation and Social Justice (PAIRS) project conducted a scoping activity in the Polonnaruwa district to identify ethnic and religious tensions within the community. The event saw participation of 30 members of the District Inter Religious Committee (DIRC) including religious leaders, state officials, civil society organization members, local government authority representatives, media personnel and youth.
The objective was to explore the ethnic and religious tensions affecting the residents of Polonnaruwa. NPC’s collaboration with the DIRC has proven crucial in addressing conflicts, particularly between the Sinhala and Muslim communities. The Easter Sunday attacks have strained relationships with incidents reported that have disrupted peace and harmony among Buddhist and Catholic communities as well.
The meeting facilitated dialogue among participants allowing them to share their experiences regarding religious relations and intra community conflicts. Discussions explored whether religious leaders or institutions contributed to these tensions. Participants provided insights on the role of different religions in promoting social justice within their communities as well as the underlying reasons for ongoing conflicts.
Fifteen key issues were identified related to religious and ethnic tension in the district, prioritising these concerns using the Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) tool. The conversion to other religions, driven by the distributing of financial resources, has been identified as a primary factor contributing to mental stress within the community.
The establishment of fundamentalist ideologies emerged as another significant factor exacerbating inter religious conflict. Participants highlighted the inequality in the distribution of resources to different religious institutions as a major issue fuelling tensions within the district.
Participants expressed gratitude to NPC for its efforts in identifying and analysing critical issues at the grassroots level. State officials including social integration officers, social development officers and women development officers requested an analysis of the findings to support their ongoing peacebuilding initiatives. The participation of both male and female religious leaders in addressing these sensitive issues was indicative of a collective commitment to fostering dialogue.
The PARIS project team will gather insights on the causes of religious and ethnic tensions across 16 districts and implement activities to mitigate the issues during the project.