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A group of citizens including academics, lawyers and civil society activists propose the setting up of a strong and effective institutional mechanism to properly investigate and bring to book those who perpetrate hate crimes that are designed to incite ethno-religious intolerance and general public disorder.

In a press release called 'A citizen's call for religious spaces and Sri Lanka's multiculturalism they say:

"It is with deep regret and sadness that we take note of the murder of Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham during the Celebration of Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve at the Cathedral in Batticaloa, and the fragility of the peace process that this country battered a year ago by a devastating Tsunami, desperately needs.

"We note that the assassination of Mr. Pararajasingham fits into a line of acts aimed to desecrate places of religious worship, be it Mosques, Buddhist and Hindu temples or Churches, by all parties to the conflict in Sri Lanka overt the past quarter century. Previous outrageous acts of desecration of holy places include the attack on the Kathankudi and Akkaraipattu Grand Mosque, the sacred Bo-Tree at Anuradhapura and the killing of religious figures, as well as the bombing and colonization of religious spaces.

"Such acts clearly constitute an incitement to religious hatred and intolerance that we deplore, and are entirely foreign to the island's religious culture, where all religions are respected. Sri Lanka is an historically multi-faith, plural and multicultural land. The island has deep, rich, and abiding traditions of religious tolerance and Multiculturalism, which should be nurtured and fostered, rather than destroyed.

In the past the parties to the two decades of conflict have attempted to polarize religious and linguistic communities and destroy these traditions of multiculturalism and respect for all religions.

"Temples, Kovils, Mosques, and Churches are often found close to each other and worship goes on without friction. Unlike in many other countries in South and South East Asia and elsewhere, inter-religious riots are infrequent, of modest scale and localised, and quickly brought under control in Sri Lanka. In a crisis, such as a riot or a sudden displacement in the wake of a natural disaster, those affected instinctively gravitate to places of worship, whether of their own religion or that of another, expecting and receiving protection and relief.

"While condemning all acts of violence waged in the name of liberating communities, preserving a unitary state, or puritanical national culture or religious identity, we urge all parties to the conflict to restrain themselves from deliberately violating sacred spaces and rituals, be they of the majority or minority religious communities: Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim or Christian.

"Multiculturalism refers to the island's cultural diversity inclusive of three overlapping linguistic categories (Sinhala, Tamil and English, and regional dialects including Veddha languages); four great world religions (Buddhism, Islam and Christianity, and their sects, as well as indigenous deities and spirit beliefs); more than six ethnic groups recognised in the National Census, and a number of overlapping and cross cutting castes and sub-castes.

Various ethno-national groups based on linguistic, ethnic, regional and religious elements, such as the Burghers (Dutch and Portuguese), Sinhalese (Kandyan and Low Country), Tamils (Sri Lankan and Malaiyaha), Muslims (Moor and Malay), Parsis, Colombo Chetties, Vannialatto (Veddah) and several others have emerged as significant identities; several of these groups are composed of district sub-categories. Additionally, the island's population may be sub-divided according to gender, class, and regional cultures depending on the rational for classification.

"Sri Lanka's cultural diversity and mix of identities is not unique. Most modern nations are plural, diverse and complex. However, in the post/colonial period diversity has been perceived as a threat rather than a gift.

The result has been marginalization and discrimination against smaller and less powerful groups on linguistic, ethnic, religious, caste and/or class basis, giving rise to various forms of violent political conflicts. In turn, many of these conflicts have resulted in riots, attacks, forced displacement and/or colonization of regions occupied by one community by another and the building of enclaves and territories dominated by one ethnic group or another."

"Respect for religious diversity and multiculturalism is fundamental to a sustainable peace process in the island. Acknowledgement of Sri Lanka's ancient multi-religious social fabric, multiculturalism and mixed cultural geography entails recognition that a majority group in a region is bound to respect and protect those who are in the minority in that particular region.

Every group or individual is in a minority outside his/her own territory, region, or neighbourhood and in a increasingly integrated and globalized region and world individuals and groups must be free to move with security and dignity."

"A balance of power between regional/local majorities with regard to respect and protection for the persons and property of regional or local ethno-religious minorities is a sine qua non for sustainable peace in the island.

It is also necessary to reverse the pattern of ethno-religious ghettoization and ethno-religious cleansing or regional and local minorities that occurred during the twenty years of armed conflict and the riots prior to it in the south of the country. In the context, we propose setting up of a strong and effective institutional mechanism to promptly investigate and bring to book those who perpetrate hate crimes that are designed to incite ethno-religious intolerance and generate public disorder."

"Several multi-religious sites attest to a history of multiculturalism and peaceful coexistence among the various religious communities in the island. These sites of multi-religious significance are especially to be celebrated in the aftermath of a polarizing conflict. We propose that sites such as Sripada, Kataragama, and Madhu shrine, with their diverse traditions be recognized and celebrated as multi-religious zones of peace and amity."

The signatories are Prof. Jayadeva Uyangoda, Dr. Kumari Jayawardena, Dr. Darini Rajasingham Senanayake, Ranjith Perera, Dr. Premakumara de Silva, Dr. Asoka De Soyza, Dr. Devanesan Nesiah, Kumidini Kumarasinghe, Radhika Coomaraswamy, Ramani Muttetuwegama, Sunil Bastian, Nimalka Fernando, Farzana Haniffa, Mario Gomes, Shyamala Gomes, Visaka Dharmadasa, S. Balakrishnan, Suresh De Mel, Ranjini de Mel, M. Rajasingam, Sonali Gunesekera, Minnar Thaheer, Manique Mendis, Joe William, Bernadeen de Silva, and Neshan Gunasekera.

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