ethnic nationalism versus civic nationalism

8/9/2019 Ethnic Nationalism Versus Civic Nationalism

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Ethnic nationalism versus Civic nationalism

By Mass L. Usuf

When the Parliament met for the first time on 20 January 2015 after the Presiential

elections the Prime Minister Mr. !anil Wic"remasin#he sai$ inter alia$ %&rres'ective

of (ein# )inhala$ *amil or Muslim$ +e must try to fin a solution as )ri Lan"ans,. -is

sa#ely amonition came in the form of these +ors$ %We shoul a(hor

racism., ationalism is an ieolo#ical conce't throu#h +hich a national ientity is

create to its citi/ens an a sense of (elon#in# to ones nation.

*his can (roaly (e classifie into civic nationalism an ethnic nationalism. *he

Prime Minister$ as an eucate an veteran 'olitician$ +as inee referrin# to civic

nationalism in contrast to ethnic or racial nationalism. Civic nationalism 'romotes

values of freeom$ iniviual ri#hts$ euality an tolerance.

emocracy is a system +here the La+ rules. &t is the !ule of La+ that 'rotects the

ri#hts of citi/ens$ maintains orer$ an limits the 'o+ers of #overnment. *herefore$ in

a emocracy all citi/ens are eual (efore the la+.

*his is enshrine in our Constitution in 3rticle 12 41 6

3ll 'ersons are eual (efore the la+ an are entitle to the eual 'rotection of the

la+.,

3rticle 12 42 reas$ %o citi/en shall (e iscriminate a#ainst on the #rouns of race$

reli#ion$ lan#ua#e$ caste$ se7$ 'olitical o'inion$ 'lace of (irth or any one of such

#rouns,.
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Patriots

*hese t+o 3rticles in the Constitution sets the sta#e for civic nationalism.

*hat is$ 'olitical conver#ence of a citi/enry at one 'oint$ as citi/ens of one country.

Patriotism is evelo'e throu#h this sense of (elon#in#. !eflect on the +ors s'o"en

(y Barrac" -ussein 8(ama in his first s'eech to a national auience in Boston for the

2009 emocratic ational Convention$ %*heres not a li(eral 3merica an a

conservative 3merica: theres the Unite )tates of 3merica. *heres not a (lac"

3merica an a +hite 3merica an Latino 3merica an 3sian 3merica: theres the

Unite )tates of 3merica.,

*he malay of racial 'olitics has infecte our 'olitical system an has (een acce'te as

such (y the 'eo'le. Lac" of 'ro'er 'olitical eucation on the 'rinci'les of emocracy

an +hat they e7actly mean are some of the reasons. &nitially$ our masses +ere

i#norant an not e7'ose to the Westminster style of #overnance$ the emocratic

system of rule an the universal franchise. *he 'oliticians ha''ily roe on this

i#norance.

*homas Jefferson is uote to have sai$ %3 emocracy is nothin# more than mo(

rule$ +here fifty;one 'ercent of the 'eo'le may ta"e a+ay the ri#hts of the other forty;

nine., *he &nians urin# ?anhis stru##le for

ine'enence consiere themselves 'atriots (y startin# the )+aeshi movement.

ot (uyin# anythin# that +as British. *his +as a 'atriotic movement arisin# out of


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civic nationalism. 3 sense of (elon#in#ness to ones nation as a +hole irres'ective of

(ein# a -inu$ Muslim$ Christian or )i"h. Com'are that +ith our o+n 'eo'le for

e7am'le$ Bou Bala )enas call to (oycott muslims sho's of their o+n countrymen.

*his (oycott call of BB) is also riiculously la(ele (y them as %'atriotism,. Mar"

*+ain famously sai a(out a mis'lace 'atriot as %someone +ho can holler the louest

+ithout "no+in# +hat he is hollerin# a(out@.

Civic nationalism

Conte7tually$ is it ri#ht to assume that most )ri Lan"ans are either narro+ mine or

i#norant of real nationalism. 8ur 'rimary focus is on the race$ if one is a )inhala$

*amil$ Muslim or other. *he sense of (elon#in# is to the race rather than to the

country 4=us soli. Ethnic nationalism is foune u'on the (on of stron# racial

escent or hereity. *he 'ro(lem +ith ethnic nationalism is it #ives +ay to 7eno'ho(ic

tenencies. *he recent halal issue$ ress coe of muslims etc. are all illustrative of

7eno'ho(ia. )uch manifestations are in #eneral irrational$ unfoune or (ase on

some ulterior motive. *he survival of ethno;centrism ho+ever$ e'ens on the

consistent maintenance of a constant fear level. Locally$ it is the a''rehension of a

iminishin# )inhala race.

Civic nationalism$ on the other han$ is a non racial 'olitical mem(ershi'. Civic

nationalism values the iniviual as a citi/en of the country an efens his freeom$

iniviuality an his national ientity. More ali#ne to the iea of =us soli$ ri#ht to the

soil rather than to a racial (loo linea#e.

&t is a star" reality that in )ri Lan"a the tar#et #rou' for racial 'rofilin# is the muslim

community. Barrin# occasional insi#nificant riots$ there is no evience to 'rove any

concentrately intense activity in the 'ast a#ainst this ethnic community. *his is

clearly a recent 'henomenon. Either$ a tiny minority of the ma=ority race$ has


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suenly +o"en u' to an unfoune ima#inative reality or is (ein# riven (y some

force for +hatever reason.

&n this environment even if muslims vote it is seen +ith sus'icion an s"e'ticism.

&ronically$ thou#h$ li"e last time$ the vote +as cast for either of the t+o )inhala

caniates. o one in his ri#ht senses can assert that 100

'er cent of the muslims +ho cast their votes$ i vote only for Maithri'ala )irisena.

*here +ere thousans +ho vote for Mahina !a=a'a"se too.

But$ the 7eno'ho(ic istrust overries rational thin"in#. )o +e see the an#er of

ethnic nationalism to our country in contrast to civic nationalism.

*he continuation of ethnic nationalism (y any race +ill (e isastrous for this country.

Can anyone ima#ine a *amil (ecomin# the Prime Minister of )ri Lan"a > &t is only

civic nationalism that +ill (rin# a(out the 'ros'ect of a )ri Lan"an %3(ul Aalam, as

the Presient of )ri Lan"a or a *amil %Manmohan )in#h, as its Prime Minister. &t

costs us nothin# to learn the #oo lessons from our hu#e nei#h(our. -o+ever$ rea

+hat BB) is 'lannin# to learn from &nia.

-inutva

*he Bou Bala )ena (y its o+n 'oor foresi#ht has (een riven into o(livion. &t nees

to act to "ee' its crei(ility from sin"in# further. 'u(lishe in


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1D2$ +hen he +as servin# a =ail sentence for an assassination 'lot on Cur/on;Wyllie$

an associate of the British )ecretary of )tate. 4.). 3nan$ )avar"arF3 )tuy in the

Evolution of &nian ationalism 4Lonon6 Woolf$ 1DGH. -inutva$ a octrine

meanin# %-inu ationalism, or the iea of fashionin# &nia as a istinctly -inu

nation$ +as an unerlyin# 'olicy of the BJP throu#hout its e7istence$ (ein# use in

varyin# e#rees as seen fit 'olitically.

&nterestin#ly$ BB) oes not "no+ as -ansen$ *homas Blom +rites in his (oo"$ *he

)affron Wave$ D1H 6 emocratic !evolution an the ?ro+th of

-inu ationalism in &nia$ %3t the same time it 4BJP coul still 'ut on its

moerate face in orer to court minorities$ even Muslims$ (y 'romotin# its %'ositive

secularism, octrine an %inte#ral humanism$, +hich stresse the im'ortance of

every iniviual in society an ho+ (oth society an the iniviual +ere %essential for

the e7istence$ #ro+th$ an manifestation of the other., *he 'olitical immaturity an

o''ortunistic manoeuverin# of Bou Bala )ena is clear as ayli#ht. &ncientally$ &nia

is continuin# to (e a constitutionally secular state.

*hir


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*his 'ro(a(ly (rin#s home the ar#ument that it is the civic nationalists +ho are the

'atriots of a emocratic country irres'ective of the race. 3s citi/ens of this country let

us all +or" to#ether to ma"e )ri Lan"a one unite nation. *here are no secon class

citi/ens in )ri Lan"a. 3ll are eual. Let us cease to 'reten (ein# 'seuo;'atriots an

'seuo;nationalists. We +ill live to the s'irit of the +or esha''remi.

Poste (y *havam
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ethnic nationalism versus civic nationalism

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