A day after the Sri Lankan government named a local radical group National Thowheeth Jamath(NTJ) as those behind the deadly bombings that claimed over 300 lives in the island nation, a group with a similar-sounding name in Tamil Nadu has requested that it not be linked to the terror suspects. On Monday, Sri Lankan Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne said in a press conference that the NTJ, with help from an international agency, was behind the suicide bombings that primarily targeted churches and hotels on Easter Sunday. Many media houses, which covered the Minister’s statement also mentioned the Tamil Nadu Thowheeth Jamath(TNTJ) in their reportage, with some calling it a ‘counterpart’.
Addressing the press in Chennai on Tuesday, TNTJ Deputy General Secretary Abdul Rahman requested media houses not to link the two groups. “At a time when the Sri Lankan authorities are conducting investigations and are yet to determine the true perpetrators of this act, the Indian media is speculating and putting out news. At a time when Sri Lanka suspects the National Thowheeth Jamath for its involvement, India's foremost media houses have viewed us with suspicion and published false news linking us, the Tamil Nadu Thowheeth Jamath(TNTJ) and our sister organisation, the Sri Lanka Thowheeth Jamath (SLTJ).” he said.
While an investigation into the NTJ’s involvement in the terror attack is still ongoing, there has been speculation that it is a radical faction which splintered away from the SLTJ and the SLTJ, in turn, has been linked to the TNTJ. However, Sri Lankan authorities are yet to confirm any of these assertions. 27 people have been arrested in the wake of the bombings even as the death toll has climbed to 359 as of Wednesday.
“Apart from the name which contains the words ‘Thowheeth Jamath’, there are no links. Thowheeth in Arabic means unified principles. Many organisations in Tamil Nadu have that in their name.” explained the TNTJ leader.
Citing the example of national and international newspapers like the Times of India and The New York Times, Rahman said, “In a hurry to release news, Indian media organisations are publishing speculative reports when the Sri Lankan media and the Sri Lankan government have not reported any confirmation. If those bearing Islamic names are the ones who have perpetrated the bomb blasts then we announce that they have no relation to Islam. A Muslim will not take a life because neither the Koran nor Mohammed Nabi have preached that. We don't call them Christian, Muslim or Hindu terrorists, regardless of where they conduct their attack(church, temple, etc). They are beyond all religions and unfit to live as humans. They are human animals. That's what we would like to let the world know.”
How was TNTJ linked to the Sri Lankan group?
Brahma Chellaney, a Professor of Strategic Studies at the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi is quoted by the NYT as saying that there was a 'large group called Thowheeth Jama’ath' in Tamil Nadu, describing them and other smaller chapters as 'sister organisations'. However, he admitted that the 'links among them were unclear.'
The Times of India and Daily O quoted a paper by one Iromi Dharmawardhane which appears in the Counter Terrorist Trends and Analysis publication of the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. Iromi, who is credited as ‘Research Associate at the Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS), at the National University of Singapore’ writes that SLTJ is a group that is 'gaining increasing prominence' in Sri Lanka and that it was 'influenced by the Tamil Nadu Thawheed Jamaath (TNTJ). The author further references a November 2015 protest against the visit of TNTJ founder P Jainulabudeen.
When asked about this, Abdul Rahman clarified that TNTJ founder P Jainulabudeen’s November 2015 visit to Colombo had been opposed. “It is true that [he] was invited to talk about dargah worship, but the Muslims who practise such forms of worship opposed it and reported it to Sri Lankan authorities saying that such talks would create issues in the society.” Abdul Rahman told The Hindu.
Condemning the act of terrorism, Abdul Rahman also told reporters on Tuesday, “This bomb attack has particularly targeted churches and in addition to Christians, people of other faith's have also been murdered. The conspirators behind this act should be arrested and hanged for their crimes,” adding that if those involved in the act were Muslims, they have grossly misunderstood the teachings of the Koran.