Woke Sri Lanka: Islamophobia Out, Israelophobia In

As the war between Israel and Hamas escalates, a disturbing global narrative is taking shape. Despite the Israeli Defense Forces making steady progress on the battlefield, Hamas propaganda continues to dominate hearts and minds—both globally and in Sri Lanka. Hamas and the Hamas-controlled Palestinian population are increasingly portrayed as victims, while Israel is painted as the aggressor. This one-sided portrayal has gained traction even in countries far removed from the conflict, like Sri Lanka. Alarmingly, the threat posed by radical Islamists is being dismissed outright as mere “Islamophobia,” while Israel’s right to defend its citizens is labeled as genocide or colonialism. In response to this distorted view, many have coined the term “Israelophobia” to describe the irrational hatred and bias directed against the world’s only Jewish state.

Numerous individuals and independent media outlets have presented verifiable evidence showing that Israel is not the perpetrator but the victim—under constant threat from groups like Hamas, whose charter openly calls for Israel’s destruction. Yet, this reality is routinely ignored or rejected by the global mainstream, driven by a growing woke mindset that filters facts through ideological bias rather than objective analysis. In this framework, victimhood is assigned based on identity, not actions, and support for Israel is deemed politically incorrect. This warped perception is steadily gaining ground in Sri Lanka as well, where woke-influenced narratives are shaping public opinion, university discussions, and even some elements of foreign policy. The danger lies not only in misunderstanding the conflict but in aligning with ideologies that undermine the very democratic values Sri Lanka claims to uphold.

Islamophobia: A Diminishing Fear with Real-World Roots

In Sri Lanka, what is often labeled as “Islamophobia” is increasingly being dismissed as irrational bigotry, yet the pattern behind this fear is rooted in real experience. The 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, one of the deadliest terror attacks in South Asia, left an undeniable scar on the national psyche. It was not an abstract event—it was the direct result of radical Islamist ideology gaining ground on Sri Lankan soil. Since then, fear of political Islam and its violent potential has grown, but the state and civil society remain reluctant to confront the ideological underpinnings, fearing accusations of racism or communalism. This has created a climate where valid security concerns are suppressed in the name of coexistence, and the average citizen is left anxious and unheard. Islamophobia in Sri Lanka is not about hating Muslims—it’s about recognizing that Islamist extremism, if left unchecked, poses a real and present danger to national security and civil society.

What makes the Sri Lankan case especially concerning is the broader reluctance to draw distinctions between peaceful religious communities and radical ideologies hiding behind those religions. By denying the ideological nature of jihadism, policymakers risk repeating the very same mistakes that left the country vulnerable in 2019. This fear is not irrational—it is informed by history and evidence. Yet, ironically, the state is increasingly using “deradicalization” as a politically correct cover while failing to confront radical clerics, foreign funding of madrasa networks, and online indoctrination. Meanwhile, the public is labeled “Islamophobic” for raising alarm bells. A nation that was nearly torn apart by ethno-nationalism cannot afford to overlook the religious variant of the same disease. The problem is not a “phobia” but a refusal to recognize Islamism for what it is: a transnational, ideological threat that uses religion to undermine democratic societies from within—including Sri Lanka.

Israelophobia: An Irrational Hatred Gaining Ground

While Sri Lanka battles the threat of Islamist extremism at home, it paradoxically aligns itself with causes abroad that feed into the same ideology—most notably, the growing wave of Israelophobia. Fueled by misinformation, religious populism, and leftist rhetoric, anti-Israel sentiment in Sri Lanka has reached dangerous levels. Recent calls for the government to sever ties with Israel—based on wildly inaccurate comparisons to apartheid or genocide—ignore the reality that Israel is a democracy defending itself from radical Islamist terror. Yet, in Sri Lankan political discourse and media, Hamas is whitewashed as resistance, while Israel is cast as an aggressor. This irrational hostility isn’t driven by facts; it is driven by a distorted worldview where Israel represents the “imperialist West”, and Palestinian terrorism is glamorized as liberation. Such a stance endangers Sri Lanka’s credibility on the international stage and aligns it with extremist ideologies it should be rejecting.

Israelophobia in Sri Lanka reflects a deeper problem: the country’s growing susceptibility to emotionally driven, ideologically lopsided narratives. There is almost no public discussion of Hamas’ own war crimes, its use of human shields, or its charter calling for the destruction of the Jewish state. Instead, anti-Israel protests and press statements flood the media with slogans rather than substance. This trend is particularly disturbing given Sri Lanka’s own fight against terrorism and separatism. How can a country that suffered decades of war now champion causes that glorify terror in another region? The answer lies in ideological infiltration: religious leaders with radical leanings, left-leaning academics, and opportunistic politicians have created a climate where truth is irrelevant, and identity politics reigns. This is not solidarity—it’s self-sabotage. And it reveals a dangerous contradiction: while condemning terrorism at home, Sri Lanka increasingly sympathizes with its foreign enablers abroad.

Wokeism: The Ideological Virus Infecting National Discourse

Wokeism—the ideology that measures justice not by facts but by identity—has found fertile ground in Sri Lanka. Originally rooted in Western academic theory, wokeism has mutated into a worldview that divides people into oppressors and oppressed based solely on historical grievances, race, or religion. In Sri Lanka, this plays out as blind support for so-called “oppressed” groups (like Palestinians) and reflexive condemnation of “oppressors” (like Israel), regardless of the facts. It also fuels the idea that all criticism of Islam is racist while promoting the view that Western or Judeo-Christian nations are inherently evil. This woke lens ignores the real threat of Islamist extremism and justifies Israelophobia as moral resistance. Worse, it creates an intellectual climate where truth becomes secondary to narrative, and those who disagree are shamed, silenced, or canceled. Sri Lanka’s media, universities, and even segments of its clergy have begun echoing these themes, turning complex geopolitical issues into shallow moral crusades.

Wokistanis—Sri Lanka’s own woke warriors—are increasingly shaping public discourse through a toxic blend of victimhood politics and moral absolutism. They attack any criticism of Islamism as “Islamophobic,” thereby whitewashing radical ideologies that pose real threats. At the same time, they elevate Israelophobia to a virtue, justifying terrorist violence while vilifying the only democracy in the Middle East. This ideological inconsistency is not accidental—it is strategic. Wokeism offers moral cover for radical politics, encouraging Sri Lanka to side with authoritarian theocracies over liberal democracies. As a result, national policy and public sentiment are being hijacked by a movement that rejects nuance, punishes dissent, and undermines the values of free inquiry, civil discourse, and rational debate. In a nation still recovering from war, the last thing Sri Lanka needs is an imported ideological virus that confuses enemies with allies and turns fear of terrorism into a thought crime.

Wrap Up

Sri Lanka is not merely echoing global ideological trends—it is sleepwalking into disaster by absorbing them passively and uncritically. What began as post-colonial empathy for the oppressed has mutated into a reckless alignment with radical ideologies and reactionary identity politics. The refusal to confront Islamist extremism at home, while parroting anti-Israel narratives abroad, exposes a nation dangerously confused about its core values and willfully blind to geopolitical truths. Wokeism has not just blurred our moral compass—it has erased it, silencing dissent and rewarding emotional outrage over rational judgment. If this trajectory continues, we won’t just lose clarity—we will lose control. We risk standing with those who despise everything we claim to cherish, merely because they wear the mask of victimhood louder and longer.

Sri Lanka must urgently reclaim its intellectual independence and moral backbone. That means rejecting foreign narratives that equate national security with racism and painting counterterrorism as genocide. Let’s not forget that Sri Lanka’s military campaign against the LTTE was also branded as genocide by international critics—proving how easily counterterrorism efforts can be misrepresented. Fear of the Islamophobia label must not override our obligation to defend the innocent. Sympathy for Palestine must not devolve into hatred for Israel. Above all, the grip of woke ideology must be resisted—not normalized. This is not just about foreign policy; it’s about survival. Our small island cannot afford to drift in ideological fog. In a world torn by propaganda and tribal division, Sri Lanka must choose truth over trend, clarity over confusion, and conviction over cowardice. The cost of failure won’t be theoretical—it will be counted in blood, chaos, and the unraveling of our national soul.

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