Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) chief Seeman has described Islam as “the religion which preaches peace”. But when a 24-year-old Sri Lankan Tamil Hindu faces execution over a social media comment made during a religious dispute, where is this champion of Tamil identity, religious harmony and humanity?
The man at the centre of this case is Sivarasa Anojan, a Sri Lankan Tamil Hindu from Narpittimunai near Kalmunai. He moved to Saudi Arabia for work, only to find himself facing the death penalty over a Facebook comment. On 17 September 2026, a Saudi appeals court sentenced him to death after he had initially received a five-year prison sentence and a fine of three million Saudi riyals. Calls for his release are growing by the day.
Seeman’s praise of Islam as a religion of peace now demands a direct question: what does that peace mean for a Hindu who has been sentenced to death for a comment about Islam?
A Hindu’s Life Reduced To A Blasphemy Case
The controversy began in Sri Lanka, not Saudi Arabia.
A stray dog named Subramani had followed Hindu and Buddhist devotees for hundreds of kilometres during the annual Pada Yatra pilgrimage to the Kathirgamam (Kataragama) temple. In late June 2026, a video reportedly emerged of a young Muslim man kicking the dog. The incident triggered outrage and an online dispute. During the exchanges, a user allegedly posted derogatory remarks about Lord Shiva.
Anojan, who was working in Saudi Arabia, responded with a comment deemed insulting to Prophet Muhammad.
According to his family, he deleted the comment and posted an apology video. A screenshot/cropped versions of his comments were circulated by Sri Lankan Muslims and sent to his employer and Saudi authorities, leading to his arrest on July 1. One who was said to be involved in this act is reported to be Azeem Abdul Jabbar.
A social media comment is not a licence to execute a human being. If a few words can supposedly justify taking a man’s life, what does that say about a system that treats religious offence as grounds for a death sentence? Must an entire society bend to the wounded egos of religious hardliners, with even criticism or retaliation for an insult potentially costing someone their life? No religion’s claim to sacredness should place its followers beyond criticism, and no perceived insult should become a death warrant.
His original sentence of five years’ imprisonment and a fine of three million Saudi riyals was escalated to death on appeal.
Seeman’s Peaceful Islam: Does It Extend To Hindus?
Seeman hails Islam as the religion of peace. But where is that message of peace when a Sri Lankan Tamil Hindu faces a death sentence in Saudi Arabia over blasphemy? Will Seeman condemn a system that can turn a social media comment into a death warrant with the same conviction with which he praises Islam? Or will his words about peace remain just that, words, while Anojan Sivarasa faces execution? The real test of Seeman’s professed principles is whether he will speak up for Anojan when doing so means confronting the brutal consequences of laws enforced in the name of religion.
What About Tamil Solidarity?
Seeman’s political identity is built around Tamil nationalism and the plight of Tamils, including Eelam Tamils. Anojan is a Tamil from Sri Lanka. His case should not become secondary because the controversy involves Islam, or because speaking out might complicate a politician’s preferred narrative about religious harmony.
If Tamil identity matters, Anojan matters. If humanity matters, Anojan matters. If peace matters, Anojan matters.
Seeman cannot credibly invoke universal values while leaving the public to wonder whether those values apply equally to a Tamil Hindu facing execution.
A man’s life is at stake. This is not the time for vague praise of religious harmony or carefully worded platitudes. It is the time to demand that the death sentence be overturned, that Anojan receive a fair legal process, and that no one be executed for a social media comment.
Seeman has called Islam “the religion which preaches peace”. Now he must answer a simple question: will he stand up for Anojan Sivarasa, or will his commitment to peace stop where the victim is a Hindu and the accused has offended Islam?
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