Why Sri Lanka's Infertility Rumours Spread

Introduction

Between 2018 and 2019, some of Sri Lanka’s most destructive falsehoods were not forged documents or fabricated photographs but rumours about fertility. Claims spread that Muslims were secretly sterilising Sinhalese Buddhists through food, medicine and surgery. None of the central allegations were supported by medical evidence, yet they became politically powerful because they attached existing demographic anxieties to apparently everyday activities such as eating at a restaurant or giving birth in a hospital. Medical experts, government analysts, the World Health Organization (WHO) and law-enforcement investigations repeatedly rejected the claims, but the rumours nevertheless contributed to anti-Muslim violence, public distrust and long-lasting communal tensions.[srilankabrief.org]srilankabrief.orgunfpa who no medication or pills that can permanently make a human being sterileSri Lanka BriefSri Lanka UNFPA & WHO: " No medication or 'pills' that can…March 11, 2018 — Image: Ampara anti-Muslim violence was trig…Published: March 11, 2018

The episode is important in Sri Lanka’s history of misinformation because it shows how an impossible medical allegation can become believable when it is linked to fears about identity, population change and political power. The story was not a single hoax invented by one individual. It was a cluster of rumours, media narratives and political campaigns that transformed demographic fear into a moral panic.

The Ampara Restaurant Allegation

The first major flashpoint occurred in February 2018 in the eastern town of Ampara. A rumour spread that a Muslim-owned restaurant had mixed so-called “sterilisation pills” into food served to Sinhalese customers. Videos circulated online claiming that suspicious particles found in a meal were evidence of a secret effort to reduce Sinhalese fertility. The allegation rapidly attracted crowds and helped trigger attacks on Muslim-owned businesses and property.[Wikipedia]Wikipedia2018 anti Muslim riots in Sri Lanka2018 anti Muslim riots in Sri Lanka

The problem for the rumour was that no recognised medical substance matched the claim. Reproductive-health specialists explained that there was no known pill, powder or gel that could be secretly mixed into food and permanently sterilise people in the way alleged. The WHO representative in Sri Lanka and the United Nations Population Fund publicly stated that no medication capable of producing permanent sterility through casual consumption existed.[Sri Lanka Brief]srilankabrief.orgunfpa who no medication or pills that can permanently make a human being sterileSri Lanka BriefSri Lanka UNFPA & WHO: " No medication or 'pills' that can…March 11, 2018 — Image: Ampara anti-Muslim violence was trig…Published: March 11, 2018

Scientific testing further undermined the story. Sri Lanka’s Government Analyst examined the material presented as evidence and concluded that it consisted of carbohydrate-based lumps of flour rather than any sterilising chemical. More than one hundred medical professionals publicly rejected the claim and warned that false medical information was being used to inflame communal tensions.[wikipedia.org]Wikipedia2018 anti Muslim riots in Sri Lanka2018 anti Muslim riots in Sri Lanka

Yet the correction never achieved the same emotional impact as the original accusation. For many believers, the rumour resonated because it appeared to confirm a wider fear that Muslims were engaged in a hidden demographic campaign against the Buddhist majority. The restaurant allegation therefore became significant less because of the supposed evidence and more because it provided a vivid story through which broader anxieties could be expressed.

The False Case Against Mohamed Shafi

The most famous infertility allegation centred on Dr Mohamed Shafi Shihabdeen, an obstetrician and gynaecologist working at Kurunegala Teaching Hospital. In May 2019, shortly after the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks had heightened suspicion of Muslims across the country, a newspaper report alleged that he had secretly sterilised thousands of Sinhalese Buddhist women during caesarean operations.[Reuters]reuters.comUnsubstantiated claims Muslim doctor sterilized womenUnsubstantiated claims Muslim doctor sterilized women…June 6, 2019 — 6 Jun 2019 — On May 23 Sri Lankan newspaper Divaina, known…Published: June 6, 2019

The accusation was extraordinary. It suggested that a single surgeon had carried out covert sterilisation procedures on a vast scale without detection and while maintaining a normal medical career. The claim quickly spread through television, newspapers, social media and nationalist networks. Some reports linked Shafi to extremist organisations despite the absence of supporting evidence.[Reuters]reuters.comUnsubstantiated claims Muslim doctor sterilized womenUnsubstantiated claims Muslim doctor sterilized women…June 6, 2019 — 6 Jun 2019 — On May 23 Sri Lankan newspaper Divaina, known…Published: June 6, 2019

Investigators eventually found that the allegations did not withstand scrutiny. Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigation Department reported that it had found no evidence that Shafi had performed secret sterilisations. Authorities also stated that intelligence agencies had found no terrorist links. AFP Fact Check reported that the major investigation concluded he had not carried out the alleged procedures.[AFP Fact Check]factcheck.afp.comsri lankan authorities found muslim surgeon had not performed any sterilisationsAFP Fact CheckSri Lankan authorities found the Muslim surgeon had not…Jul 5, 2019 — The claim is false; a major investigation by Sri L…

The legal collapse of the case unfolded over several years. In 2024, the Kurunegala Magistrate’s Court acquitted Shafi after prosecutors concluded there was insufficient evidence to proceed. The case that had once been presented as proof of a vast conspiracy ended without substantiation of the central claims.[colombogazette.com]colombogazette.comdr shafi shihabdeen acquitted from all chargesDr. Shafi Shihabdeen acquitted from all charges6 Nov 2024 — Dr. Shafi Shihabdeen, who was accused of amassing assets through suspicious m…

The contrast between accusation and outcome illustrates a recurring feature of moral panics. The allegation generated nationwide attention almost immediately, while the later findings received far less public attention and arrived long after the emotional narrative had become embedded in public memory.

How Medical Myths Became Political Weapons

The infertility rumours succeeded because they connected medical claims to demographic fears. For years, some nationalist activists had promoted the idea that Sri Lanka’s Muslim minority was growing rapidly and would eventually threaten the position of the Sinhalese Buddhist majority. Within this framework, rumours about fertility acquired unusual emotional force.[Colombo Telegraph]colombotelegraph.comColombo Telegraph Facts And Fallacies Of Muslim Population In Sri LankaColombo Telegraph Facts And Fallacies Of Muslim Population In Sri Lanka

Several characteristics made the stories persuasive:

• They were difficult for ordinary people to verify. Most people cannot independently assess reproductive medicine or surgical procedures.
• They involved invisible harm. Infertility can be emotionally devastating, and the alleged injury would not be immediately visible.
• They targeted everyday activities. Eating at a restaurant, buying clothes or receiving hospital treatment became potential sources of danger.
• They exploited existing communal suspicion. The rumours built upon narratives already circulating in nationalist political circles.[Sri Lanka Brief]srilankabrief.orgunfpa who no medication or pills that can permanently make a human being sterileSri Lanka BriefSri Lanka UNFPA & WHO: " No medication or 'pills' that can…March 11, 2018 — Image: Ampara anti-Muslim violence was trig…Published: March 11, 2018

Because the allegations concerned reproduction, they also touched on fears about collective survival. Instead of presenting Muslims as competitors in business or politics, the rumours portrayed them as secretly attacking the future of the majority community itself. That framing transformed an implausible medical claim into a powerful political message.

The atmosphere became so charged that prominent religious and political figures publicly repeated unsubstantiated sterilisation allegations. Some extremist rhetoric escalated beyond suspicion into open hostility, with anti-Muslim mobilisation increasingly justified through demographic conspiracy theories.[Al Jazeera]aljazeera.comAl Jazeera Fear in Sri Lanka as monk calls for stoning of MuslimsAl Jazeera Fear in Sri Lanka as monk calls for stoning of Muslims

Why the Rumours Survived Debunking

One of the most striking features of the infertility panic was the mismatch between evidence and belief. Medical authorities repeatedly explained that the alleged sterilisation pills did not exist. Laboratory testing contradicted the food-contamination claims. Investigators found no proof of secret mass sterilisations. Yet the rumours continued to circulate.[srilankabrief.org]srilankabrief.orgunfpa who no medication or pills that can permanently make a human being sterileSri Lanka BriefSri Lanka UNFPA & WHO: " No medication or 'pills' that can…March 11, 2018 — Image: Ampara anti-Muslim violence was trig…Published: March 11, 2018

Part of the reason was that the stories served a social and political purpose. They offered a simple explanation for complex concerns about demographic change, economic competition and national identity. Once those concerns were attached to dramatic personal stories, factual corrections often appeared less convincing than emotionally satisfying narratives.

Research on Sri Lankan information disorder has also highlighted the role of mainstream and social media in amplifying unverified claims. Rumours that began as local allegations could quickly acquire national visibility, while corrections travelled more slowly and attracted less attention.[Verité Research]veriteresearch.orgVerité Research Information Disorder and Mainstream Media in Sri LankaVerité Research Information Disorder and Mainstream Media in Sri Lanka

The result was a classic moral panic: a perceived threat vastly exceeded the available evidence, yet belief in the threat produced real-world consequences.

What the Infertility Scares Reveal

Sri Lanka’s infertility rumours occupy a distinctive place in the country’s history of contested truth because they were neither harmless folklore nor isolated misinformation. False claims about sterilisation helped justify violence, damaged professional reputations and deepened mistrust between communities.[Wikipedia]Wikipedia2018 anti Muslim riots in Sri Lanka2018 anti Muslim riots in Sri Lanka

The episode demonstrates how pseudoscientific language can give political prejudice an appearance of credibility. The allegations sounded technical and medical, but their appeal came primarily from fears about identity and demographics rather than from evidence. Once those fears were activated, scientific rebuttals struggled to compete with emotionally powerful stories of hidden enemies and threatened futures.

As a case study in modern misinformation, the infertility panic shows how rumours do not need to be plausible to become influential. They only need to connect with anxieties that already exist. In Sri Lanka, fears about population, religion and national identity provided the conditions in which impossible medical claims could become widely believed, with consequences that outlasted the allegations themselves.

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Endnotes

1. Source: sundaytimes.lk
Link:https://www.sundaytimes.lk/180318/news/infertility-pill-myth-resounding-rejection-in-all-three-languages-by-13-top-medical-specialists-286410.html

2. Source: factcheck.afp.com
Title: sri lankan authorities found muslim surgeon had not performed any sterilisations
Link:https://factcheck.afp.com/sri-lankan-authorities-found-muslim-surgeon-had-not-performed-any-sterilisations

3. Source: Wikipedia
Title: 2018 anti Muslim riots in Sri Lanka
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_anti-Muslim_riots_in_Sri_Lanka

4. Source: dbsjeyaraj.com
Link:https://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/?p=58407

5. Source: reuters.com
Title: Unsubstantiated claims Muslim doctor sterilized women
Link:https://www.reuters.com/article/world/unsubstantiated-claims-muslim-doctor-sterilized-women-raise-tensions-in-sri-lank-idUSKCN1T71GK/

Published: June 6, 2019

6. Source: colombogazette.com
Title: dr shafi shihabdeen acquitted from all charges
Link:https://colombogazette.com/2024/11/06/dr-shafi-shihabdeen-acquitted-from-all-charges

7. Source: Wikipedia
Title: Doctor (title)
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_%28title%29

8. Source: srilankabrief.org
Title: unfpa who no medication or pills that can permanently make a human being sterile
Link:https://srilankabrief.org/unfpa-who-no-medication-or-pills-that-can-permanently-make-a-human-being-sterile/

Published: March 11, 2018

9. Source: colombotelegraph.com
Title: Colombo Telegraph Facts And Fallacies Of Muslim Population In Sri Lanka
Link:https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/facts-and-fallacies-of-muslim-population-in-sri-lanka/

10. Source: aljazeera.com
Title: Al Jazeera Fear in Sri Lanka as monk calls for stoning of Muslims
Link:https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/6/22/fear-in-sri-lanka-as-monk-calls-for-stoning-of-muslims

11. Source: veriteresearch.org
Title: Verité Research Information Disorder and Mainstream Media in Sri Lanka
Link:https://www.veriteresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/VR_Eng_RR_May2021_Information-Disorder-and-Mainstream-Media-in-Sri-Lanka-A-Case-Study.pdf

12. Source: colombotelegraph.com
Title: dr shafi sterilization politics by the rajapaksa clan
Link:https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/dr-shafi-sterilization-politics-by-the-rajapaksa-clan/

Additional References

13. Source: youtube.com
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKIpyhnUWkY

14. Source: youtube.com
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KqNVvVQLQs

15. Source: youtube.com
Title: Sri Lanka declares emergency amid anti-Muslim violence
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QI84a9chUfw

16. Source: youtube.com
Title: Sri Lanka: Anti-Muslim attacks on the rise | DW News
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbLtTEIIjQc

17. Source: lankatruth.com
Link:https://lankatruth.com/en/?p=27550

18. Source: merriam-webster.com
Link:https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dr

19. Source: facebook.com
Link:https://www.facebook.com/adaderana/videos/dr-shafi-acquitted-from-all-charges/1334894820830076/

20. Source: thuppahis.com
Link:https://thuppahis.com/2018/03/18/tales-of-an-infertility-pill-are-effectively-dismissed-by-sri-lankan-medical-specialists/

21. Source: facebook.com
Title: are infertility pills real in the recent past rumours have been circulating abou
Link:https://www.facebook.com/UNSriLanka/posts/are-infertility-pills-real-in-the-recent-past-rumours-have-been-circulating-abou/10157218923702512/?locale=zh_CN

22. Source: facebook.com
Title: bodu bala senas bbs galagoda aththe gnanasara thera claimed on thursday that 877
Link:https://www.facebook.com/newswireLK/posts/bodu-bala-senas-bbs-galagoda-aththe-gnanasara-thera-claimed-on-thursday-that-877/1464039995732386/