Sri Lanka: Government shuts mosque after Buddhist monk violence
Colombo
(AsiaNews) - Grandpass mosque in Colombo (Sri Lanka) has been shut down after
the violent attack by some Buddhist monks during the Id al-Fitr, the holiday
that celebrates the end of Ramadan. The
authorities carried out the order yesterday evening, agreeing to the demands of the
attackers who want the place of worship dismantled. The
local Islamic community immediately protested accusing the government and police
of not having arrested the perpetrators of the attack. Five people were
injured in the violence.
For
some time the ancient mosque of the district of Grandpass, the capital, has
been closed for renovations. For
this reason, the local Islamic community has held their regular prayer services
in a temporary mosque set up in the same area.
On
9 August, however, while the Muslims were engaged in the Friday prayers, a
group of people led by Buddhist monks began to throw stones at the faithful, demanding they
leave. Warned
of the attack, the police arrived on the scene and imposed a curfew until the
following morning. Rather
than improve the situation, the day after it degenerated into new conflicts.
As
shown by CCTV cameras, a crowd of people - led by Buddhist monks - again
attacked the mosque and nearby homes of Muslims. The
government sent a special task force to disperse the attackers and secure the
mosque.
Yesterday evening the meeting between Buddhist and Muslim religious leaders and government
representatives - to try and find a solution to the problem- was resolved with
the decision to find a new provisional mosque by the end of the month.
"The
attack on the mosque - said the Muslim Council of Sri Lanka - occurred in the
presence of numerous security agents and police officers. Their failure to act
is a clear violation of fundamental rights of Muslims in Sri Lanka, which
moreover creates a dangerous precedent
for future violence. "
The
attack feeds a climate of growing
religious intolerance perpetrated by some radical groups-Sinhalese
Buddhists, who have been targeting the Muslim community and - to a lesser
extent - the Christian one.
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24/01/2007
