Uva Province Minister, Anura Vithanagamage, has allegedly threatened the trustee of the Mahiyangana Mosque against holding Jumma prayers, Minister Rauff Hakeeem, Leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) said in a statement issued to the media.
The Masjidul Arafa Mosque in Mahiyangana was closed.......yesterday, subsequent to the threats.
“The Mahiyangana Mosque has been targeted for over a week, in what appears to be the latest in an organized series of attacks carried out on mosques and the hate campaigns against the Muslims in Sri Lanka by extremist Buddhist groups, for many months,” he stated.
Minister Hakeem also said, he was informed the son of the founder-trustee of the Mahiyangana Mosque was allegedly threatened by the Uva Province Minister on Friday morning, warning him not to conduct the Jumma prayers scheduled for that afternoon.
“In this holy month of Ramazan, when Muslims observe the fast globally, with rigorous religious observances, such acts of intolerance and impunity hurt the sentiments of the Muslims in the country. This also contributes to further polarization of communities.
“On an earlier occasion, when the mosque came under attack by extremists, evidently, no preventive action had been taken,” the SLMC Leader said, in the statement.
Minister Hakeem also said, he was reliably informed that Secretary General of Bodu Bala Sena, Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera, is ‘openly promoting a hate campaign in the area.’
“The government’s impervious attitude to such rising crimes and non-action in curbing such mounting hate campaigns will be dangerously read as that of stimulating religious violence,” he added.
CT
