Standing Against Sri Lanka’s Latest Attack on Religious Freedoms |
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March 17th, 2021
Justice For All Canada denounces Sri Lanka’s renewed attempts to marginalize further Muslim Sri Lankans, a religious minority accounting for under 10% of its population.
Last week, the Sri Lankan government announced plans to ban over 1,000 Islamic schools, adding that they also plan to ban the burqa. A burqa is a religious outer garment, observed by some Muslim women to cover the face and body.
These measures, proposed by Sri Lanka’s Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCOL), will contribute more to discrimination and Islamophobia against Muslims in the region. The harmful blanket-statements made by Sarath Weerasekara, Minister of Public Security, linking the burqa to national security also represent divisive rhetoric against Muslims.
Justice For All Canada stands in solidarity with Sri Lankan victims of the 2019 Easter Sunday bombing attacks, killing over 260 people. However, attacking religious freedoms and liberties only represents an attempt to appease majority Sri Lankan powerholders. We encourage the international community to promote broader dialogues in Sri Lanka concerning its long-time politically motivated turmoil against Muslim minorities.
“We learned important lessons from the Easter Sunday massacre,” said Taha Ghayyur, Executive Director of Justice For All Canada. “After that tragic event, women and girls covering their face or head were threatened or abused. Before passing another discriminatory law, we hope the Sri Lankan government will in fact hold country-wide consultations as they claim,” added Ghayyur.
Although Sri Lanka lifted the illegal and forced cremation order on February 25th, Justice For All Canada continues to monitor the situation. Mandating all burials to be carried out in Iranaitivu, instead of across the country, further imposes unwarranted injustice upon relatives.
Justice For All Canada upholds last month’s UN Human Rights Council’s call, which demanded the Sri Lankan government to hold accountable human rights abusers and fulfill reparations for victims of Sri Lanka’s 26-year civil war and mistreatment of Muslims.
We are also calling for the release of Muslim lawyer Hejaaz Hizbullah, who is still detained without evidence nor charges under the country’s draconian Terrorism Act.
Justice For All Canada denounces Sri Lanka’s renewed attempts to marginalize further Muslim Sri Lankans, a religious minority accounting for under 10% of its population.
Last week, the Sri Lankan government announced plans to ban over 1,000 Islamic schools, adding that they also plan to ban the burqa. A burqa is a religious outer garment, observed by some Muslim women to cover the face and body.
These measures, proposed by Sri Lanka’s Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCOL), will contribute more to discrimination and Islamophobia against Muslims in the region. The harmful blanket-statements made by Sarath Weerasekara, Minister of Public Security, linking the burqa to national security also represent divisive rhetoric against Muslims.
Justice For All Canada stands in solidarity with Sri Lankan victims of the 2019 Easter Sunday bombing attacks, killing over 260 people. However, attacking religious freedoms and liberties only represents an attempt to appease majority Sri Lankan powerholders. We encourage the international community to promote broader dialogues in Sri Lanka concerning its long-time politically motivated turmoil against Muslim minorities.
“We learned important lessons from the Easter Sunday massacre,” said Taha Ghayyur, Executive Director of Justice For All Canada. “After that tragic event, women and girls covering their face or head were threatened or abused. Before passing another discriminatory law, we hope the Sri Lankan government will in fact hold country-wide consultations as they claim,” added Ghayyur.
Although Sri Lanka lifted the illegal and forced cremation order on February 25th, Justice For All Canada continues to monitor the situation. Mandating all burials to be carried out in Iranaitivu, instead of across the country, further imposes unwarranted injustice upon relatives.
Justice For All Canada upholds last month’s UN Human Rights Council’s call, which demanded the Sri Lankan government to hold accountable human rights abusers and fulfill reparations for victims of Sri Lanka’s 26-year civil war and mistreatment of Muslims.
We are also calling for the release of Muslim lawyer Hejaaz Hizbullah, who is still detained without evidence nor charges under the country’s draconian Terrorism Act.