The government is accountable for Ampara incident: JMCI

Jaffna Muslim Community International (JMC-I) strongly condemns the recent violence against Muslims in Ampara-Srilanka and urged the government to uphold minority rights and freedom of religion.

In 2014, three Muslims were killed in riots stirred up by hardline groups. President Sirisena was elected the following year after a campaign in which he promised to solve the issues faced by ethnic minority Tamils and Muslims, but the violence against Muslims has not ended.

More than 60 attacks on Muslims have been reported since 2015, including arson at Muslim-owned businesses and petrol-bomb attacks on mosques.

JMC-I express its concern that it is important that the law and order be applied against those perpetrators who attempt to destroy the co-existence and harmony among ethical communities in Srilanka and it’s important that minority rights and freedom of religion are upheld.

At this moment, JMC-I recalls the recent The State of the World’s Human Rights report for 2017 to 2018 by Amnesty International in which Sri Lanka has been listed among countries unsafe for Muslims. Further it notes that in South Asia, governments invoked law and order, national security and religion as they engaged in attacks against religious minorities, criminalized freedom of expression and subjected civil society to a campaign of intimidation, threats, smears and violence and these types of violence are solid evidences that make true the report.

The JMC-I urge the government of Sri Lanka to understand the dangers of ignoring anti-Muslim violence and take action before events spiral out of control. Ensuring stability for all citizens is a must in order to create better interfaith understanding, reconciliation among communities and sustainable peace in the country.

-Jaffna Muslim Community International