21 April 2021 01:48 pm Views - 3925
Archbishop of Colombo Cadinal Malclom Ranjith today urged the Muslim community in Sri Lanka to rise up against those who try to instrumentalise Islam for their own purposes.
“Rise up and defend yourself against those who try to instrumentalise Islam to fulfil their own purposes. Oppose Wahabism and organizations that promote such ideologies. This is my special request from the Muslim,” Cardinal Ranjith said at a program held to mark the second anniversary of deadly Easter Sunday attacks.
“There would not have been any issue today if the Muslim community rose up strongly against extremism when the Easter attack took place. It seems that they did not rise up against extremism till yesterday. With the remarks made by Mawalavi Haashim Mawlana it is clear that Muslims reject extremism. These attacks such as the Easter Sunday mayhem is not what it claims they are but much more than what they are and that is why I make this request from the Muslim community,” the Cardinal added
“We should know who carried out the attack and for what purpose and whether they repent what they did if they are to be forgiven. We must remember that we must not hit back at our distractors. We should not forget the support and solidarity shown by our Buddhist brothers. It is important that religions work with one another and not against each other,” he said
“Burying the truth and embracing is not a part of Jesus Christ’s teachings. We will continue our struggle to get to know what really happened when it comes to the Easter attack. It is surprising that the investigations are carried out to suit day to day fortunes,” he also said.
Venerable Omalpe Sobith Thera who also participated in the ceremony said CID should investigate as to what had become of the Rs. one billion received from the Muslim organization three months after the Easter Sunday attacks. He said both the government and the religious leaders are duty bound to bring about unity. “It is the duty of the government to ensure the security of the people as per the teachings of Buddha. The previous regime totally failed in this duty while the present regime is not fulfilling it adequately,” he said. (Yohan Perera)