Cardinal wants Britain to be wary of Islamic extremists

Pic By Kushan Pathiraja   

By Yohan Perera   
Referring to a statement made by a pro extremist Islamic Group in Britain that they would teach a lesson to all Sri Lankans, Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith told a news conference yesterday the British Government should keep a close tab on these groups.  

“We are not against Britain, Many Sri Lankans still respect the queen, and we appreciate all good things done by Britain in Sri Lanka. However, it should be wary of extremist groups,” he said and pointed out that this Islamic group had intervened when some Sri Lankan Catholics staged a protest in London against the Easter Sunday attacks. The extremists are reported to have said that Sri Lankans should be taught a good lesson. 

 
The Cardinal said the British government should not forget that nine British citizens had died in the hotel bombings on Easter Sunday.  

Venerable Omalpe Sobitha Thera who also participated in the news conference said the government should have a dialogue with the British High Commissioner and explain matters. “The slogan of these Islamic extremists is to create an Islamic world. In such a scenario they are out to destroy Britain as well,” he said.   

The Thera said concrete steps should be taken to regulate Madrasas. “These schools do not come under the purview of the Education Ministry. We have also been told that there are Thowheed Jama’at mosques registered under the Ministry of Muslim Affairs. Minister of Muslim Affairs should be questioned about it,” the Thera added.  

The Cardinal said schools should not be based on religion and that a percentage of children belonging to other religions should be allowed to study at both private and government schools and political parties based on religion and ethnicity should not be allowed.   They said they were still not satisfied with the steps taken by the government to ensure security. While the Thera said mosques where arms were found should be sealed, the Cardinal said search operations in Negombo particularly in Periyamulla was far from satisfactory.