President asks ‘Bodu Bala Sena’ not to stir hatred

President asks ‘Bodu Bala Sena’ not to stir hatred

January 28, 2013   08:14 am

President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Sunday urged nationalist Buddhist monks not to incite religious hatred and violence as he moved to stem a wave of attacks targeting minority Muslims.

 

President Mahinda Rajapakse met with monks with the group known as “Bodu Bala Sena”, or Buddhist Force, and urged them to help maintain religious harmony in a country emerging from decades of ethnic violence, according to a statement released by his office.

 

“It is okay to work to strengthen the Buddhist religion, but it should be done without creating conflicts with other religions,” the statement quoted the president as saying.

 

The Buddhist Force had disassociated itself with a spate of recent hate attacks against Muslims and public insults against Islam, and claimed that several “duplicate groups” were pretending to be them, the statement said. The group has been campaigning for a ban on halal meat that is permissible for Muslims to consume, but the government has resisted, AFP reports.

 

Disclaimer: All the comments will be moderated by the AD editorial. Abstain from posting comments that are obscene, defamatory or slanderous. Please avoid outside hyperlinks inside the comment and avoid typing all capitalized comments. Help us delete comments that do not follow these guidelines by flagging them(mouse over a comment and click the flag icon on the right side). Do use these forums to voice your opinions and create healthy discourse.

Most Viewed Video Stories

Immigration Controller General pleads guilty to contempt of court charge (English)

Immigration Controller General pleads guilty to contempt of court charge (English)

Seat belts mandatory for passengers of all vehicles on expressways from September (English)

Fuel prices increased (English)

Former Minister Gamini Lokuge passes away (English)

Public react to increase in fuel prices and 0.55% reduction in bus fares

LIVE🔴 Ada Derana Prime Time News Bulletin 6.55 pm

LIVE🔴 Ada Derana Lunch Time News Bulletin 12.00 pm

True measure of nation's progress lies in spiritual development of it's people - President (English)