Christians in Sri Lanka Endure Harsh Persecution Over Christmas

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) have reported on how believers in a Sri Lankan church were attacked by a mob as they were holding their Christmas service.

|TOP|A mob of approximately thirty people confronted the members of the King’s Revival Church on Christmas Day in Alawwa, Kurunegala District, Sri Lanka. The pastor of the church was threatened by the mob, and the congregation were approached and ordered not to attend the service.

CSW explain how the pastor was told that he could not hold the service, and they warned a further attack would come about on New Year’s Eve.

The threats resulted in many believers fleeing in fear, according to the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka.

Others who continued to make their way to the church were also reportedly beaten up, with one man and three women receiving injuries. The male was taken to hospital for further treatment of his wounds, and one of the women that was attacked was pregnant, tell CSW.

Despite the attack being reported to the local police on two separate occasions on the 25th and 28th December, no action has been taken to capture the attackers until Dec. 29th when some people were brought to the police station to be questioned regarding the incident.

In a separate attack on Christmas morning, a prominent Tamil, Joseph Pararajasingham, MP for the Tamil National Alliance party, was shot dead while attending a late night Christmas Eve service at St. Ann's Catholic Cathedral in Batticaloa (Eastern Province), tell CSW.

|AD|In addition to this, five days before Christmas Day, the family of Mr Karunaratne, a deceased Christian, were refused permission to bury their relative in a local public cemetery.

Local Buddhists had reportedly warned the family that they were not allowed to bury the dead man in the cemetery as he was a Christian.

After a heated dispute the local police and authorities eventually intervened and the funeral proceeded. However, CSW explain that the initial refusal is a clear example of the continuing anti-Christian discrimination that is occurring in Sri Lanka.

The Chief Executive of CSW, Mervyn Thomas said, “We are most disturbed that this Christian community has been unable to celebrate Christmas in peace. We are also appalled that a family was initially denied permission to bury their relative in a public cemetery, simply because he was a Christian.

“We are pleased the local authorities appear in both cases to have eventually intervened to uphold the law, but we would urge the Sri Lankan Government at all levels to be proactive in ensuring protection for Christians, equal rights and freedom of religion for all. We urge the authorities to bring the perpetrators of violence to justice, and to do everything possible to eliminate extremism and intolerance.”