Evangelical Alliance Sri Lanka Urges Government to Protect Religious Freedom

The National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL) has urged the country's government and law enforcement agencies to uphold for every citizen the right to freely practice the religion of their choice, without any harassment, a statement released yesterday said.

Officials of the NCEASL said in the statement that they were "alarmed at the manner in which unruly elements used violence and force against minority Christians engaging in prayer and worship."

They added that the government has turned a blind eye over the matter for a long time, Compass News Direct reported.

The NCEASL issued the statement following a number of unpleasant incidents involving minority Christians being harassed for practising their faith.

On 12 November, Buddhist extremists had prohibited church members of the Assembly of God (AOG) Church in Yakkala, Gampaha district, from attending Sunday service.

The group, consisting of some 100 people, including four Buddhist monks, was armed with clubs, according to NCEASL. The group pasted posters slandering Christianity in the neighbourhood and blocked the road that lead to the church.

The group also verbally abused church members who attempted to walk past them down the road. Only a handful of church members managed to reach the church, who then alerted their pastor regarding the matter.

This is the second time the church has been harassed since the first attack on 29 October. The church has decided to stop its weekly Sunday services for the time being after the November 12 incident.

The pastor told the NCEASL that he had requested for police protection following the harassment, but no concrete action was taken to put a stop to the matter, Compass Direct News reported.