UN Envoy Imposes Pressure on Sri Lanka to Withdraw Anti-Conversion Bill

Following the six-week United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) last month in Geneva, the exploitation of religious freedom in many countries is being brought to the headlines due to strong condemnation by the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) and NGOs.

As a continuous effort to protest against Sri Lanka’s anti-conversion bill, UN Special Rapporteur on Religious Freedom Asma Jahangir will meet a number of Buddhist organisation representatives on 3rd May in the wake of mounting Christian evangelist pressure.

The controversial anti-conservation bill that is going to be introduced as law by the Buddhist-dominated parliament has been accused of allegedly restricting Christian mission activities. Under the legislation, anyone who attempts to cause religious conversions by force, fraud, or "proselytism" will face penalty if the court magistrates determine "proselytism" has taken place.

While the Sri Lanka parliament claims that the bill aims at preventing unethical conversions, evangelicals fear that many works carried out by the Christian organisations or churches or faith-based aid agencies will be falsely classified as "proselytism" and prohibited.

Despite the international pressure to stop the bill being passed by the Sri Lankan government, Buddhist extremists appear to be very persistent to ensure the legalisation takes place.

Attorney Prasantha Lal De Alwis, Legal Advisor to the Buddha Sasana Presidential Commission’s Special Committee on the Bill told the Asian Tribune that those oppose the bill have neglected the "contribution made by the tenets and traditions of Buddhism and Hinduism to the structuring of Sri Lanka’s civilisation" and tried to replace it with the principle of equality of status of religions promoted by Western culture.

At the beginning of April, Godfrey Yogarajah, general secretary of the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL) presented facts regarding violence against Christians, which many think may even increase if the anti-conversion law is passed through the parliament to the UNCHR.

UN Special Rapporteur on Religious Freedom Asma Jahangir noted, "Where acts of violence or other acts of religious intolerance are committed against individuals, states have both an obligation to protect and an obligation to remedy the situation. Perpetrators must be brought to justice and the states must multiply the efforts to promote a culture of religious tolerance."