Setback for Sri Lanka monks over conversions

COLOMBO – A campaign by Sri Lankan Buddhist monks to outlaw religious conversions suffered a setback yesterday after the supreme court ruled that their proposed bill must be reworked if it is to reach parliament.

Conversions are a highly charged issue in Sri Lanka, where the majority Buddhist population complains its followers are being poached by Evangelical groups. Growing anti-Christian sentiment has prompted a rise in attacks on churches.Buddhist monks elected to parliament in April want to outlaw such conversions in Sri Lanka, as they have been in some parts of neighbouring India, but the supreme court ruled that a number of clauses went against the constitution and need to be reworded or reformulated.”Lots of the clauses were over-broad,” said Rohan Edrisinha, director of the Centre for Policy Alternatives, a secular think-tank that has campaigned against the bill, saying it violates human rights.”Legislation is not the solution,” he added.”But there is a problem.There are these US-funded Evangelical groups coming into Sri Lanka, acting in a very insensitive manner, undermining a lot of the goodwill and good relations that have been built up over the last 500 years with the Catholic Church and more established Protestant and Anglican churches.”- Nampa-ReutersGrowing anti-Christian sentiment has prompted a rise in attacks on churches.Buddhist monks elected to parliament in April want to outlaw such conversions in Sri Lanka, as they have been in some parts of neighbouring India, but the supreme court ruled that a number of clauses went against the constitution and need to be reworded or reformulated.”Lots of the clauses were over-broad,” said Rohan Edrisinha, director of the Centre for Policy Alternatives, a secular think-tank that has campaigned against the bill, saying it violates human rights.”Legislation is not the solution,” he added.”But there is a problem.There are these US-funded Evangelical groups coming into Sri Lanka, acting in a very insensitive manner, undermining a lot of the goodwill and good relations that have been built up over the last 500 years with the Catholic Church and more established Protestant and Anglican churches.”- Nampa-Reuters