Catholic leaders say ethnic and religious divisions are being flamed ahead of the presidential poll next year
Devotees offer prayers at the Sri Maha Bodhi temple in the north-central town of Anuradhapura on May 19. Sri Lanka is officially a Buddhist country and religious leaders, rights activists and civil society organizations are warning against ethnic and religious divisions ahead of next year's presidential election. (Photo: AFP)
Church leaders in Sri Lanka have cautioned people against politicians' attempts to divide people based on religion ahead of the presidential election next year.
“Racial and religious conflicts have been created to gain political power throughout history. It seems that the persecution of Buddhism is part of a conspiracy to gain power,” Father Cyril Gamini, media spokesman of the Archdiocese of Colombo said at a press conference on May 31.
The statement comes three days after police arrested Jayani Natasha Edirisuriya, a 31-year-old woman stand-up comedian for disrespecting Buddha and ridiculing Buddhist girls as virgins.
The country's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is investigating the charges against her and a similar allegation against Pastor Jerome Fernando, a Protestant pastor.
Edirisuriya is accused of disrespecting Buddha during her performance at a show titled 'Modabhimana' (fools' pride) after its video went viral on social media creating public outrage.
The comedian said that protecting the virginity of Buddhist girls "is the biggest goal” for Buddhist-run schools inviting the wrath of Buddhist monks, critics, and a section of the media in the country.
Her critics say she had shown a lack of understanding and disrespected Buddhist philosophy and culture.
Earlier, President Ranil Wickremesinghe on May 15 announced a probe against Pastor Fernando, whose followers include famous cricketers, film stars and businessmen, for allegedly making derogatory statements about Buddha while addressing a gathering of members of his Born Again Christian church, which was broadcast live on social media.
Sri Lanka is officially a Buddhist country with over 70 percent of its 22 million people following the religion.
The presidential election is scheduled to be held in the island nation before September 2024."The Church condemns the recent statements denigrating Lord Buddha and Buddhist religious practices. It is the responsibility of the CID to conduct a wide-ranging investigation and reveal the truth about all individuals and organizations suspected of insulting other religions, including Buddhism," said Father Gamini said.
Addressing the media in Colombo along with Father Jude Chrisantha, the archdiocesan national director of mass communication, Gamini warned that some parties may conspire to gain political power by exploiting such incidents and urged people to be vigilant and not to be misled.
"In the end, the politicians who gain power lead luxurious lives with all the comforts," he said.
Sri Lanka witnessed the religious divisions deepen during the last presidential election in 2019 when Gotabaya Rajapaksa, swept to power riding on a Sinhala nationalist platform months after the deadly Easter Sunday bombings, which were allegedly carried out by an Islamist group with ties to the Islamic State.
He was ousted in 2022 as president under public pressure following a severe financial crisis in the country.
Rights activists feel Rajapaksa, though his support has plummeted due to his economic mismanagement that caused hardships for the people, may once again try to fan the country's longstanding ethnic and religious tensions for political gain.
Several civil society organizations also have expressed their opposition to the politicization of incidents like those involving the pastor and comedian.
Lawyer Manoj Nanayakkara, rights activist Jayani Abeysekera and Dr. Chamal Sanjeeva, representing the People's Tomorrow organization, strongly protested the imprisonment of Edirisuriya under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
“Arresting people in violation of [the right to] freedom of speech and expression and using the ICCPR Act for that is a misuse of an international convention for the protection of civil and political rights," they said.
Amnesty International said that the woman comedian should be freed and the charges against her should be dropped immediately.
"Section 3(1) of the ICCPR Act has been used from time to time to restrict freedom of expression," said Amnesty International.
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