The government of Sri Lanka is poised to introduce a bill that would silence religious expression and criminaliz conversions in the island nation. The bill, which the government has signaled it will introduce at the beginning of April, would subject faith-based aid providers, who have rushed in to help after the Indian Ocean tsunami, to up to seven years in prison if accused of “attempted conversion” for aiding the needy while retaining their religious identities. With government support and calls for a conscience vote, passage of the bill is almost certain. Sri Lanka's JHU Party introduced similiar legislation in July 2004.

The proposed laws represent a stark culmination of a wave of religious intolerance sweeping Sri Lanka. Violence against minority religious groups, mostly Christians, has grown at an alarming rate in the past two years. Pastors have been beaten and female Christian workers have been sexually assaulted. There have been over 170 assaults, attacks, and desecrations, with dozens of church burnings (including the one pictured above).

The violence will almost certainly escalate if the law passes. The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty recently sent two attorneys to Sri Lanka on a fact-finding mission. This site chronicles their findings, as well as those of other NGOs and government agencies. Most importantly, this website describes The Becket Fund's continuing efforts to promote religious liberty in Sri Lanka and what you can do to help.

Other anti-conversion laws in the region

From the CIA World Factbook:

Location: Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India

Population: 19,905,165

Ethnic groups: Sinhalese 74%, Tamil 18%, Moor 7%, Burgher, Malay, and Vedda 1%

Religions: Buddhist 70%, Hindu 15%, Christian 8%, Muslim 7% (1999)

Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (225 seats)
elections: last held 2 April 2004 (next to be held by 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party or electoral alliance - SLFP and JVP 45.6% (105 seats), UNP 37.83% (82 seats), TNA 6.84% (22 seats), JHU 5.97% (9 seats), SLMC 2.02% (5 seats), UPF 0.54% (1 seat), EPDP 0.27% (1 seat), others 0.93%

Political pressure groups and leaders: Buddhist clergy; labor unions; Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or LTTE [Velupillai PRABHAKARAN](insurgent group fighting for a separate state); radical chauvinist Sinhalese groups such as the National Movement Against Terrorism; Sinhalese Buddhist lay groups

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,700 (2004 est.)

Exports - partners: US 34.6%, UK 12.5%, India 4.8%, Germany 4.5% (2003)