[T]he constitution does not recognize a fundamental right to propagate a religion."
- Sri Lanka Supreme Court, 2003

As dawn is about to break on December 19, 2004, a group of people enter a church in Katuwana, a small town in western Sri Lanka-but they do not come to worship, they come to destroy. St. Michael the Archangel's Catholic Church is now in ruins, with relics and holy objects smashed, the Tabernacle destroyed, and the church burned to an empty shell. The church had been threatened by militant Buddhists for holding Christian services over the last 13 months, culminating with this, the third and most violent attack with no arrests, as reported by the BBC News. If recent history is any guide, mobs similar to the one that torched St. Michael's will visit other churches in much the same way-instead offering peace and goodwill, they will bring machetes and firebombs. A party of powerful, extremist Buddhist monks are holding religious liberty hostage in Sri Lanka. Through politics, media, "fasts unto death," and violence, Buddhist extremists are pressuring the government to pass laws that would ban religious conversions and culminate in making Buddhism the official state religion.

Christian persecution in Sri Lanka has escalated to epidemic proportions with over 160 violent attacks in the last two years. These attacks were precipitated by cynical government appeasement of a small but politically savvy group of militant Buddhist monks. These monks believe that the Buddha himself chased out the original "demon" inhabitants of Sri Lanka millennia ago and subsequently designated the ethnic Sinhalese people (now 74% of the population) as the defenders of "pure" Theravada Buddhism. This militant theology is unusual in the Buddhist world as it justifies violence in the name of Buddhism whenever there is a perceived threat. Thus, Christianity, although comprising only 7% of the population and established in the country since the 16th century, is seen as alien and corrupting of indigenous culture. For the sake of national and cultural identity, religious conversions to Christianity must therefore be contained, or so the argument goes. Unfortunately, in Sri Lanka "containment" typically means death threats and burning churches to the ground.

Government appeasement of this virulent ideology began in earnest in the summer of 2003 when the Sri Lankan Supreme Court declared that "the propagation and spreading of Christianity . . . would impair the very existence of Buddhism." This decision legitimized increasing levels of violence against Christians as it labeled core Christian activity, evangelization and social service provision, as contrary to the constitution and a direct threat to Buddhist identity. Subsequently, when an incendiary Buddhist monk (the Ven. Gangodawila Soma Thero), died of natural causes while overseas, wild rumors quickly took root suggesting assassination by Christians. Soma Thero's very public and provocative burial on Christmas Eve sparked an unprecedented wave of anti-Christian violence, yet arrests of the perpetrators were few and prosecutions were even rarer.

The situation worsened after divided elections of April 2004 marked the official entry of nationalist Buddhist monks into politics under the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) banner. The JHU party promptly introduced a draconian anti-conversion bill which would, in effect, criminalize all attempts at religious conversion. Violators would be punished by 5 to 7 years in prison and fined up to 15 months of income (500,000 rupees). Although the Sri Lankan Supreme Court reviewed the bill and left its main provisions intact, the JHU is still not satisfied; they seek to force all people that are involved with conversions (including the converts themselves) to register with the government or be thrown in jail.

In September 2004 the U.S. State Department formally recognized Sri Lanka's "overall deterioration in religious freedom" and cataloged the alarming rise in anti-Christian violence in its annual International Religious Freedom Report. On November 19th of that year, thirty-one members of the U.S. Congress submitted a letter to the President of Sri Lanka, expressing concern over the anti-conversion bill and reminding her that Sri Lanka is a voluntary signatory to several international covenants that uphold the freedom of religion. Ironically, on the very same day the JHU introduced in Parliament a constitutional amendment to make Buddhism the official state religion and prohibit "the spread of other forms of worship among the Buddhist[s]." The government's response has been silence.

Sensing weakness, in December 2004 the JHU issued an ultimatum to the government-that it appoint a Presidential commission to re-investigate last year's death of the controversial monk Soma Thero, and that it agree to bring the JHU's anti-conversion bill up for a vote-or else JHU monks would begin a fast unto death. The government capitulated on the JHU's first demand, it remains to be seen whether the demagogues will be appeased again.

The tragic tsunami that hit Sri Lanka in late December of 2004 swept away many homes and lives, but it appears that religious intolerance has survived. The JHU has made no moves towards reconciliation and religious groups have been forced to renew their petitions of the government to prevent passage of the proposed anti-conversion laws and constitutional amendment. The massive relief efforts provided by religiously-affiliated NGOs present a potentially explosive situation. These same organizations have been routinely demonized in the Sri Lankan press for allegedly "bribing" the poor to gain converts and undermining Sri Lanka's Buddhist identity. These criticism have led to violent attacks, as exemplified by the firebombing of World Vision offices in early 2004. Under the proposed anti-conversion law, persons working in religiously-affiliated relief organizations that offer "gifts or material benefits" to disaster victims would be subject to 5-7 year prison terms. The influx of foreign Christian aid workers among the neediest Sri Lankans presents a large target for Buddhist extremists.

On a recent fact-finding trip to Sri Lanka, I met victims of anti-Christian violence and heard their heart-wrenching stories. Pastor Shawn Turing of the Lord is our Strength Church recounted how he was sent to the hospital by an angry mob that beat him with an iron rod in church as his congregation watched in horror. All persons, including Pastor Turing have the right to worship freely and without fear. Sri Lanka cannot claim to be part of the international family of nations if it allows such gross violations of fundamental human rights to continue. Further government appeasement of extremists will only embolden and legitimize these enemies of religious freedom. Because recent events have set the stage for another tragically violent year; the extremists must finally be confronted now, before it is too late.

Contact: Roger Severino
rseverino@becketfund.org
1350 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 605
Washington, DC, 20036
Phone (202) 349-7230 Fax (202) 955-0090