Muslims react strongly against Buddhist mob attack on Mosque in Colombo

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 August 2013, 21:22 GMT]
“There is a limit to our patience, there is no point regretting if this breaks out into a major clash. But some fools do not understand this,” Mohamed Miflal, a Muslim community worker, told Associated Press, following the Buddhist mob attack on a mosque in the Grandpass area of Colombo on Saturday resulting in over a dozen people getting injured and a police curfew being declared in the capital. A few individuals praying in the mosque have reportedly been hospitalized. There were also clashes between Muslim youth and the Buddhist mobs after attack.

Buddhist monks, mostly led by the chauvinist organization Bodu Bala Sena, have been protesting against the presence of the three-storey mosque in Grandpass area, but had reportedly given “permission” to the Muslims to continue using the structure till the end of Ramadan.

This brutal attack on the mosque is yet another flashpoint in the growing anti-Muslim sentiment among Sinhala nationalists.

Rilwan, member of the Sri Lanka Thawheed Jamath, a socio-religios organisation for Muslims, told The Hindu that they have little hope in the political class. "We have lost faith in those in power,” he said adding that their community “does not have a leadership that can challenge this government.”

Condemning what he termed “majoritarian dominance” in Sri Lanka, Mr. Rilwan further added “Earlier it was the Tamils, now they are clearly targeting us.”

Separately, the American Embassy in Colombo in a release condemning the attack said "Targeting any place of worship should never be permitted and we urge calm from all sides."