Sri Lankan Muslim Ministers Condemn Buddhist Mob Attack On Mosque

New Delhi, Aug 12, IRNA - Muslim ministers of the Sri Lankan Government Sunday condemned the Saturday attack on a mosque in Colombo calling the attack premeditated and planned. The group of Muslim ministers in a joint statement requested President Mahinda Rajapaksa to immediately conduct an independent investigation into the sad and dastardly act of violence inflicted on the devotees assembled in the mosque for prayers, Colombo Page News Desk reported. They also asked for punishment of the perpetrators of the anti-national act. They said the lukewarm and ineffective measures taken by the law enforcement agencies on previous occasions when Muslim communities and their mosques were deliberately attacked seemed to have emboldened the extremist groups to create chaos in the country. The ministers said the latest incident has created tension and fear among the Muslim communities in Colombo. The group urged the President to take a decisive action to halt the trend of openly espousing religious hatred towards the Muslim community. A Buddhist mob on Saturday threw rocks and vandalized a mosque in Sri Lanka's capital, injuring at least seven worshipers. Two police officers were also injured while trying to prevent clashes between the Buddhist mob and Muslim youth who gathered to defend the mosque. The attack comes amid a growing anti-Muslim campaign by Buddhist nationalist groups who consider Muslims to be a threat to their political and economic well-being./end