WEA, Becket Fund Express Concern to UN Over Sri Lanka Anti-Conversion Bill
''We are deeply concerned about the proposed anti-conversion law in Sri Lanka that unfairly targets the country's small Christian minority.''
The World Evangelical Alliance and the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty expressed deep concern about the proposed anti-conversion law in Sri Lanka last week in a joint statement to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.
In their Statement on Protection of Minorities, the WEA and the Becket Fund said they were “deeply concerned about the proposed anti-conversion law in Sri Lanka that unfairly targets the country's small Christian minority.”
“Sri Lankan Christians have been the subject of over 160 incidents of violence and intimidation over the last two years, including church bombings, physical assaults, and desecrations,” the Apr. 13 statement read.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
While the Sri Lankan government defends its law by saying that it is needed to protect religious freedom, the agencies pointed out that laws protecting religious freedom should protect religious minorities, not discriminate against minority groups in favor of majority religions.
“At a time when Sri Lanka as a nation is struggling to recover from the cataclysmic effects of the tsunami, such a move by the government to impose a law that will create more volatility between religious groups is untimely and frivolous,” the statement continued.
In the aftermath of the tragedy of the Dec. 26 quake-tsunami disaster, there were reports of unprecedented humanitarian effort at every level of society, both nationally and internationally. The WEA and the Becket Fund noted that, to a large extent, ordinary citizens rose to the occasion, helping each other, irrespective of ethnic or religious differences.
“But rather than the government of Sri Lanka building on this unity, it is about to pass a law that will usher in more religious strife,” the agencies said in their statement.
In commenting on the statement to the UN Commission, UN spokesperson for the WEA Janet Epp Buckingham stated, "It was important that we voice our concern for our brothers and sisters in Sri Lanka in this way. The proposed legislation unfairly targets Sri Lanka's religious minorities and is likely to fuel religious intolerance in the already vulnerable country."
In the statement’s concluding remarks, the WEA and the Becket Fund wrote: “We believe that the proposed anti-conversion law will endanger religious minorities in Sri Lanka and fuel religious intolerance. We call on the government of Sri Lanka to withdraw this legislation. We call on the Commission to protect the right of religious minorities to freely practice their beliefs by providing assistance to others without the threat of criminal penalties.”
Currently, the UN Commission on Human Rights is holding its annual six week session in Geneva. It is scheduled to conclude on Apr. 22.
