Sri Lanka govt wants mosque relocated after Buddhist protests

Apr 23, 2012 |

Colombo

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Sri Lankan government said on Monday that a disputed mosque in a north central town would be re-located within six months following protests by the Buddhist majority, but Muslim leaders said the matter was far from over as they were yet to consent to the move.

Thousands of Buddhists led by prominent monks had on Friday marched to the mosque site in Dambulla, claiming that it was constructed in a designated Buddhist heritage site and seeking its removal.

Muslims argue that mosque has been in place since the 1960s. Prime Minister D. M. Jayaratne, who is also the minister of the Buddhist Order, announced today that the Muslim leaders had consented to the relocating of the mosque outside the Buddhist heritage site.

The top bureaucrat of the Buddhist order ministry, Cashian Herath said that all parties to the dispute had agreed to relocate the mosque in terms of the Dambulla sacred area development plan.

However, the Muslim leaders who are government partners disagreed that the matter had been resolved as they stood opposed to the relocation plan. Besides senior Muslim leaders in the government, minister A. H. M. Fowzie and governor of the western province, Alavi Moulana, denied that they had agreed for the relocation.

Whilst Buddhists consist of 74 per cent of Sri Lanka's 20 million population, Muslims comprise seven per cent.

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