CHRISTIANS PROTEST SRI LANKA’S PROPOSED ANTI-CONVERSION LAWSTwo new laws threaten to put further pressure on Christians in Sri Lanka who have already suffered dozens of violent attacks this year. Jathika Hela Urumaya, the Buddhist nationalist party in Sri Lanka, plans to present an anti-conversion bill to parliament that could be passed within two weeks. In addition, Sri Lanka’s new Minister of Buddhism announced last week that he will introduce legislation to ban the “deceitful” spreading of the Christian message. The National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka vowed to challenge the bill before the Supreme Court in a bid to stop it from becoming law. Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, who was recently appointed Minister of Buddha Sasana in Sri Lanka’s new government, also confirmed that he would enact the recommendations of the Buddha Sasana Commission, including legislation to create courts presided over by Buddhist monks to settle disputes affecting monks and villagers without involving the police or a court of law. There is concern that if this method is used to resolve disputes, Christians would be denied justice and further marginalized and persecuted.
