Top Buddhist Leader Calls for Anti-Conversion Legislation

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Malwatte Mahanayake, the Venerable Tibbotuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thero
For the first time, the Malwatte Mahanayake, the Venerable Tibbotuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thero, has issued a statement calling for the immediate implementation of anti-conversion legislation in Sir Lanka.  According to an April 26 news release from the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL), the Mahanayake warned that Buddhists are being converted to other religions "at an unprecedented rate" and said that the matter must dealt with urgently.

These words, from a man carrying a position of great influence in the country, comes as the second reading of the Buddhist JHU Party's "Prohibition of Forcible Conversions" Bill appears slated for May 6.

Pray that this and other anti-conversion legislation being proposed in Sri Lanka will be rejected.  We encourage Christians to write to Sri Lankan authorities, expressing their concern.  Contact information, as well as a copy of the proposed legislation, can be found at www.srilankanchristians.com.

The Voice of the Martyrs has produced a 35-minute documentary, "Faith Under Fire: Sri Lanka," filmed on location in Sri Lanka.  The video can be purchased from our website.  Excerpts can be viewed in the Video section of our multimedia website, www.vomcanada.com.

For more information on the persecution of Christians in Sri Lanka, click here.

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  • Country Information

    Population
    23,326,272 (2023 est.)

    Ethnicity (%)
    Sinhalese (74.9), Sri Lankan Tamil (11.2), Sri Lankan Moors (9.2), Indian Tamil (4.2), other (0.5)

    Religion (%)
    Buddhism (70.2), Hinduism (12.6), Islam (9.7), Roman Catholic (6.1), Evangelical Christianity (2.0)

    Leader
    Ranil Wickremesinghe (July 2022)

    Government type
    Presidential republic

    Legal system
    Mixed legal system of Roman-Dutch civil law, English common law, and Jaffna Tamil customary law

    Source: CIA World Factbook

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