Anti-Conversion Legislation Referred to Committee

11 May 2005 0 minutes read

Proposed anti-conversion legislation was presented to the Sri Lankan Parliament on May 6 for second reading and has been referred to a Standing Committee. Under Sri Lankan parliamentary procedure, the bill can be referred to committee in its entirety or selected clauses can be referred. According to a report from the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL), it is unclear at this point which clauses have been adopted by parliament. Following committee evaluation and possible amendments, the law goes back to the Parliament for final reading and a vote.

This proposed legislation, "Prohibition of Forcible Conversion of Religion," was presented to the Parliament by the opposition Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) party; a party composed of Buddhist monks. Parts of the proposed legislation were rejected in January by the Supreme Court as being unconstitutional. Since it was presented to Parliament without amendment, constitutional amendments will be required to pass the legislation.

Pray for the Church in Sri Lanka as they work to defeat this legislation. Pray that the freedom to worship and practice all aspects of religion will be respected in Sri Lanka.

For more information on the difficulties facing Christians in Sri Lanka, click here. Video reports on Sri Lanka can be viewed on VOM's multimedia website, www.vomcanada.com.

Sri Lanka

Current Ministry Projects
VOMC supports persecuted Christians in Sri Lanka as they witness for Christ in hostile environments through Biblical training, legal aid, and advocacy, as well as rehabilitation and emergency assistance.

Project Funds: Equipping the Saints, Legal Defence, Relief & Development, Families of Martyrs
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
Pray for Sri Lanka
Let's unite our hearts in prayer for those in Sri Lanka who are being persecuted for their faith, thanking God for what He is accomplishing despite the opposition. Ask that His people will be encouraged, strengthened and equipped by the promises of the Bible – the Sword of the Spirit – knowing that He is watching over His Word to perform it (Ephesians 6:17; Jeremiah 1:12). May they not only overcome the strategies of the enemy, but also serve as effective witnesses to those in need of eternal salvation and deliverance from spiritual captivity.