No racial, religious hatred in Lanka, says president

Mahinda Rajapakse:  “Government wants to promote racial and religious harmony through religious teachings.”

Agencies /Colombo

President Mahinda Rajapakse has claimed that there was no racial or religious hatred in Sri Lanka.

Rajapakse’s comments came a day after the main Muslim-minority party Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) expressed dismay over a hate campaign unleashed by an extremist group targeting the Muslim community.

Addressing a Buddhist religious gathering in Colombo, the president said that his government wants to promote racial and religious harmony through religious teachings.

SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem’s statement on Sunday was a reference to a Sinhala-majority extremist group, Sihala Ravaya’s attempt to attack a department store owned by Muslims in the Colombo suburb of Maharagama.

Hakeem who is the minister of justice, called for action to nip the anti-Muslim campaign in the bud.

Muslims constitute over 7% of the island’s 20mn plus population.