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Battle against proposed anti-conversion legislation
Friday, 22 July 2005 - 8:03 AM SL Time
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Christian Affairs Minister Milroy Fernando is convinced that all Catholic MPs would oppose the proposed anti-conversion legislation irrespective of their political differences.
`This is something we should not disagree on`, Fernando said.
He said that they (UPFA MPs) would continue to oppose the proposed legislation. According to him, President Chandrika Kumaratunga authorised them to freely express their views on the hotly debated issue. `We will be free to vote against the so called Anti-Conversion Bill if it is presented in Parliament,` he said.
The minister said that Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar and Commerce Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle joined him in opposing the proposed legislation at the Cabinet.
He said that they totally oppose, what he termed, the JHU Bill. Although the government too had discussed the possibility of tabling its own Bill, Fernando is convinced that there was no need to introduce anti-conversion legislation.
He acknowledged that they assured the Catholic Church of their unwavering commitment to fight the proposed legislation.
He is convinced that the UNP leadership, too, would not prevent Catholic MPs from opposing the proposed legislation. Former Christian Affairs Minister John Amaratunga is believed to vociferous in his protests.
Archbishop of Colombo Rt. Rev. Oswald Gomis is believed to have urged UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe not to support the proposed legislation.
The Island learns that the UNP leadership, too, is opposed to the proposed legislation and is calling for the setting up of a high powered inter-religious committee to tackle contentious issues.
The Catholic Church wants the people to oppose the proposed law as it would pave the way for unprecedented religious persecution. Leaflets were distributed among the congregation last Sunday at St. Anne`s Church in Kurana calling on the Catholics to defy. According to the Parish priest, leaflets were distributed in churches in the Negombo area. In his sermon, the priest explained the need for them to collectively oppose the proposed legislation.
Political sources said that the government and the UNP were under international pressure not to give in to hardliners.
In a document on international religious freedom, presented to the UN Commission on Human Rights, The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) said that the Anti-Conversion Bill - presented by the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) Party to Sri Lanka`s Parliament in July 2004 -had as its stated aim, to promote Buddhism within Sri Lanka. The Constitutionality of the Bill was challenged last year in Sri Lanka`s Supreme Court, which found two sections of the proposed legislation to be unconstitutional. If enacted, the legislation would have contradicted the freedom of religion guarantee in Article 10 of the Constitution.
`It intends to prohibit the conversion of a person from one religion to another,` the global ministry stated in its report. `They propose penalties, including fines or jail sentences, for anyone convicted of conversion or assisting in conversion.`
The WEA reports that even if these proposed Bills are not passed, the Minister of Buddha Sasana (Buddhist Affairs) is expected to table a Government Bill, with Cabinet support, which would effectively ban all religious conversions.
According to the ministry, violence against Christians has increased dramatically in the last two years, the exact period that anti-conversion legislation was proposed in Sri Lanka.
Minister Milroy Fernando said that they (Catholic MPs) would not support any Bill.
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Pera
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22 Jul 2005 04:28:48 GMT Report for Abuse
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Minister Milroy F,
May I ask where you wife is sir???
Someone told me that she is serving a Life imprisnment for murdering your mistress and her maid!!
What a man to hold the portfolio of Minister of Christian affairs. Christian AFFAIRS....ha ha |
piranha
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22 Jul 2005 12:15:04 GMT Report for Abuse
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Pera,
Laugh as loud as you like. You are nothing but a pathetic narrow minded Buddhist chauvinist. At last you have shown your true colours. What has Milroy Fernando's wife did got to do with his religion.
Gladly you belong to the chauvinist Sinhala Buddhist minority. |
KURAL
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22 Jul 2005 12:21:34 GMT Report for Abuse
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Let's do and see this fundamentalist buddhists.
SINHALAS COME HERE, PLS COMMENT THIS ANTI-CONVERSION BILL.
I WANT TO KNOW WHO STILL SUPPORT JHU . |
KURAL
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22 Jul 2005 12:28:41 GMT Report for Abuse
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PERARA,
YEs SRI LANKA IS A STRANGE COUNTRY.
THERE IS A MINISTER FOR EACH RELIGION, good unity...
PERA, THIS SITUATION IS DUE TO THE LACK OF YOUR BUDDHIC FATHER TO SHARE THE POWER.
THIS ANTI CONVERSION LAW HAVE TO SHOW TO ALL COUNTRIES WHO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT SL GOVT, WHAT IS THE CHAUVINISM IN SL..
I DON'T THINK THAT USA UK AND AUSTRALIAN EVANGELIST CHURCH LIKE SUCH LAWS...
DON'T FORGET BROTHERS, EVANGELIST CHURCH HAVE COLONIZED THE WORLD... |
puranappu
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22 Jul 2005 18:46:42 GMT Report for Abuse
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Hi all
anyway,how did this happen.?
if you want to change your religion (that you believe for years)i think,one must have a through knowladge of his own relegion and the one he wants to convert.
that means you dont believe it any more.
do you think that all those converted are trully aware of their new relegion,and that gives all the answers,
i dont think so.
then how it happened.
the only reason is poverty.
so dont bring bills to stop that.
eradicate poverty,then it'll be stopped automatically |
sk63
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22 Jul 2005 19:07:29 GMT Report for Abuse
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I am a Sinhala Buddhist, know enough about my heritage and know very well what Buddhism stands for. As much as I respect my religion I have equal respect to all other religions. In fact that is what Buddhism is all about.
As far as I am concerned, if a Buddhist or a Hindu wishes to convert himself in the face of Evangalists, let them go and convert. It is their wish and I see no reason to introduce a Bill banning it.
I think this sort of bills should not even go to high offices such as Parliament. Now that it has made it there, let the members vote according to their (conscious for a change)! |
anizam
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22 Jul 2005 20:04:40 GMT Report for Abuse
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SK63 - as always you have made a very sensible post.
However, My humble opinion is there has to be some sort of controll over these missionary movements. SOME of those people (NOT ALL OF THEM) would do absultely anything to convert others. People in poor countries like SL are very vulnerable to these missionary groups.
Im an agnositic (meaning i believe in God or a higher power but i dont confirm to one religion) and i have nothing against Christians. However, i just cant condone what some missionary groups do. I see that happening even here. When i was in college i saw with my own eyes, how many international students were taken advantage of due to their financial situation and their vulnerability in a new country....so its not only happening in SL.
I dont know the advantage of this piece of legislation (because i simply have not read it) but there has to be some sort of control. Once again i wish to appologice to anyone if i hurt thier feelings and i did not mean to insult any religion...
thanks |
tigeress19
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22 Jul 2005 20:10:42 GMT Report for Abuse
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Kathir kamar,THE FOX BEHIND THE sheep skin have come out this time.
he should be hit even harder.(he perhaps realising now that he cant no longer make any money with cbk as she will be out of the office by atleast 2006.)
cbk is trying to irritate ranil and hope he doesnt get traped in that fox hole.
by the way im not a ranil fan but he seems to be possesing a good economic view to uplift lanka. |
tigeress19
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22 Jul 2005 20:25:57 GMT Report for Abuse
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| Can any real bhuddist tell me who is dalai lama? |
piranha
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22 Jul 2005 23:23:07 GMT Report for Abuse
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Tigress19,
I bet none of the pseudo Buddhists on this forum will acknowledge the real true Buddhist, the Dalai Lama.
As Prabhakaran said if Sri Lanka had true Buddhists like the Dalai Lama, there won't be a LTTE. |
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