SRI LANKA
The Srilankan government bans social media following attack on Mosque in Chilaw.
The New Leam Staff
The government of Sri Lanka has imposed temporary ban on some social media network and messaging app. The ban is a result of the violence that erupted in Chilaw town of Sri Lanka. The violence blew after a Facebook post written by a Muslim man that read “Don’t laugh more, one day you will cry” went viral on social media.
The post, apparently affected the religious sentiments of the Christian majority of the state. People of the Christian community attacked the shops of Muslim shopkeepers in Chilaw, stone pelting took place inside the mosque and on the busy streets of the town. The incident took place on Sunday, 12th May 2019, when Abdul Hameed Mohamed Hasmar, a shopkeeper in Chilaw showcased his opinion on the social media platform Facebook.
The post on Facebook was considered as a warning for the Christian majorities and hence they resorted to violence. It was last month only, on the Easter day when a terrorist group bombed three churches in Srilanka, which killed approximately 200 people in the country majorly Christians.
Since then the country is living under the threat of terror and attacks, after the incident the state government banned the use of Hijab and Niqab (head scarf used by Muslim women to cover their face) in public. And now this attack on the basis of suspicion has intensified the safety and security of the state.
However, Srilankan police have informed that the Facebook post was immediately taken down and the man who wrote the post has also been arrested by the police.
The Police also informed that the mob attacked the mosque and vandalized the nearby shops. Although there were no reported casualties but the town remained under Kurfew until Monday morning. Srilankan police also took to open air firing to control the mob on Sunday.
The Police have indentified the mob and arrested them from Kurnegala district, the nearing town to Chilaw, for their alleged involvement in the attack.
Following Monday morning, 13th May 2019, the city will witness a temporary ban on the use of social media and messaging apps.
The state officials of Srilanka have defended the ban in favor of the security of the country. The country is on high alert after the Easter bombing, the director of information and broadcasting gave a statement to the media saying that the ban is imposed keeping in mind the terror threat in the country.
Although Islamic groups and human rights groups like the Amnesty International have condemned the ban stating it to be an unnecessary attack on the Muslim minorities of the state. Islamic groups have claimed that they have been receiving innumerable complains form various Muslims of the state saying that they are being attacked or harassed after the Easter bombing.
The Islamic groups have claimed that the attacks are unnecessary and it just shows the failure of the state to get hold of the militants who actually carried out the attack.
Banning social media and banning “Hijab” is nothing but a threat to the minority religion of the state, as claimed by the Islamist group.
