Advertisement
This Article is From May 04, 2019

Madrasas Should Be Under Religious And Cultural Ministry: Sri Lanka PM

Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam said PM Wickremesinghe has stressed the need for the Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs Ministry to look into the regulation of Madrasas.

Madrasas Should Be Under Religious And Cultural Ministry: Sri Lanka PM
Nine suicide bombers carried out a series of blasts in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday. (File)
Colombo:

Madrasas in Sri Lanka should be regulated by the Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs Ministry and not by the Education Ministry, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has said, days after the country's worst terror attack killed over 250 people.

Authorities are on high-alert after nine suicide bombers carried out a series of blasts that tore through three churches and three luxury hotels on the Easter Sunday on April 21, killing 253 people and injuring about 500.

The ISIS terror group claimed the attacks, but the government has blamed local Islamist extremist group National Thowheeth Jamaath (NTJ) for the attacks.

Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam said PM Wickremesinghe has stressed the need for the Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs Ministry to look into the regulation of Madrasas.

"The Prime Minister wanted the Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs Ministry to deal so as to prevent any controversy," Mr Kariyawasam was quoted as saying by Daily Mirror newspaper.

Earlier, Mr Kariyawasam had said the Education Ministry would take steps to regulate them.

Some 800 Foreign Islamic clerics were engaged in religious teaching at Madrasas, Megapolis and Western Development Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said, adding that they had arrived on tourist visas and therefore should be deported.

Sri Lanka has a population of 21 million which is a patchwork of ethnicities and religions, dominated by the Sinhalese Buddhist majority.

Muslims account for 10 per cent of the population and are the second-largest minority after Hindus. Around seven per cent of Sri Lankans are Christians.

Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world

Follow us:
Previous Article
Israel PM Netanyahu Vows "Merciless Strikes" On Hezbollah, Including Beirut
Madrasas Should Be Under Religious And Cultural Ministry: Sri Lanka PM
Ratan Tata, Global Business Icon Who Led Tatas To Over 100 Countries, Dies At 86
Next Article
Ratan Tata, Global Business Icon Who Led Tatas To Over 100 Countries, Dies At 86
Listen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.com