We received and published the following letter.
Your Excellency,
We understand that a bill entitled ‘Prohibition of forcible conversions’ aimed at restricting religious conversion and religious activity, is to be presented for debate and voting in the Parliament of Sri Lanka in the very near future.
Such legislation, however well intended, will only succeed in creating a climate of religious disharmony. Quite simply, this law will extinguish freedom of religion, expression, and association for all Sri Lankans. ‘Unethical conversions’ are, at best, materialistic enterprises and not genuine conversions. Such acts are a matter of concern to people of all religions and we do not condone such acts.
However, we believe that this proposed legislation will harm, not protect, the freedom of religion of the Sri Lankan people. This anti-conversion bill is overbroad and targets all religious conversions, not just ‘unethical conversions.’ This law not only contradicts Articles 10 and 14 of the Constitution of Sri Lanka, but also violates Sri Lanka’s obligations under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Sri Lanka already has laws in force against assault, false imprisonment, blackmail, defamation, and fraud – which are the true problems of ‘unethical’ conversions. Anti-conversion laws, such as the proposed bill, are easily abused by lower officials and used to harass and persecute minority religious groups or to settle petty personal disputes.
We would also like to remind Your Excellency of the public pledge you made last year on February 20 at a roundtable event in Washington, DC. At that event, you stated that your government would ensure that the proposed anti-conversion laws would never "see the light of day."
We respectfully call upon your Excellency’s government to uphold this pledge and to desist from the use of legislation as a weapon against the exercise of freewill and religious freedom of all citizens.
We are indeed aware of the difficult task that you and your Government are called to, in resolving the ethnic conflict and ushering in peace and prosperity in Sri Lanka. We are confident that you and your government will also give due diligence to the protection of the rights of religious minorities and ensure that the fundamental rights of all citizens will be guaranteed.
We thank you in advance for your attention to our request and wish you and your government well in the difficult task of fair administration.
Yours sincerely and respectfully,
Ann Buwalda
Executive Director, Jubilee Campaign USA
————————————————————————————————————————–
Please pray that the Lord would intervene at this time and contact the Sri Lankan embassy and the Leader of the Opposition voicing your concern. Encourage your Church / organization / friends to write in.
Please make a phone call, send a fax, or send an email depending on your capabilities throughout the day. Sample letters to the Sri Lankan officials can be found below.
Contact Information:
His Excellency Jaliya Wickramasuriya
Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the U.S.
2148 Wyoming Avenue NW
Washington DC 20008
slembassy@slembassyusa.org
consular@slembassyusa.org (for consular matters)
H. E. Mahinda Rajapaksa
President of Sri Lanka
Presidential Secretariat,
Secretariat Building,
Colombo 1
Sri Lanka
Fax 94-1-2333703 or 94-1-2777204
E-mail – president@presidentsoffice.lk
Hon. Ranil Wickremesinghe
Leader of the Opposition
Office of the Opposition Leader
Cambridge Place,
Colombo 7
Sri Lanka
Fax – 94-1-2777257
E-mail – leaderop@sltnet.lk
Your Excellency,
We understand that a bill entitled ‘Prohibition of forcible conversions’ aimed at restricting religious conversion and religious activity, is to be presented for debate and voting in the Parliament of Sri Lanka in the very near future.
Such legislation, however well intended, will only succeed in creating a climate of religious disharmony. Quite simply, this law will extinguish freedom of religion, expression, and association for all Sri Lankans. ‘Unethical conversions’ are, at best, materialistic enterprises and not genuine conversions. Such acts are a matter of concern to people of all religions and we do not condone such acts.
However, we believe that this proposed legislation will harm, not protect, the freedom of religion of the Sri Lankan people. This anti-conversion bill is overbroad and targets all religious conversions, not just ‘unethical conversions.’ This law not only contradicts Articles 10 and 14 of the Constitution of Sri Lanka, but also violates Sri Lanka’s obligations under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Sri Lanka already has laws in force against assault, false imprisonment, blackmail, defamation, and fraud – which are the true problems of ‘unethical’ conversions. Anti-conversion laws, such as the proposed bill, are easily abused by lower officials and used to harass and persecute minority religious groups or to settle petty personal disputes.
We would also like to remind Your Excellency of the public pledge you made last year on February 20 at a roundtable event in Washington, DC. At that event, you stated that your government would ensure that the proposed anti-conversion laws would never "see the light of day."
We respectfully call upon your Excellency’s government to uphold this pledge and to desist from the use of legislation as a weapon against the exercise of freewill and religious freedom of all citizens.
We are indeed aware of the difficult task that you and your Government are called to, in resolving the ethnic conflict and ushering in peace and prosperity in Sri Lanka. We are confident that you and your government will also give due diligence to the protection of the rights of religious minorities and ensure that the fundamental rights of all citizens will be guaranteed.
We thank you in advance for your attention to our request and wish you and your government well in the difficult task of fair administration.
Yours sincerely and respectfully,
Ann Buwalda
Executive Director, Jubilee Campaign USA
His Excellency Jaliya Wickramasuriya
Ambassador of Sri Lanka
2148 Wyoming Avenue NW
Washington DC 20008
OR
H. E. Mahinda Rajapaksa
President of Sri Lanka
Presidential Secretariat,
Secretariat Building,
Colombo 1
Sri Lanka
Dear Ambassador Wickramsuriya,
I have received word that an anti-conversion bill will likely pass in February when it goes up for its third reading since 2004. The passage of an anti-conversion bill has serious implications for religious minorities and for the freedom of religious expression and choice for all people of Sri Lanka and must be stopped.
If vulnerable and poor people are forced to convert in order to receive certain resources or aid from religious groups, this is not to be taken lightly and merits investigation based on unethical behavior. However, passing a law that would ultimately deny the right for a person to choose to convert is morally and legally unacceptable because of the negative effects it will have on many upstanding citizens of Sri Lanka and in contravention of universally accepted religious freedom standards.
The people of Sri Lanka should have the freedom to convert without fear of police intervention, discrimination or oppression. The draft bill which proposes to summarily try anyone accused of attempting to cause forcible conversion is vaguely written and will stifle acts of charitable kindness. Proposed punishments of imprisonment for a term up to five years and fines up to Rs. 150,000 are harsh and draconian. These punishments could be very easily manipulated to promote the demise of religious minorities.
Please take a stand with your government today and ask Parliament not to pass this bill. A timely response is necessary. We have seen these anti-conversion laws used against religious minorities in many countries, including India, Pakistan, Iran, and Sudan, to justify killings, torture, and persecution. Please work diligently to promote religious freedom for your people and use the law to promote the tolerance of all beliefs.
Sincerely and Respectfully,
Ann Buwalda
Executive Director, Jubilee Campaign USA