Muslim Council writes to President over visit of Myanmar’s Ven. Ashin Wirathu

The Sri Lanka Muslim Council has written to President Mahinda Rajapaksa opposing the visit of Myanmar’s  Ven. Ashin Wirathu to Sri Lanka to attend Bodu Bala Sena’s Great Sangha Council meeting scheduled for 28 September.

September 25th 2014

His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa,
President,
Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka,
Presidential Secretariat,
Colombo 1.

Your Excellency,

As you are aware, Ven. Ashin Wirathu is the dreaded leader of the 969 Movement in Myanmar. He is also known as the Butcher of the Burmese Muslims. As the leader of the anti-Muslim movement in Myanmar, he has been responsible for hundreds of Muslims murdered by extremist Buddhists.

There are strong rumours that he has been invited by the Bodu Bala Sena to attend their “Great Sangha Council” meeting on the 28th of September 2014.

Time magazine, with Ven. Ashin Wirathu in the cover page branded him as the face of Buddhist terror in Burma. Your Excellency, the presence of such a person who has caused so much violence on the Burmese Muslims would be a real threat to peace and peaceful co-existence in Sri Lanka. Many across the world have accused him of inciting violence against Myanmar’s Muslim minority with fiery sermons claiming that the growth of Islam is putting Buddhism and Burmese culture at risk. His presence and speech at the Sangha Council meeting may incite further violence against the Muslims, similar to the speech of Ven. Galabode Aththe Ganansara Thero’s made in Aluthgama which caused the rioting in Aluthgama and Beruwela in June 2014.

Further, the Government of Sri Lanka faces the possibility of being accused of tacit support to Buddhist extremist groups who are indulging in a hate campaign against minorities in Sri Lanka, if Ven. Ashin Virathu is granted permission to visit the country.
We believe that the nexus between the Bodu Bala Sena and 969 organizations for an anti-Muslim campaign was initiated during the visit of Ven. Gnanasara Thero to Myanmar a few months back.

The Muslim Council of Sri Lanka, on behalf of the Muslim community in Sri Lanka kindly requests your Excellency to ensure that no visa is granted to Ven. Ashin Wirathu to visit Sri Lanka as he would pose a serious threat to peace in our beloved motherland.
Thanking you, Your Excellency for your immediate attention and necessary action.

Yours sincerely,

Hilmy Ahamed

Acting President