Colombo, March 25 (Ada Derana): All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama (ACJU), the top-most Islamic body in Sri Lanka has requested Muslim women to remove their face veil for identification purposes when there is a security check.
Meanwhile, the Minister for Muslim Affairs M.H.A. Haleem announced that there would be no Jumma (Friday) prayers tomorrow in any mosque in the country in view of the tense political situation.
Reacting to the demand for a ban on the burqa especially the face veil the the All Ceylon Jamiyathul Ulema told the media here on Thursday that considering the situation of emergency and the security of the country, it requests Muslim women to cooperate and identify themselves and remove their face veil whenever it is necessary.
“Do not create any situation where others will feel threatened. We request them to carry their identification and cooperate with security officials, “ the ACJU said.
Sri Lanka’s main Islamic clerics’ association stated that they vehemently condemn the Easter Sunday bombings and added that no Muslim should accept the bodies of the dead suicide bombers.
“Those who are responsible for this attack must be brought before the law and given maximum punishment,” the ACJU said.
“There is no place for terrorism in Islam. The Muslims of Sri Lanka condemn all forms of violence, extremism, and terrorism. The Muslims clearly wish to emphasize that in the history of Sri Lankan Muslims nobody has ever taken part in such a violent act in the past.”
Bodies Will Not Be Accepted
The ACJU said that Muslims will not accept the bodies of the suicide bombers.
“Those who committed the barbaric attack on innocent civilians do not belong to us. Hence we categorically state that we will not accept their bodies. They have not done any good on behalf of us.”
Statement Against Islamic State
The ACJU pointed out that the ACJU and Muslim organizations under ACJU issued a joint declaration against the ISIS on 22nd July 2015.
“It should be noted that since the declaration was made the ACJU and other Muslim organizations have been continuously informing the defense authorities and requested them to take necessary action against the individuals who hold extremist ideologies,” the ACJU said.
The Eastern Muslim community had alerted the police about one individual behind Sunday’s attacks.
“They had even have gone to the extent of holding protests demanding the arrest of the person.”
Offers Protection To Christian Services
Furthermore, the ACJU said that it wants Christian to carry out their religious activities on Sunday at the churches as usual and that they, the ACJU, would provide the necessary security.
“If the Christian and Catholic communities do not feel safe to visit churches, the ACJU will support efforts to carry out their religious activity at safer places,” it added.
They will be writing to the Archbishop Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith with this regard, they further said.
