Flouting laws?: Sri Lanka orders 161 foreign clerics out

The visiting clerics are mostly Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Indian, Maldivian and Arab.

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka has ordered a group of 161 foreign clerics to leave the country, for flouting visa regulations by preaching to pockets of Muslims around the country, an official said.

“We have ordered them to leave the country by January 31. They have violated immigration laws. A tourist visa is to have a holiday or visit friends and family and not to preach Islam,” said Controller of Immigration and Emigration Chulananda Perera, adding that authorities had gathered contact details and informed the clerics about the government’s position on their visa status and stay in the country.

The visiting clerics who were mostly Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Indian, Maldivian and Arab – representing Tablighi Jamat – arrived in Sri Lanka last month in small batches.

Perera said he acted on several complaints by the Muslim community that the clerics were not preaching the moderate Islam practiced on the Buddhist-dominated island.

“Foreign clerics wishing to preach Islam in Sri Lanka, must first apply for permission through the religious affairs authorities,” Perera said.

The emigration chief went on to state that the visitors were involved in religious teachings of Islam in several parts of the country, and also established their headquarters  in Kotahena.

Meanwhile, the Governor of the Western Province and a veteran Sri Lankan political leader Alavi Moulana said that even though he was aware of the group, he believed them to be harmless and apolitical.

“The main purpose of the group was to visit the underprivileged segment of the Muslim population and further propagate the Islamic faith,” Alavi claimed, adding that he had no idea as to why their visas had been cancelled, adding that he assumed that it was due to security reasons.

Officials from Tablighi Jamat said that no reason had been given for the cancellation of the visas, adding that they also believed that the cancellation had been made on security grounds.

(Additional input from wires)

Published in The Express Tribune, January 23^rd,  2012.