“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 23rd, 2012.
COMMENTS (15)
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this news just brought a big smile on my face !!
these mullahs will first preach islam, then convert people (which I don't mind) but finally they will say "You are a Muslim first, then Srilankan"... such moves are detrimental to national integrity !!
@zafar: Tablig Jammat is a group of best people in the world and working for world peace
And since they've brought so much peace to Pakistan, please keep them at home so Pakistan stays at this same level of peace.
Sri Lanka did the right thing.
Sri lanka is a moderate country with immense sense of tolerance. One non-muslim country which has "public holiday for Eid ul Fitr and Eid milad un Nabi (PBUH). I see it as a huge sign of tolerance for respecting just 7.5% of muslims in their country. There has to be a sound reason why they took this step. Furthermore, how many of pakistanis and so called scholars will like it if bunch of some 160 Buddhist Clerics come to Pakistan on tourist or visit visa and start preaching their faith to serve the under served less than 1% buddhist community in Pakistan?????? No a tough question to answer...!
When will Pakistan take similar steps?
the muslim population complained that they were not preaching moderate islam, on the other hand where anyone from anywhere and anybody can preach anything about extremism without considering the values of local population.
Law of any country should honor when you are there.
Zafar : "Tablig Jammat is a group of best people in the world" It is a pity that they dont understand what they should and should not do based on the visa granted to them. Why cant they apply for the right type of visa ? Dont whinge.
good job,sri lanka's future is secured.
Very Good & Intelligent LAW .
This is fulish step taken by srilankan govt Tablig Jammat is a group of best people in the world and working for world peace
Good to see that rule of law prevails in Sri Lanka, where foreign clerics have been asked to leave due to flouting their visit visas. The system begins to rot if things are not addressed properly in the early stages, in Pakistan's case the system is rotten toe to head and it ends where the highest profile terrorists like UBL, Mullah Baradar and his likes are found taking refuge very conveniently and in the process make Pakistan an epicenter of terrorism.
Tabhlighis are pretty much harmless but well I suppose the law is the law.
Thats not a goodwill gesture dear Sri Lankans......... Even I can say that Tablighi Jamat's ppl would never ever ask ppl to overthrow ur governments..............