ACJU condemns performance of religious activities congregationally; spread of rumours

The All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama (ACJU) in a statement yesterday strongly condemned the performance of congregational religious activities carried out in few areas of the country, in spite of the Government ban on public gatherings in an effort to curtail the spread of the new coronavirus within the country.

It said the Wakf Board, the Department of Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs, and the ACJU have been providing continuous guidance to the Muslim community with regard to not observing religious activities in the Masjids and requesting strict avoidance of any public gatherings even the Jumu’ah and daily congregational prayers, from the onset of COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka.

«It is most unfortunate to note that few irresponsible individuals have acted in an irresponsible manner by disregarding the repeatedly emphasized instructions and guidelines given by the authorities to curb the spreading of this dangerous disease. We wish to reiterate that disobeying the laws of the country is against the teachings of Islam and engaging in such activity which endangers the lives of other innocent people would never be tolerated under any circumstances,» the ACJU statement said.

It commended the prompt action taken by the Wakf Board to suspend the current board of trustees of the concerned mosque.

«We strongly urge the law enforcement authorities to take stern legal action against all those who violate the law regardless of race or religion. Furthermore, these isolated incidents should not be associated with the religion or to the entire community, as it is evident that these are negligent activities of few ignorant individuals who have not abided by the laws of the country,» ACJU said.

«Moreover, such incidents should be reported in the media in a responsible and ethical manner, ensuring to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings being portrayed among the communities which may lead to racial disharmony and disrupt the national peace building process among the communities,» it added.

Hence, ACJU requested the law enforcement authorities to take stern action against those who spread false information and promoting hatred among the communities of our motherland.

ACJU said while the entire world was seeking all possible safety measures, it commended and appreciated the appropriate precautionary programs exercised by the Government to combat the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

«We earnestly request the Muslim community to sincerely cooperate and abide by the law and order of the country and to show support in all possible ways to overcome this challenging period successfully,» the ACJU said in its statement.