Impasse in Grandpass

Monday, 12 August 2013 01:41 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

nPresident revokes UDA order; returns old mosque to Muslims says Minister Ranawaka

Attacked mosque on Swarna Chaithya Road to be closed following discussions
Curfew re-imposed in Grandpass till 6 a.m. today
Area remains tense after mobs clashed again on Sunday evening
Heavy police, STF and riot police guard in Grandpass following clashes
At least 12 injured in clashes since Saturday
US says latest violence is ‘troubling’

By Dharisha Bastians Unable to contain clashes and tension in Grandpass following the attack on a Muslim prayer centre in the area, Police imposed a 12-hour curfew for the second consecutive night, even as a high-level meeting concluded at the Religious Affairs Ministry late last evening with a compromise on the issue.

The Government has agreed to return the old Molawatte mosque to Muslim devotees and has promised to cut down a Bo tree near the premises to allow an expansion following the crucial meeting. Fresh clashes erupted in the highly tense area in the Swarna Chaithya Road in Grandpass last afternoon between Buddhist and Muslim mobs. The Masjid was attacked on Saturday night during Maghrib or sunset prayers, by mobs reportedly led by Buddhist monks, residents in the area said. The attacks prompted an angry response from mobs of Muslim youth who marched the streets to prevent further assaults on their place of worship. At least 12 people were injured in the clashes on Saturday night, including an Imam from the area. Several more injuries were reported from the area following clashes last evening. Several houses were also damaged in the area. The damaged mosque has had its front gates completely removed and police ushered in CEB officials last afternoon to attend to a major wiring problem in the premises resulting from the attack. Police and Special Task Force commandos were deployed to restore calm in the area. Riot police units and trucks were also stationed in the area throughout Sunday. The security forces placed a tight cordon on the besieged Masjid and refused to allow entry to Buddhist mobs or permit Muslim prayers in the premises yesterday. Angry Muslim residents swarmed Minister Rishad Bathiudeen and Deputy Minister Faiszer Mustapha when they arrived on the scene at noon yesterday, demanding why no Government ministers had appeared on Saturday night when the mosque was being attacked. The crowds told the Ministers’ aides that the mobs were trying to recreate a Babri Masjid situation in Grandpass, referring to the sectarian violence in Ayodhya, India in 1992. Minister Champika Ranawaka had visited the Buddhist temples and spoken to Sinhalese residents in the area, residents said. The Grandpass Masjid was relocated to 158, Swarna Chaithya Road in Grandpass after the old Molawatte mosque at 166, Swarna Chaithya Road was acquired by the Urban Development Authority for development projects. By letter dated 8 August 2013, the Ministry of Buddhasasana and Religious Affairs authorised the relocated Masjid at No. 158, Swarna Chaithya Road that was stormed on Saturday. The Ravana Balaya and Buddhist temples in the area have objected to the relocated premises. Buddhist monks are accusing Muslim leaders of conducting prayers inside the Masjid that they originally claimed would only be a storage facility. “It is only the storage facility that has been damaged in the attack. The mosque is perfectly fine. Everyone is referring to the mosque coming under attack. There was no mosque there – it was only a storage facility,” the Chief Monk at the Gnananda Dhamma School Metarandha Dhammananda told reporters. But area Muslims say the attack took place during evening prayers and assert that the new premises that was damaged in the Saturday onslaught was an authorised prayer centre. “We are not terrorists. All we were doing was praying. This is not a bar or a brothel. This is only a place of worship. How does it harm any group? How is our presence there causing harm to anyone?” Grandpass resident Nawaz Khan told Daily FT. The two mosques are literally metres apart on the narrow lane. About 400 Muslim families worship at the new three-storey premises that were only constructed one month ago after the old Molawatte mosque was acquired by the UDA following protests by hard-line groups. Following the clashes, the US Embassy in Colombo urged restraint on all sides and said the latest incident was “troubling” in light of a number of recent attacks against the Muslim community in Sri Lanka. “Targeting any place of worship should never be permitted and we urge calm from all sides. We call for prosecution of perpetrators in this attack and an end to religious-based violence. The right of all Sri Lankans to practice the religion of their choice should be protected,” the Embassy said in a statement issued yesterday. The Grandpass incident was the latest in a surge of attacks against Muslim places of worship over the past year. The incident marks the first time that Muslim residents in the area have retaliated against the violence. The Sri Lanka Muslim Council says over 20 mosques have been attacked by mobs in the country over the past few months.

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