While condemning the statement made by Colombo’s Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith on Sunday, Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) General Secretary Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero said the Cardinal had become a double agent allowing to support the ongoing religious extremism and to feed them.
While addressing an event in Nuwara Eliya, he requested the Colombo’s Archbishop not to become a double agent and to be patient until the government takes action.
The Cardinal made these remarks during the unveiling of a monument constructed at General Cemetery in Borella, on Sunday in memory of nine persons, who died in the Easter Sunday in 2019 attacks and buried at the cemetery.
Colombo’s Archbishop claimed that the brutal attacks on Easter Sunday in 2019 was unleashed by a group that tried to consolidate their political power by using religious extremism as a tool.
“We should take immediate actions to defeat the religious extremism. If Cardinal has issues with the Government or with the President, he should discuss those issues with them personally. But should keep in mind not to support to grow the religious extremism in the country,” he said.
“After the Easter attack, we considered about the human community, not their religion and their language. We are fighting to defeat extremism coming in the name of Islam against humanity. The Cardinal should give support to our effort,” he said.
“The details relating to all these extremist organisations have already been given to the defence units and it will take a considerable time to implement because this is an issue with the human lives. It is very hard to identify extremists from the Muslim community. However, we should complete that task to protect the traditional Muslim community in the country,” Ven. Gnanasara Thero said.
“The Colombo’s Archbishop is now in a situation of forcing the government for immediate solutions while changing his standard day by day like a chameleon,” Ven. Thero said.
He requested Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith to act with more responsibility as a religious leader. The Government will make the right decision to uproot the extremism from the country. For that it will take a considerable time, the Thero added.
