Release International

Sri Lankan churches are urging Christians worldwide to lobby the Government in Colombo against an anti-conversion Bill which could become law imminently.

Next month, Parliament is to vote on a Bill that would make it illegal to forcibly convert someone to another religion. A simple majority vote would make the Bill law – and threaten to make life even tougher for Christians in Sri Lanka.

Church leaders claim the Bill is loosely worded and fear that it would be misused to harass Christians and limit church work, including charity programmes. Christians have already been attacked and accused of 'forcible conversion' over activities such as distributing relief aid after the 2004 tsunami. They make up less than 7 per cent of the population in Sri Lanka, a mainly Buddhist country.

The Bill proposes a penalty of up to five years in jail and a hefty fine for anyone involved in illegal conversion. The penalty rises to seven years in jail if the person converted is a minor, a woman or someone who falls into a number of other broad categories.

Now the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL), a partner of Release, is calling on Christians across the world to pray against the Bill – and to write to the Sri Lankan authorities calling for it to be dropped (see below).
 
'It is our gravest concern that enactment of this law will result in legalised harassment and victimisation of innocent citizens who profess the Christian faith,' says Godfrey Yogarajah, General Secretary of the NCEASL.

The 'Prohibition of forcible conversion of religion' Bill, now awaiting its third reading, was first proposed in July 2004 by the hard-line Buddhist National Heritage Party (JHU). It has been hotly contested by Christian and civil rights groups ever since. NCEASL was one of several organisations that challenged the original Bill in the Supreme Court in 2004, prompting amendments to two clauses judged to be unconstitutional.

(Sources: BBC, Christian Today, CIA World Factbook, NCEASL)

Act:  Write to the Sri Lankan High Commissioner in London expressing polite concern about the proposed anti-conversion Bill being considered by Parliament. A sample letter is attached to this Prayer Alert. Write to: His Excellency S. S. Ganegama Arachchi, Acting High Commissioner, 13 Hyde Park Gardens, London W2 2LU. Email: mail@slhc-london.co.uk  Please do not mention Release International in your letter. To view a copy of the anti-conversion section of the Bill, go to www.persecution.net/download/lk-legislation.pdf

Pray:   Pray that the Sri Lankan church will stand firm in its faith and thrive under pressure. Pray that the proposed anti-conversion Bill will be derailed, even at this late stage.

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