Sri lanka which religion

While some blamed journalistic sensationalism, others noted that the privatised and politicised electronic media play a large role in demonising individuals and groups. Some highlighted the negative role of the media in perpetrating the narrative that Muslim medical professionals were secretly carrying out large-scale sterilisation of Buddhist women.

The role of social media in generating fear through fake news and incitement to violence was noted by many with serious concern. The government shut down some social media platforms during the riots in March and following Easter bombings earlier this year. While all hate speech should be rejected, the likelihood of such speech causing actual violence can depend greatly on the context and the overall climate. A combination of impunity, privilege, scapegoating and exclusion can form a tinderbox of hatred.

Although inciting to discrimination, hostility and violence is criminalised under the ICCPR Act, many argued that the Act was not applied in a manner that would protect minorities against incitement. Arrests under the act are non-bailable for a period of 14 days and signals the seriousness of inciting to violence. However, when the Act is invoked to protect religions or beliefs against criticism or perceived insult, rather than to protect individuals, communities may find themselves even more vulnerable to incitement to discrimination and violence.

While speech that reaches the high threshold of incitement to discrimination, hostility and violence should be criminalised, positive measures that seek to counter hate speech through positive and inclusive speech is equally important. Although there have been many good examples of inclusive speech following Easter bombings that appealed for calm and prevent a backlash against the Muslim community, some of the measures taken appear to have increased stigmatisation of the Muslim community.

A recurrent complaint was the role of the media and social media in fomenting hatred and disinformation, the failure of the police to protect minority communities and the inability to hold perpetrators to account. The recurrence of such episodic violence has fostered a climate of fear amongst Muslim groups and if unaddressed, it is likely to cause an exodus of Muslims from the country.

The long-standing traditions of religious harmony and co-existence in Sri Lanka must be reinforced to address the challenges of the modern context of the country. This is characterised by growing politicisation of religion, polarisation of communities through segregated education based on ethno-religious identity, opening up of under-regulated spaces for communication through privatised electronic media and spread of social media, simmering resentment against perceived majoritarian privilege, growing frustration over capricious law enforcement, and the spread of religious extremism.

The legal protections for freedom of religion or belief, though with some exceptions, reflect the international standards on freedom of religion or belief. The key deficits relate to protections offered to the propagation of religion across faith boundaries and the deficits in the guarantee, in practice, against discrimination, especially for women.

However, the legal protections are undermined by the capricious implementation of the rule of law, especially in regard to the prohibition of incitement to discrimination, hostility and violence, and against actual acts of violence against minority religious communities.

Paradoxically, a provision that may have been designed to preserve good relations and harmony among religious communities, namely the criminalisation of giving offence to religion is not only problematic in terms of the right to freedom of expression, but may also hinder efforts to foster a climate of tolerance by ruling out the possibility to challenge extremist narratives based on religion or belief.

I will formulate detailed recommendations in my final Report, but I wish to conclude my preliminary findings by recommending the following measures, some of which are particularly important to create an enabling environment to exercise fundamental freedoms in the lead up to elections:. Turn on more accessible mode. Turn off more accessible mode. Sinhala version DOC PDF 26 August , Colombo Introduction I am happy to have undertaken, at the invitation of the government of Sri Lanka, a visit from August to assess the situation of the freedom of religion or belief in the country, in my capacity as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief.

Religious landscape and political development According to census, the Sinhalese make up Positive developments in Sri Lanka As noted by the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association in his end of mission statement of his visit to Sri Lanka July 1 , Sri Lanka has taken significant initiatives to strengthen its democracy and rule of law by introducing the nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution in The right to proselytise and conversion As I learned from my interlocutors, the right to proselytise does not appear to be respected or protected in Sri Lanka.

Registration There is moreover a lack of clear guidelines for the registration of religious organisations or places of worship. Education There are also complaints of discrimination at schools where the intake of the students from different religious communities is not based on a fair quota system. Refugees Deficits in the application of the rule of law appears to have significant impact on communities and individuals in vulnerable situations.

Women and gender-based discrimination I received reports that the government refuses to acknowledge the order of Bhikkhuni nuns. Religious extremism and politicisation of religion Following the Easter attack, the media have pointed to the fact that Sri Lanka was a victim of the global trend of Islamist extremism. Ethnic and religious Identity In most of the conversations I had, people often identified themselves as Muslim, Sinhala, or Tamil. Lack of rule of law, accountability and impunity Many complained about the role of the authorities in protecting communities against violence, citing the inability or the unwillingness of the authorities to protect communities against threats and acts of violence.

Role of media and hate speech or campaigns Many complained about the role of the media in promoting hateful narratives towards Muslims and inciting to hostility and discrimination against them.

Conclusion and recommendations for immediate consideration The long-standing traditions of religious harmony and co-existence in Sri Lanka must be reinforced to address the challenges of the modern context of the country.

I will formulate detailed recommendations in my final Report, but I wish to conclude my preliminary findings by recommending the following measures, some of which are particularly important to create an enabling environment to exercise fundamental freedoms in the lead up to elections: The State must prosecute those responsible for violence and incitement to violence, make efforts to dismantle the networks of hate, and facilitate access to justice to victims of hate crimes.

The State should develop systems and mechanisms to monitor and respond to hate speech in conformity the with international human rights standards. The guidance provided by a number of tools developed by the UN system, notably the Rabat Plan of Action on responding to hate speech and the Fez Plan of Action on Responding to Incitement to Mass Atrocity Violence would be valuable for use in training law enforcement officials.

Measurement Wizard Browse concepts used in the study of religion, review how survey researchers measured them in the past, and quickly compare the results of more than 7, survey questions. Data Archive The archive is a collection of surveys, polls, and other data submitted by the foremost scholars and research centers in the world.

Review and analyze data online, or download free of charge. Data Archive. Compare Nations. Compare Regions. Regional Profiles Examine the religious composition, religious freedoms, demographics and multiple social and political measures for 22 global regions and the world. National Profiles Examine the religious composition, religious freedoms, demographics, constitutional clauses, survey findings and multiple social and political measures for nations. GIS Maps View neighborhood maps of congregations and generate a community profile for your area of interest.

Maps View maps of the United States and individual states for hundreds of variables, including congregational membership, census data, crime statistics and many others. Our team of destination experts will start by getting to know you and your unique requirements for your holiday. We work with you to build an ultra-personalised holiday itinerary with your choice of accommodation, experiences and activities. All of our holidays include little extras designed to make a big difference to your trip, from fast-tracking you through airport check-in and security to our network of local concierges.

Winter Holidays. National Holiday February 4: commemoration of Independence January: Thai Pongal. February: Maha Shivaratri. February 4: national holiday. April: Avurudu. April 13 and New Year's Day. May 1: Labour Day.

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History The first inhabitants of the island were most likely the ancestors of the modern hunter-gatherers, the vedda. Policy The President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is elected by universal suffrage for a term of six years, renewable once.

Clarence Wijewardana was a well revered musician who founded the group, the Moonstones in , and is seen as the pioneer of Sri Lankan pop music. After decades of amassing a fortune through stockbroking and publishing, he left the commercial world and became a prominent philanthropist and adventurer, recounting some of his overseas jaunts as a published author; following in the footsteps of his brother, Michael Ondaatje born - a multi-award-winning novelist.

Sirimavo Bandaranaike was the first female head of government in modern history when she was elected Prime Minister in Sri Lanka in Those who identify as Hindu tend to be ethnic Tamils, while those who identify as Muslim are generally Sri Lankan Moors. Christians are typically Burghers. For example, there are some Sri Lankans who identify as Christian that are of Sinhalese or Tamil ethnicity. Moreover, it is common to find the various religions coexisting.

Buddhists may visit Hindu temples to pay homage to the Buddha, and churches may be in close proximity to mosques. Rather, devotion towards the Buddha is akin to the respect a student has for a teacher. Veneration and reverence towards the Buddha is an important principle for followers of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan Buddhist laity has generally accepted a large body of other beliefs and practices that have since been integrated into the Sinhalese interpretation of Theravada Buddhism.

While there is no central Sangha in Sri Lanka, the country is home to a number of monastic orders, each with different styles of discipline and recruitment.