WASHINGTON, DC, USA, February 14, 2008: [HPI note: Reacting to proselytizing practices of missionaries, the Sri Lankan government has in the works a law to prevent conversions by “force, fraud or allurement.” HPI often receives news of unethical practices by missionaries. Some representatives of the U.S. government are opposing the measures.]
Members of Congress are calling on the ambassador of Sri Lanka to urge his government to defeat a bill that would criminalize attempts to convert citizens of the South Asian nation from one religion to another.
The bill, titled “Prohibition of Forcible Conversion,” is supported by the Buddhist National Heritage Party, which is a minor partner in the ruling coalition. The measure would impose fines up to $4,425 and prison terms of up to seven years for religious activists convicted of using “force, fraud or allurement” to convert others to their beliefs.
The Sri Lanka Constitution recognizes Buddhism, practiced by more than 70 percent of the population of about 20 million, as the “foremost” religion, but also guarantees religious liberty to other faiths.
Christian missionaries in Sri Lanka feel threatened by the proposed legislation. “Our missionaries only want to share the love of Christ with the people of Sri Lanka,” K.P. Yohannan, president of the missionary group, Gospel for Asia, told MNN.