Source: Barnabas Aid, September 16, 2013
Christian leaders from Sri Lanka have asked supporters to join them in prayer as their churches face a mounting threat from Buddhist extremists. In the latest wave of incidents, police asked at least seven churches to close on Sunday, September 8 because of threats from Buddhists.
At one of the churches, in Meegoda, Colombo district, 30-40 Christians had gathered for prayer when a mob led by three Buddhist monks forced their way into the premises.
One of the monks hit the pastor over the head with a guitar until the instrument broke and the pastor was knocked unconscious. His mother tried to intervene but was herself beaten by some members of the mob.
The congregation was told that it was a Buddhist village, and the mob demanded that their prayer meetings stop immediately.
Churches are being told by the authorities that they must obtain permission from the Buddhist and Religious Affairs Ministry, even though religious groups are not officially required to register with the state in Sri Lanka. This is proving extremely problematic for Evangelical and Pentecostal churches, because they are not recognized by the Buddhist and Religious Affairs Ministry.
So far this year, there have been 45 anti-Christian incidents. Many of them have involved church gatherings being attacked but pastors and individuals have also been targeted.