CHATURANGA PRADEEP SAMARAWICKRAMA  Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Colombo, March 11 (Daily Mirror) – The Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) today questioned the government on the criteria used as the basis for lifting the ban on the import of religious books into the country.

Addressing the media, BBS General Secretary Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara thera said Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs Deputy Minister Gamagedara Dissanayake had taken the above decision following the approval of the Defence Ministry. 

Earlier, the importing of religious books into the country was banned after the Easter Sunday bomb attacks, he said.

“During several occaions even before and after the Easter Sunday attacks we stricketly mentioned this to the previous governments,” he said.

“It is very dangerous to make such a decision in an environment where the global terrorist threat, brought into the country through the misinterpretation of Islam, has not yet subsided. On two occasions, I have strongly said that a large number of murderous gangs operate in Sri Lanka, killing people for money,” the Thera said.

He also said that the USAID had funded the printing of these textbooks for Grades 1 to 13 and printed by the Educational Publications Department. 

“These textbooks contain the ideas of current Islamic leaders who have misinterpreted the Quran, which is a mind-altering text that should not be taught to a child, and who have provided ideologies to build religious terrorism around the world,” the Thera said.

“Without solving the text books issue the government has permitted the import of religious books into the country. This textbook will lead to change the minds of the inncocent and traditional muslim comminity in Sri Lanka and will turn them into those  like Zahran Hashim,” the Thera said.

Gnanasara thera also claimed that no one from the government side had reached him to get the details of the mastermind behind the Easter Sunday attacks.