Peaceful Buddhist monks?

The image of Buddhist monks is of peaceful non aggressive individual. We are more accustomed to hearing of Tibetan Buddhist monk burning themselves to death protesting at Chinese rule. The Buddhists of Sri Lanka are nothing like this.

Buddhist monks led a crowd of 2,000 trying to storm a mosque in Dambulla, Sri Lanka and demanded its demolition.

The night before the mosque was fire-bombed.

Full story details at www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17805202

In September 2011, a monk led a crowd to demolish a Muslim shrine in Anuradhapura, not far from Dambulla.

A group of Buddhist monks led a crowd that demolished a several hundred years old Muslim shrine in Anuradhapura. Senior police officers were present during the incident and did not do anything to stop the destruction of the shrine.

Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said of the destruction "no-one had consented to this act and that people should not take the law into their own hands."

What was he going to do about it?

His advice was for the issue to be discussed by Muslim and Buddhist leaders. In other words, absolutely nothing.

Full story details at www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-14926002

In January 2012 Sri Lanka 'expelled 161 foreign Muslim preachers' for flouting visa regulations. "A tourist visa is to have a holiday or visit friends and family, and not to preach Islam." said Sri Lanka's immigration head Chulananda Perera.

Their crime was to preach to Muslims at Muslim places of worship.

Full story details at www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16675086

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