Nine Muslim ministers and two provincial governors from the minority community resigned Monday to allow the Sri Lankan government to investigate allegations against some of them on links to an Islamist extremist group blamed for the deadly Easter suicide bombings.
The Muslim politicians also protested what they term the government’s inability to ensure the safety of their community which constitute 9 percent of the island’s 21 million population.
There are 19 Muslims lawmakers in the 225-member Parliament and nine of them held Cabinet, state and deputy ministerial positions.
“Until security of the people is ensured and until investigations are done by the police’s Crime Investigations Department (CID) is finalised we will stay as government back benchers,” Rauff Hakeem, a lawmaker for Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, told reporters.
Their resignations came four days after thousands of people, including majority Buddhist community monks, launched a protest in the pilgrim city of Kandy, demanding the expulsion of three Muslim leaders whom they alleged were linked to the National Thowheeth Jamaath (NTJ) – the banned outfit blamed for the attacks on three Colombo hotels and three churches.
Following the 21 April attacks that claimed 258 lives, some Muslim politicians representing the government came under criticism for their alleged support extended to the rising Muslim militancy. Industry and Commerce Minister Rishath Bathiyutheen was accused of supporting the ISIS linked NTJ.
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