OIC countries urge Government to prevent communal violence

Colombo (News1st) - The Ambassadors and High Commissioners of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Countries (OIC) in Sri Lanka notes that communal violence targeting Muslims in Sri Lanka has regional and global security implications. Issuing a joint statement the Ambassadors and the High Commissioners say the developing situation over the past few days has been extremely worrying with regards to the safety and protection of the Sri Lankan Muslim community, including some foreign Muslim refugees. The Ambassadors and the High Commissioners say "We all know that even the smallest incident in an isolated Sri Lankan village can be recorded and shared online for mass viewership, stoking widespread violence and counter-violence." The statement added "we encourage them to seek unity in diversity, which underpins the attractiveness of Sri Lanka as a tolerant and peace-loving nation with a heritage that fosters "doing no harm to others." They also requested the government of Sri Lanka to take every measure necessary to prevent communal violence and to take swift, stern judicial action against the perpetrators, regardless of their religious and political influence in the Sri Lankan society.