On June 18, the Sri Lankan Cabinet gave initial approval for a draft bill designed to prevent religious conversions. The Act for the Protection of Religious Freedom is now being revised by legal draftsmen before being sent back to parliament for final approval.
Two acts were initially proposed to parliament — one by the Buddhist Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) party and one by Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, the Minister of Buddhist Affairs. It now appears that Wickremanayake’s bill, much wider in scope than the one proposed by the JHU, will become law. The bill effectively makes any form of conversion or religious proselytizing a criminal offense. Sri Lankan Christians have called on the international community to support them in protest against the new legislation.
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