Sri Lanka Muslims Fast in Solidarity with Fellow Christians


A leading Sri Lankan Muslim group called on fellow Muslims to observe fasting on Thursday, April 25, in solidarity with their fellow Christians.

“ACJU requests all Muslims to fast tomorrow (25th April) and pray to ease the current situation and for those who were affected in the recent terror attack,” the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulema, a body of Muslim scholars, wrote on Twitter.

The ACJU is the religious body of Islamic Theologians that provides religious and community leadership to the Sri Lankan Muslim community.

Eight explosions took place on Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka, including in three Christian churches and three hotels, some commonly used by foreign visitors.

In addition to 207 people who were killed at least, 450 were wounded, according to officials with police, the Colombo Hospital, and St. Sebastian Church.

After the attacks, two Muslim groups in Sri Lanka condemned the attacks on churches and hotels in the country. The Muslim Council of Sri Lanka said it mourns the loss of innocent people in the blasts by militants who seek to divide religious and ethnic groups.

The ACJU said targeting Christian places of worship cannot be accepted.

The group’s call was widely taken by Twitter users who said they will observe fasting on Thursday.

Islam is a minority religion in the island nation of Sri Lanka which lies south of India in the Indian Ocean.

The world’s fastest-growing and second largest religion, Islam, represents no more than 9.66% in Sri Lanka, which means 1,997,361 persons only out of the country’s 21.2 million population are Muslims, according to 2012 census.