Sri Lankans of different faiths are being urged to pray privately amid fears of further attacks, and the country’s prime minister said that security forces are still working to pick up terrorist “sleepers.”
The call to avoid places of worship comes as Sri Lanka enters the first weekend of religious services following Sunday’s mass bombings.
Ahead of Friday’s dawn prayers, Muslims were asked not to gather publicly for the congregational Friday prayer service — known as the Jum’ah prayer — according to a statement labeled “very urgent” on Thursday by Sri Lanka’s Minister of Postal Services & Muslim Religious Affairs Mohamed Hashim Abdul Haleem.
“As a sign of solidarity with the Catholic Community and a show of protest again the Barbaric act of the ruthless terrorists I appeal to my Muslim brothers to refrain gathering for congregational prayers tomorrow (Friday), but to pray in the homes instead, for peace and security of our motherland,” said Haleem.
The Minister’s statement called for prayers to end the actions of the “inhuman terrorist murderers,” and offers condolences to the victims targeted in churches and luxury hotels, saying that the Muslim community “stand(s) with Christian brothers and sisters during their times of grief.”
Driving through Colombo, a CNN reporter observed that shops that would normally be open at this time had been shuttered, and noted that security warnings broadcast on television and radio had spread fear.
According to a revised death toll, 253 people, including many worshipers attending Easter Mass services, died in the coordinated attacks.
Catholic services across Colombo have also been suspended — until April 29 — because of security concerns, according to Fr. Edmond Tillekeratne, media director of the Archdiocese.
The decision, which will see Catholic churches in the capital shuttered for services this Sunday, was made at the direction of Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith.
Both Christianity and Islam are minority religions in Sri Lanka, each accounting for less than ten percent of the total population. According to census data, the vast majority of Sri Lankans identify as Buddhist.
