Bishop Warns of 'Buddhist Taliban' in Sri Lanka

Hindu temples and Christian churches have been destroyed and frequently replaced with Buddhist structures.

Buddhist Taliban brigade visits USA

(GALLEM, Sri Lanka) - Bishop Raymond Wickramasinghe of Gallem, Sri Lanka, is seeking the prayers of the faithful worldwide as the nation’s Christians and Muslims suffer persecution from Bodu Bala Sana (BBS), the “Buddhist Taliban.”

The Fides news agency reported that Buddhist monks were involved in 50 attacks on Christians in 2012.

One prelate, Bishop Rayyappu Joseph of Mannar, suffered slight injuries when stones were thrown at him in September. Bishop Joseph has been a subject of Salem-News.com reports many times over the years.

In the Tamil majority areas, of the North and East of the country, Hindu temples and Christian churches have been desecrated and destroyed whilst a number of Buddhist structures have been built in their place or within close proximity.

Tamil National Alliance highlighted in their October 2011 situation report to Parliament, the rapidly changing demography of the North of Sri Lanka where the numbers of Buddhist statues, viharas and stupas on the A9 highway have noticeably increased. It was also highlighted that armed forces are preventing people from rebuilding original Christian and Hindu places of worship that have been damaged or destroyed during the war.

A Christian church was burned down on March 9, reportedly with police assistance, and several Protestant pastors say that they have been threatened with violence if they do not cease from their ministry. In reality, the Buddhist organized attacks on Christian churches have been taking place for many years.

The nation of 21.5 million is 69% Buddhist, 8% Muslim, 7% Hindu, and 7% Christian; almost all Christians are Catholic. The Buddhists and Sri Lankan Buddhist government annihilated approximately 160,000 human beings; almost all Tamil Hindus and Christians. This is a story that was vastly under-reported in the U.S.