Saturday, July 6, 2019

Sri Lanka: After Easter Sunday bombings, Saudi Funding and influence to be curbed

(Colombo) After the terrorist attacks on Easter Sunday which claimed 259 lives and injured over 500, the Sri Lankan government has taken steps to curtain the promotion of Saudi Arabian Wahhabism (Saudi Arabia's dominant faith.  An austere form of Islam where Strict Wahhabis believe that all those who don't practice their form of Islam are heathens and enemies.) inside the country in which to ensure that events of Easter Sunday never happen again. This move transpired after a Wahhabi scholar was arrested  resulting in the country taking over a Saudi-funded school.  The government  has also stated it will monitor previously unchecked money flows from donors including prominent Saudi families to mosques on the Indian Ocean island.

Naturally this hasn't gone down with who have expressed “displeasure” over being targeted during a recent meeting with President Maithripala Sirisena, pointing to the detention of thousands of suspected militants. Riyadh in June sent back five Sri Lankans allegedlylinked to the Easter attacks. Problem is worldwide  Wahhabism, is seen as a root cause of the jihadist threat.