Mosques attacked in Sri Lanka town after Facebook row, curfew imposed
Several dozen people threw stones at mosques and
Muslim-owned stores and a local man was beaten in the town of Chilaw on Sri
Lanka's west coast on Sunday in a dispute that started on Facebook.
Three weeks ago in Sri Lanka Islamist bombers blew
themselves up in four hotels and three churches, killing more than 250 people.
Since then Muslim groups say they have received dozens of complaints from
across the country about people being harassed.
"A police curfew has been imposed in Chilaw Police area
with immediate effect until 6 a.m. tomorrow to control the tense
situation," police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera told Reuters. The police
later said the curfew would be lifted at 4 a.m.
A screenshot of the alleged Facebook exchange seen by
Reuters showed a user had written in Sinhalese "It is difficult to make us
cry" and added a local slur against Muslim men.
A Facebook user identified as Hasmar Hameed, whom two locals
said was the man later arrested, replied in English: "Dont laugh more 1
day u will cry."
Authorities said they arrested the author of a Facebook
post, identifying him as 38-year-old Abdul Hameed Mohamed Hasmar. Locals in
Chilaw, a majority Christian town, said Hasmar's post was interpreted as
menacing and an angry crowd beat him.
Reuters was unable to determine what the original
conversation was about or to contact Hasmar for comment.
"Later they pelted stones at three mosques and some
Muslim-owned shops. Now the situation has calmed down, but we are scared of the
night," said one local Muslim man who asked to remain anonymous for
security reasons.
One mosque suffered extensive damage, he said. Video footage
circulating online shows several dozen young men shouting and throwing stones
at a clothes store called New Hasmars, which locals said belonged to Hasmar.
Some communities say they are fearful that the government,
which failed to act on successive warnings about looming Islamist attacks, has
not caught all potential militants.
A week ago in Negombo, where more than 100 people were
killed during Easter prayers, a violent clash erupted between local Muslims and
Christians after a traffic dispute.
Unlike after the Negombo clashes, the Sri Lankan government
did not impose a ban on social media platforms on Sunday.
