• Cites CTJ’s link to Katuwapitiya bomber per the CoI report 

Expressing their displeasure over the lifting of the ban imposed on five Islamic organisations following the Easter Sunday terror attacks of 2019, the Catholic Church claimed that the Government’s decision in this regard was motivated by the upcoming elections.

The ban on the United Thowheeth Jama’ath (UTJ), the Ceylon Thowheeth Jama’ath (CTJ), the Sri Lanka Thowheeth Jama’ath (SLTJ), the All Ceylon Thowheeth Jama’ath (ACTJ), and the Jamiyathul Ansaari Sunnathul Mohomadiya (JSM) organisations was lifted by President Ranil Wickremesinghe, in his capacity as the Minister of Defence.

Commenting on the move to The Daily Morning, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Sri Lanka National Director of Communications Jude Chrishantha Fernando said that the Government’s decision to lift the ban imposed on the said organisations without extensive study is an insult to the people. “All these organisations were banned by the Government based on the findings of the relevant investigation agencies. How does the Government now know that they do not pose any threat to the country? Have their members been rehabilitated, at the very least? The bans imposed on certain organisations during the civil war period were lifted after seven to eight-year-long studies. However, when the related lawsuits are still going on, and the suspects are still in custody, why is the Government in a hurry to lift the ban on these organisations?” he queried. 

Speaking further, he said that the relevant investigations had clearly discovered that the CTJ had had direct connections with Atchchi Muhammadu Muhammadu Hastun, who carried out the suicide bombing on the St. Sebastian’s Church in Katuwapitiya, as well as his spouse Pulasthini Mahendran alias Sarah Jasmine. “It is the CTJ that had converted Mahendran to Islam. All these matters were disclosed before the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (CoI) that investigated the Easter Sunday terror attacks. So, how can the Government ensure that this decision would not have an impact on the people’s security? We strongly condemn this move. This is a decision taken by the Government aimed at the upcoming Elections.”

Attempts to contact State Minister of Defence Premitha Bandara Tennakoon proved futile.

Meanwhile, commenting on the Government’s move to lift the ban imposed on the said five Islamic organisations, an academic who studies terrorism, Prof. Rohan Gunaratne, called on Attorney General President’s Counsel Sanjay Rajaratnam and other relevant authorities to reconsider the decision, claiming that related investigations had established that such organisations have been radicalising youth.

The decision to ban a total of 11 Islamic organisations including the aforesaid five was announced in a gazette notification signed by then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act, No. 48 of 1979 regulations, cited as the Prevention of Terrorism (Proscription of Extremist Organisations) Regulations, No. 2 of 2021. The banned organisations include the UTJ, the CTJ, the SLTJ, the ACTJ, the JSM, the Dharul Adhar @ Jamiul Aadhar, the Sri Lanka Islamic Student Movement, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, the Al-Qaeda, Save the Pearls, and the Super Muslim.