Image: Sri Lanka president at a Hindu Kovil in India.
Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe has informed the CID Director to commence an immediate investigation against Pastor Jerome Fernando’s controversial statements where he made critical remarks on the Buddha, reports Daily Mirror.
In his sermon pastor has said that the Buddha needed Jesus.
In a national security council meeting held on 15th morning, the National Security Head has raised concerns with the President over the Pastor’s critical remarks on Buddhism, Islam and Hinduism and said this could lead to communal tensions in the country.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe that pastors sermon should be probed and stern action should be taken.
Wickremesinghe has then advised the senior security heads to probe into Jerome’s controversial statements against the religions as well as his past preachings. The National Security Head has immediately handed over the investigation to the CID Head and asked for a team to commence an extensive probe against Pastor Jerome Fernando, says the same report.
In his video, Jerome claimed that in a Buddhist’s mind, they never hear the love of Buddha as their focus is enlightenment and said that every Buddhist needs Jesus.
In the same sermon, Fernando has remarked on Islam and Hinduism. In his sermons on Islam, Jerome said that Muslims cannot even call Allah as ‘Father’.
“You have 99 names for God in Islam. And yet love is not one of those,” Jerome has said, according to the report.
In his sermon on Hinduism, Jerome questioned the reasons why Hindus venerate so many animals. “Why do they have a God that looks like an elephant? Why do they have Gods that have 10,000 hands? They are not far from the truth. Why do they venerate cows? They are very close but they are still far away. Someone needs to go and tell the Hindu people that what they are doing may be true to them but there is a deeper truth,” Jerome has said the report further says.
Although making critical remarks on any religion is not a crime, in Sri Lanka criticising Buddhism considered a crime by the police and nationalist politicians.
Number of writers and youtubers and even women wearing clothes with symbols of Buddha have been detained and intimidated in Sri Lanka.
Dailly Mirror report here