Islamic fundamentalist threatens ex-Muslim within PCoI premises

Rishvin Ismeth, known as an ex-Muslim in Sri Lanka among the general public, has been threatened by an ally of the former leader of Sri Lanka Jamaat Islami, Rasheed Hajjul Akbar on 26th October around 11.45 pm at the premises of Presidential Commission of Inquiry investigating Easter Sunday Suicide Attacks, Council of Ex-Muslims of Sri Lanka (CEMSL) yesterday said in a press release.

CEMSL said that Rishvin Ismeth was the present spokesperson for the Council of Ex-Muslims of Sri Lanka and the only public face of the organisation for those who had left Islam to become areligious. Ismeth was present at the Presidential Commission of Inquiry to cross-examine the former leader of Sri Lanka Jamaat Islami, with the permission of the Commission.

“His questions to Rashid Hajjul Akbar mainly focused on the plan of capturing Sri Lanka through an armed struggle to establish an Islamic State, publishing Jihadist and extremist materials in Alhasanath, the official monthly magazine of Sri Lanka Jamaat Islami and sending Sri Lankan Muslim youth for Jihadist fighting and training to Afghanistan, Pakistan and Kashmir.

The incident happened on his return at the end of the day’s session. The following day, Rishvin Ismeth reported it to the Commission. The Chairman of the Commission, Court of Appeal Judge, Justice Janak de Silva issued an order to National Authority for the Protection of Victims of Crimes and Witnesses to take the necessary steps,” the press release said.

CEMSL said that a teacher named Mahroof from Kekirawa had threatened via social media on 31 Oct. to harm Rishvin Ismeth’s mother. The organization added that Ismeth was one of the few who had alerted the law enforcement to suspected Islamic terrorist activities, months before the Aliyar Junction incident at Kattankudy on 10th March, 2017.

The media statement said: “His first complaint was made in July 2016. Before the Parliamentary Select Committee, he was able to expose the Islamist extremist materials in Sri Lankan school textbooks issued free of charge by the government to schoolchildren. One of these books mentions that the punishment for those who leave Islam or accept other religions is “KILLING” and the same book has been used to educate Muslims students about cruel Stone Age punishments such as amputation, flogging and stoning to death. Even though Sri Lanka is not an Islamic country, it is very difficult for an ex-Muslim to live as an ex-Muslim openly, so all other ex-Muslims in the country are forced to stay in the closet.”

CEMSL said that Rishvin Ismeth had been under continuous threats and harassment by Islamists and extremist elements for years, and, therefore, the recent threat at the premises of the Commission probing terrorist attack in could not be taken lightly. “The threat the Commission premises shows the strength of the Islamist network in this country. The Council of Ex-Muslims of Sri Lanka requests the government to take strict action against Islamist extremism to prevent catastrophe.