The government has allocated Rs. 10 million for the development of Muslim places of worship in the Gampaha District, the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs said.
The programme is being run in conjunction with the 42nd National Milad-un-Nabi State Festival, and is intended to strengthen religious institutions and promote what the ministry described as a harmonious future.
The ministry said the necessary steps had been taken together with the Department of Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs. It did not publish a breakdown of how the money will be divided among individual mosques, or name the recipients.
‘Welcome to Our Mosque’
A reconciliation programme titled “Welcome to Our Mosque” has been organised alongside the state festival. Under it, people of other faiths will be able to visit a mosque and learn about its internal culture, history and religious practices.
The Periyamulla Jumma Masjid and the Negombo Mosque will open to the public from 9.30 a.m. on Monday, August 24.
In a Facebook post, Minister Vijitha Herath invited the public to join in building what he called a bridge of reconciliation, through mutual understanding, respect and goodwill towards a united Sri Lanka. Ada Derana did not state in which ministerial capacity he issued the invitation.
Context
Milad-un-Nabi, marking the birth of the Prophet Muhammad, falls on Wednesday, August 26 this year and is a public and bank holiday. The national state festival is the government-organised observance, and the ministry treats it as one of the national religious celebrations alongside those of the other faiths.
Both mosques named are in the Gampaha District, on the coast around Negombo, which has one of the larger Muslim populations in the Western Province.
The allocation is separate from the restoration of religious buildings damaged in the Ditwah floods, for which the Cabinet approved Rs. 232 million for a further 144 sites earlier this month.
Ada Derana was the only verified newsroom carrying this report when the article was filed at midday on Sunday. Hiru News, the Daily Mirror and NewsFirst had not published their own accounts at that stage.
