Still No Hope For Sarah Malani Perera

FD Editors Note: This is the “wave of the future.”  They have been going after converts – now it seems to be women who have converted.  Nothing is sacred to these people.  They don’t stop at children – Omar Khadr is still in Guantanamo – they aren’t stopping with women, either… and who, I wonder, are these ‘informants’? 

By Anarkalee Perera

Informant Suspicious Because She Had Converted

Sarah Malani Perera still remains in police custody after publishing two books — From Darkness To Light  and Questions And Answers, that allegedly offend other religious faiths in the island. Although previous reports stated that she was being held under anti-terrorism laws, her lawyer Lakshman Dias confirmed that it is under the “Emergency Regulation Law” that she is in fact being held.  According to Dias, there is little chance of Perera’s release until the courts begin sessions after April 19. He went on to say that though the detention order that was given to keep her in remand expires on April 19, it may be further extended if the authorities see it fit.  He also said that Ms. Perera has not been charged yet, and that she and her family are both “fearful and hopeful”.

With regard to the book itself, Dias confirmed that he had read it and stated that he neither found the book derogatory or insulting. “I am a Christian myself, and I personally do not feel insulted by what she says. It is merely an expression of faith.” He went on to say that the book only refers to the other religions in a comparative way. It compares the different faiths and the ‘Ultimate Truth’ put forward by every religion.

The Sunday Leader was tipped off that the original complaint against Perera came from a member of staff at the courier agency ARAMEX. While he asked that his name be withheld The Sunday Leader was able to contact  him and question him as to why he saw it fit to report the book to the police.

“I was very suspicious, because her name was Perera, but she was wearing a Muslim outfit. So I questioned her and she told me she had converted. Then I got more suspicious and checked her book.” The ARAMEX employee said that the book “let down Buddhism very badly. I’m not even a strong Buddhist, and I was stunned at how much it insulted my religion.” He then proceeded to call the “Buddhist Cultural Ministry” who took action against Ms. Perera. When asked if he truly believed that Ms. Perera should be punished for this publication his reply was, “Definitely!”

However her lawyer insisted that the contents of the book represented, “her (Perera’s)  freedom of speech. It is her right,” noted Dias.