Ranjan and Azwer heat up over Sharia

10 July 2013 03:46 pm Views - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}} 34 Bookmark

CHATURANGA PRADEEP SAMARAWICKRAMA Follow

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UNP MP Ranjan Ramanayake and Government MP A. H. M. Azwer were engaged in a heated argument in Parliament today over a comment made by Ramanayake who said the Sharia law practiced in Saudia Arabia was a barbaric one where Sri Lankan expatriates were killed mercilessly.

Mr. Ramanayake urged Foreign Employment Promotion Minister Dilan Perera to bring laws to ban Sri Lankan women from going for employment to the Middle East as housemaids. Mr. Ramanayake was referring to the statement made by Minister Perera, saying he would become popular if he went ahead with imposing a ban on women going for employment to Saudi Arabia. “Why don’t you do it and get popular and impose the ban so that you can save the Sri Lankan women from the barbaric Sharia law?”

UPFA MP A. H. M. Azwer who raised a point of order at that time said Mr. Ramanayake should not make hasty remarks on Sharia law as it was God’s law.
Meanwhile Minister Perera said Mr. Ramanayake had exposed his party’s views on Muslims through this statement. “The whole world will know the UNP’s attitude on the laws imposed in the Middle East,” he said.

He also said Sri Lankan women did not go to the Middle East as housemaids; they now went as Housekeeping Assistants with special training. (Yohan Perera)