Fear, shock among Sri Lankan Muslims in aftermath of Buddhist mob violence

By Iqbal Athas and Tim Hume, CNN

Updated 0303 GMT (1103 HKT) June 24, 2014

A Sri Lankan Muslim woman carries her daughter outside her burnt house after at least three Muslims were killed and 80 injured in clashes with Buddhists last month. The sectarian riots in and around the town of Aluthgama, in southern Sri Lanka, followed demonstrations by the hardline Buddhist group Bodu Bala Sena, police said. Homes and shops were looted and burned.
Photos: In pictures: Deadly riots in Sri Lanka
Deadly riots in Sri Lanka – A Sri Lankan Muslim woman carries her daughter outside her burnt house after at least three Muslims were killed and 80 injured in clashes with Buddhists last month. The sectarian riots in and around the town of Aluthgama, in southern Sri Lanka, followed demonstrations by the hardline Buddhist group Bodu Bala Sena, police said. Homes and shops were looted and burned.
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Buddhist monk Galaboda Aththe Gnanasara, the general secretary and public face of the ultra-nationalist Sinhalese Buddhist group Bodu Bala Sena, gave an inflammatory speech at a rally that preceded the violence. He is pictured here in 2013.
Photos: In pictures: Deadly riots in Sri Lanka
Deadly riots in Sri Lanka – Buddhist monk Galaboda Aththe Gnanasara, the general secretary and public face of the ultra-nationalist Sinhalese Buddhist group Bodu Bala Sena, gave an inflammatory speech at a rally that preceded the violence. He is pictured here in 2013.
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A monk belonging to the group debates with a police officer at the Trade Ministry in Colombo in April.
Photos: In pictures: Deadly riots in Sri Lanka
Photos: deadly riots in Sri Lanka – A monk belonging to the group debates with a police officer at the Trade Ministry in Colombo in April.
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A Sri Lankan Muslim woman walks past soldiers following clashes between Muslims and Buddhists in the town of Aluthgama.
Photos: In pictures: Deadly riots in Sri Lanka
Deadly riots in Sri Lanka – A Sri Lankan Muslim woman walks past soldiers following clashes between Muslims and Buddhists in the town of Aluthgama.
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A Sri Lankan resident surveys the damage to a charred Muslim-owned home.
Photos: In pictures: Deadly riots in Sri Lanka
Deadly riots in Sri Lanka – A Sri Lankan resident surveys the damage to a charred Muslim-owned home.
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A soldier stands guard outside a smashed window.
Photos: In pictures: Deadly riots in Sri Lanka
Deadly riots in Sri Lanka – A soldier stands guard outside a smashed window.
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Sri Lankan residents survey the damage to a damaged Muslim-owned home.
Photos: In pictures: Deadly riots in Sri Lanka
Deadly riots in Sri Lanka – Sri Lankan residents survey the damage to a damaged Muslim-owned home.
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A Sri Lankan Muslim man walks past ransacked shops in Aluthgama.
Photos: In pictures: Deadly riots in Sri Lanka
Deadly riots in Sri Lanka – A Sri Lankan Muslim man walks past ransacked shops in Aluthgama.
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A Sri Lankan Muslim man inspects the remains of a tailor's shop. Rauff Hakeem, Sri Lanka's Justice Minister and himself a Muslim, said his party would weigh its future in the government according to the official response to the attacks. "I am ashamed I could not help my people," he said.
Photos: In pictures: Deadly riots in Sri Lanka
Deadly riots in Sri Lanka – A Sri Lankan Muslim man inspects the remains of a tailor's shop. Rauff Hakeem, Sri Lanka's Justice Minister and himself a Muslim, said his party would weigh its future in the government according to the official response to the attacks. "I am ashamed I could not help my people," he said.
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A Muslim woman in the aftermath of clashes in Aluthgama. The U.S. Embassy in Sri Lanka condemned the violence, which followed a rally by Buddhist hardliners days after an alleged altercation between a Muslim driver and a Buddhist monk and his driver.
Photos: In pictures: Deadly riots in Sri Lanka
Deadly riots in Sri Lanka – A Muslim woman in the aftermath of clashes in Aluthgama. The U.S. Embassy in Sri Lanka condemned the violence, which followed a rally by Buddhist hardliners days after an alleged altercation between a Muslim driver and a Buddhist monk and his driver.
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Men point at blood on the floor of a home.
Photos: In pictures: Deadly riots in Sri Lanka
Deadly riots in Sri Lanka – Men point at blood on the floor of a home.
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Shifna Abdul Kareem, a 16-year-old Muslim, surveys the damage to her burnt house in Adhikarigoda, a village in Aluthgama, following an outbreak of violence.
Photos: In pictures: Deadly riots in Sri Lanka
Deadly riots in Sri Lanka – Shifna Abdul Kareem, a 16-year-old Muslim, surveys the damage to her burnt house in Adhikarigoda, a village in Aluthgama, following an outbreak of violence.
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Police officers on a street in Aluthgama as shops burn. A curfew was put in place to prevent further violence.
Photos: In pictures: Deadly riots in Sri Lanka