Lebanon Religious Leaders Denounce Sri Lanka Bombings

Religious leaders in Lebanon denounced the bomb blasts that ripped through churches and luxury hotels in Sri Lanka leaving at least 290 people dead, the National News Agency said on Monday.

“Islam prohibits abuse of human life, what happened in Sri Lanka bears the hallmarks of terrorist and criminal aggression against the divine religions which call for respect in dealing with others," Grand Mufti of the Republic Sheikh Abdul Latif Deryan said.

For his part, Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi emphasized that "the language of violence and hatred does not differentiate between a Muslim and a Christian. It must disappear with the dawn of resurrection that discards all culture of hatred and injustice, terrorism and ignorance, which all religions condemn.”

More than 500 people were injured in the Easter Sunday assault that saw suicide bombers hit three high-end hotels popular with foreign tourists and three churches, unleashing carnage in Colombo and beyond.

Two additional blasts were triggered as security forces carried out raids searching for suspects.

The attacks were the worst ever carried out against Sri Lanka's small Christian minority, who make up just seven percent of the 21 million population.

At least 37 foreigners were among the dead, the foreign ministry said.