Sri Lanka has declared a state of emergency after several attacks against mosques and Muslim-owned businesses. A curfew is in place in the central district of Kandy, where crowds from the Buddhist Sinhala majority attacked a mosque, Muslim-owned shops and homes. The authorities fear retaliation after a young Muslim man's body was found in a burnt-out building. Tensions flared after the death of a Buddhist man who was said to have been beaten by some Muslims a week ago. Last week, the eastern town of Ampara also saw anti-Muslim violence over a dispute in a shop.
A police curfew was declared in Kandy to prevent more sectarian clashes after the attacks carried out by a large Sinhala mob. It was briefly lifted on Tuesday, but soon re-imposed after the body of a 24-year-old Muslim man was found in the town of Digana. "Four mosques, 37 houses, 46 shops and 35 vehicles damaged in Digana and Teldeniya area due to the mob attack," a local official told the BBC. "Everything is destroyed. Muslims live in fear," he said. Tension has been on the rise in Sri Lanka since 2012, said to have been fuelled by hardline Buddhists.
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