The death toll from Sunday’s attacks on churches and hotels in Sri Lanka has risen to 321, while the number of injured stands at about 500, local police have said.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)- After working for the Etihad Airways in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for more than ten years, Sheik Hasmathullah, a Muslim from Negombo, Sri Lanka, decided to return home in January 2018 for the sake of offering his children a better education.
« Even with all the facilities and education allowances available in Abu Dahabi (in the UAE), I didn’t like the atmosphere there. I want my children to mingle with the society. In the Gulf, your children will be restricted to the house, as they cannot go out because of the heat. In Sri Lanka, they can mingle with other communities and will also be safer for them. They’ll have a better childhood in Sri Lanka than being in the Gulf, » Hasmathullah, the former cargo duty manager of the Etihad Airways, told Sputnik during a phone interview.
However, the 33-year-old father’s plan faced serious disruption after deadly blasts rocked several Christian churches and high-end hotels in a number of cities in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, killing over 300 people with about 500 others injured.
Authorities in Sri Lanka have blamed a Muslim militant group, known as the National Thowheeth Jama’ath, for carrying out the devastating attacks. Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara told reporters that 40 suspects have been arrested on suspicion of links to the bombings.
Hasmathullah’s house in Negombo is about 500 meters (about 1640 feet) away from St. Sebastian Catholic church, which was targeted in the bombing attacks and suffered serious casualties. The Muslim had to flee from his home with his wife and three young children aged from 5-8 on Monday evening, fearing retribution against Muslims by angry family members and friends of the victims in the deadly attacks.
« My residence is very close to the church that was targeted. We’re the first Muslim community after the intersection on the main road. Me being a Muslim, I feel insecure to stay at my place. I had to leave my area with my family and come to my hometown in Colombo to stay at my mother’s house, » he said.
Most of his neighbours and friends who are Muslims in the neighbourhood have fled their homes, Hasmathullah added.
« The things we have heard are that they’ll attack us or they want to have bloodshed on us. Since we’re with living with our children, we want to stay away from those troubles. I don’t know how long I’ll stay here (in Colombo). But that’s the insecurities I’m facing for the time being, » he said.
Muslims in the local community had not experienced physical retaliations and mostly faced verbal threats from angry individuals who may have been family members or friends of those affected in the tragic attacks, Hasmathullah explained.
« The people who have been affected in the barbaric attacks, they’re even looking at us, the innocent Muslims, in a bad way. They’re not confident about us anymore. Of course, with all the due respect to the victims in the tragedy and the emotions of their family and friends, but now they’re trying to show their agony on the Muslim community, » he said.
