Sri Lanka's Muslims hold subdued prayers amid tight security
Colombo: Armed police and sniffer dogs guarded mosques in Sri Lanka as Muslims trickled to Friday prayers, with many staying away over fears of revenge attacks after the island's Easter suicide blasts.
Some mosques cancelled prayers, and Sri Lanka's Muslim affairs minister called on Muslims to pray at home instead, in solidarity with churches that have closed over security fears.
Other Muslims have expressed fears that they could be targeted by Islamist hardliners, after the community's religious leadership said the attackers would not be buried at mosques in the country.
Among mosques that did hold prayers on Friday in the capital Colombo, attendance was thin, with some of the few worshippers who did show up saying they wanted to stand up to extremists.
"We are sending a message to extremists that we will not be scared or deterred," said Reyyaz Salley, chairman of the Dawatagaha Jumma mosque in the capital Colombo.
"But the main reason we are here is because we want to say a special prayer for the victims of the church bombings," he added.
At least 253 people died Sunday when attackers blew themselves up at three churches and three hotels in coordinated blasts that officials blame on local Islamist group National Thowheeth Jama'ath. The Islamic State group has claimed the attacks.
The bombings have been condemned by leaders of Sri Lanka's Muslim minority but some in the community still fear a backlash from other religious groups.
Police prevented people from walking or parking vehicles directly outside after rumours circulating on social media about possible car bomb attacks.
Sniffer dogs stood guard as police checked bags and patted down worshippers and journalists before letting them inside.
"We are not scared. We have to die one day and it can happen anywhere," a defiant Salley told AFP.
Many had been put off, however.Salley said Friday prayers at Dawatagaha Jumma Masjid regularly attracts up to 700 worshippers, but only around 100 turned up this week.
Prayers were also cut short from the usual one hour to 15 minutes because of the security situation."I have come to pray here today because I pray here everyday," 62-year-old Ahamed Riza told AFP before listening to the mosque's Imam deliver a sermon saying the Prophet Mohammed would have condemned the attacks.
Some 330 kilometres away in Muslim-majority Kattankudy on Sri Lanka's east coast, people turned out in greater numbers.More than 1,000 men and boys attended prayers at the town's main Mohiuddin Methaipali Jumma mosque.
"The attacks were carried out by a small group of people but some people are blaming the whole Sri Lankan Muslim community for this. It is not fair," mosque official Mohammed Ramesh told AFP.
"The people who did this are not human beings. All Sri Lankans must unite against this: Buddhists, Christians, Hindus and Muslims."I have been praying five times a day for the Christian victims since the attacks happened," he added.
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India, US trade team to start three-day talks from Dec 10: Sources
New Delhi (PTI): India and the United States will commence three-day talks on the first phase of their proposed bilateral trade agreement here from December 10, sources said.
The visit is crucial as India and the US are working to finalise the first tranche of the pact.
"The three-day talks will start on December 10. It will conclude on December 12, and it is not a formal round of talks," said one of the sources.
The US team will be led by Deputy United States Trade Representative (USTR) Rick Switzer.
This visit of the US officials marks their second trip since the imposition of a 25 per cent tariff and an additional 25 per cent penalty on Indian goods entering the American market due to the purchase of Russian crude oil.
On September 16, the US officials last visited India.
On September 22, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal also led an official delegation to the US for trade talks. Goyal had also visited Washington in May.
While the USA's chief negotiator for the pact is Assistant US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia Brendan Lynch, the Indian side is led by Joint Secretary in the Department of Commerce Darpan Jain.
The talks are also important as Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal has recently stated that India is hopeful of reaching a framework trade deal with the US this year itself, which should address the tariff issue to the benefit of Indian exporters.
While noting that the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) will take time, Agrawal has added that India is engaged in protracted negotiations with the US on a framework trade deal that will address the reciprocal tariff challenge faced by Indian exporters.
India and the US are having two parallel negotiations -- one on a framework trade deal to address tariffs and another on a comprehensive trade deal.
In February, leaders of the two countries directed officials to negotiate an agreement.
It was planned to conclude the first tranche of the pact by the fall of 2025. So far, six rounds of negotiations have been held. The agreement aims to more than double bilateral trade to USD 500 billion by 2030, from the current USD 191 billion.
The US remained India's largest trading partner for the fourth consecutive year in 2024-25, with bilateral trade valued at USD 131.84 billion (USD 86.5 billion exports).
The US accounts for about 18 per cent of India's total goods exports, 6.22 per cent of its imports, and 10.73 per cent of its total merchandise trade.
According to exporters, the agreement is important as India's merchandise exports to the US declined for the second consecutive month in October, falling by 8.58 per cent to USD 6.3 billion due to the hefty tariffs imposed by Washington.
