Families flee Sri Lanka violence

By Dumeetha Luthra
BBC correspondent in Colombo

Sufi Muslims say they are too afraid to go home

More than 700 Muslim families have fled their homes near Batticaloa in eastern Sri Lanka after clashes between rival Muslim groups.

The fighting broke out after a hand grenade was thrown into a mosque during evening prayers on Monday.

More than 10 people were injured and several homes were destroyed in the clashes in Kattankudi, a few kilometres south of Batticaloa.

Security forces are trying to resolve the matter but there is still no deal.

There is an increased police and security presence in Kattankudi.

'Convert or leave'

The clashes were between the mainstream Jamiyathul Ulama, which has more than 60,000 followers in the town, and the smaller Sufi group, which has about 4,000.

The scuffles broke out when the Ulama mosque was attacked with a hand grenade on Monday night.

Thousands of the group's members took to the streets and attacked rival homes and mosques.

The Ulama also issued a warning either to convert or leave.

Now Sufi families have taken refuge in a school and a mosque.

They say they are too afraid to go home until their safety is guaranteed.

The two sides have held meetings with army and police officials but have so far failed to come to an agreement.

The town has one of the most concentrated Muslim majorities in Sri Lanka, with a population of about 75,000.

Three different Muslim groups have emerged there since the late 1970s.

Police say friction between the old-school Muslims and the new groups has been brewing for years.

It is still not clear what sparked the initial attack.