Washington, USA - U-S officials are sounding the alarm over a move to declare Buddhism the state religion in Sri Lanka.
A constitutional amendment to that effect is to be considered Tuesday by Sri Lanka's parliament, according to the U-S Commission on International Religious Freedom.
The commission says the amendment states that Sri Lankans "professing Buddhism are bound to bring up their children in the same" and would make it unconstitutional to convert "a Buddhist into other forms of worship or to spread other forms of worship among the Buddhists."
The U-S agency says both of those provisions "are in clear violation of international standards with regard to freedom of religion or belief."