Sri Lanka's justice minister on Friday told parliament that 32 Muslims had joined Islamic State in Syria.
"All these [Muslims] are not from ordinary families. These people are from the families which are considered as well-educated and elite," Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said.
"There is a greater fear among the public about ISIS," he added. "If somebody tries to spread extremism in this country, we will not allow for that from today. The law of this country is no different to Buddhist monks or ordinary people."
Mr Rajapakshe's statement was condemned by the Muslim Council of Sri Lanka which said it was fuelled by racism.
"The Muslim community is seriously alarmed about the re-emergence of the racist campaign that was carried out by extremist Buddhist monks since the end of the war in 2009," MCSL was quoted by Reuters as saying.
"We urge Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe to provide the evidence and take immediate action against anyone who may have violated the laws of the land, irrespective of ethnicity or religion."
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