By Aniqa Haider | Gulf Daily News
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Sarah Malanie Perera is facing charges over her book From Darkness to Light, which described her conversion to Islam but was deemed offensive to Buddha.
The 38-year-old was detained on March 20 after being accused of "anti-state" activities and having links to Islamic militants.
She was released last month after paying a bail of 50,000 Sri Lankan rupees (BD166).
But during the latest hearing at the Colombo Magistrates Court the case adjourned until November 27.
Ms Perera, who first came to Bahrain in 1985, was arrested for allegedly distributing anti-state and anti-government information across the border.
However, she claims she was simply trying to send copies of her books to Bahrain and has denied having links to extremists.
The defendant has been charged under two sections of a law that makes it illegal to insult the religion of others.
The first carries a maximum 12-month jail sentence, while the second up to two years in prison and a fine.
Ms Perera's sister Mariam yesterday told the GDN the family was still in a state of shock following the court case.
"We were all hoping for good news, but it turned out to be a really bad," she said.
"We didn't expect the court to adjourn the case until the end of this year.
"When I spoke to her yesterday, she was really down.
"She told me that the only question judge asked her was if she is guilty of writing these books and insulting Buddhism or not.
"She agreed to writing the books but not insulting the religion and that was it.
"No other question was asked and no lawyer was allowed to talk in the session."
Bahraini MP Shaikh Adel Al Ma'awda met with India-based Dr Zakir Naik, a Muslim public speaker and writer on Islam and other religions in May, and has raised the issue with politicians and human rights activists in the hope of securing her freedom.
Ms Perera said 13 Buddhist priests, who were asked to check her book's authenticity, converted to Islam after reading it.
Her lawyer Lakshan Dias previously argued the author had no intention of insulting the Buddhist faith and there were no grounds for a criminal case.
However, prosecutors claimed the book was offensive to Buddhists.
The author's family blames global courier firm Aramex for her arrest, believing one of its workers in Sri Lanka reported her to police.
However, the company has denied responsibility saying it had no choice but to forward the materials to Sri Lankan authorities since as mandated by law.
© Gulf Daily News
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