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Fact Check
Mohamed Muneer took oath as the Deputy Minister of Buddha Sasana during the recent Cabinet reshuffle.
This claim is misleading. M M Mohamed Muneer, who previously served as the Deputy Minister of National Integration, took oath as the Deputy Minister of Religious and Cultural Affairs, not as the Deputy Minister of Buddha Sasana. Gamagedara Dissanayake, who took oath as the Deputy Minister of Buddha Sasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs on 29.11.2024, still holds the position.
Several social media posts circulating on TikTok and Facebook, claiming that M M Mohamed Muneer, a Muslim minister, had taken oath as the Deputy Minister of Buddha Sasana during the Cabinet reshuffle carried out by the NPP government recently.
The posts can be seen here, here, here, here, and here.
The government carried out a Cabinet reshuffle in line with the 2026 Budget, with the aim of improving efficiency and expediting its development objectives. Accordingly, three Cabinet Ministers and ten Deputy Ministers took their oaths on 10th October, 2025 before President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat.
Among the ten deputy ministers, Mr. Mohamed Muneer took oath as Deputy Minister of Religious and Cultural Affairs. Social media users misunderstood this appointment and began claiming and criticizing that the government had appointed a Muslim MP as the Deputy Minister of Buddha Sasana in a Buddhist-majority country.
The claim that M M Mohamed Muneer was appointed as the Deputy Minister of Buddha Sasana is misleading. Official government sources, including the President’s Media Division, the Extraordinary Gazette and Parliament records confirm that Muneer took oath as the Deputy Minister of Religious and Cultural Affairs, not as the Deputy Minister of Buddha Sasana.
FAQs
Q1. Who is M M Mohamed Muneer?
M M Mohamed Muneer is a Member of Parliament who previously served as the Deputy Minister of National Unity under the National People’s Power (NPP) government.
Q2. What position did he assume after the Cabinet reshuffle on October 10, 2025?
He took oath as the Deputy Minister of Religious and Cultural Affairs.
Q3. Who is the current Deputy Minister of Buddha Sasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs?
MP Gamagedara Dissanayake serves as the Deputy Minister of Buddha Sasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs.
Q4. Why did this misinformation spread online?
Social media users misinterpreted Muneer’s official title and circulated false claims suggesting he was appointed as the Deputy Minister of Buddha Sasana.
Our Sources
Facebook post on the President’s Media Division’s official Facebook page, published on October 10, 2025.
The Extraordinary Gazette notification announcing the revised ministerial and deputy ministerial portfolios, issued by the Presidential Secretariat on October 11, 2025.
YouTube video by News First English, published on July 17, 2025.
Official list of newly appointed Deputy Ministers of the NPP government, sworn in on November 21, 2024.
MP Gamagedara Dissanayake’s profile on the Parliament official website.
MP Mohamed Muneer’s profile on the Parliament official website.
News article about the Cabinet reshuffle, published on the Newswire website on October 10, 2025.
Misleading
