Colombo, Jumada I 28, 1434, Apr 9, 2013, SPA - The U.S. ambassador to Sri Lanka expressed alarm at rising hate speech and attacks against Muslims in the island nation and warned that such sentiments should not be allowed to fester. "(The) United States, along with many Sri Lankan citizens, is alarmed by the recent attacks on Muslim businesses and certain inflammatory calls to action," Ambassador Michele J. Sison told foreign correspondents in Colombo on Monday. "This type of hateful sentiment must not be allowed to fester," she said, adding that the voices of tolerance must join to defeat extremism. A U.S.-sponsored resolution on Sri Lanka at the U.N. Human Rights Council last month also expressed concern over religious discrimination, according to a report of the Associated Press. --SPA 12:14 LOCAL TIME 09:14 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/1096427