Sri Lanka set to impose burqa ban to counter terror

<p>
The Sri Lankan government will soon ban the burqa  and other face coverings in public, on grounds of national security. The cabinet has approved a proposal.</p>
<p>
Public Security Minister Sarath Weerasekera announced on his facebook on Tuesday,  “The proposal made by Rear Admiral Dr. Sarath Weerasekara, Minister of Defense, to ban all face masks, including the burqa, was approved by the Cabinet today.” Weerasekara has called burqas, a garment that covers the body and face worn by some Muslim women, a sign of religious extremism and said a ban would improve national security.</p>
<p>
The proposal will now be sent to the Attorney General’s Department and  must be approved by parliament to become law. The Mahinda Rajapaksa government has a two-thirds majority in Parliament -  Sri Lanka will be among a handful of non-Muslim countries, mostly in Europe, where the burqa  will be outlawed.</p>
<p>
<strong>However, wearing face masks to combat Covid-19 is allowed.</strong></p>
<p>
Along with the burqa ban, Weerasekara announced the government would shut down 1,000 madrasas. The government has also armed itself with new regulations under the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act to detain for up to two years for the purpose of ”deradicalisation” of anyone suspected of harbouring extremist ideas, or for spreading religious, communal or ethnic hatred.</p>
<p>
A temporary ban on the burqa was imposed three years ago after the Easter Sunday bomb attacks, which killed 269 people and injured more than 500 in separate locations of Sri Lanka on April 21, 2019.</p>
<p>
The island nation also plans to ban more than 1,000 Islamic seminaries, or madrasas, out of the nearly 2,300 institutions across the island, with Weerasekara saying they were either “not registered with the authorities” or failed to follow the national education policy.</p>
<p>
Sri Lanka is facing a backlash for its proposal, having only recently reversed its decision on burial rights of Muslims following censure from the international community when it made cremation mandatory for those who died of COVID-19.</p>
<p>
Last month, Pakistani Ambassador Saad Khattak tweeted that a ban would hurt the feelings of Muslims. The U.N. special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Ahmed Shaheed, tweeted that a ban would be incompatible with international law and the right to free religious expression.</p>
<p>
In Sri Lanka, where Muslims comprise less than 10% of the 21 million population – they are mostly Tamil speaking and are mainly engaged in trade and commerce.</p>