Sri Lanka’s Cabinet Approves Ban On Full-Face Veils Including Muslim Burqas

Sri Lanka’s cabinet approves the proposal by Public Security Minister Sarath Weerasekera to ban Muslim burqas in public places.

According to foreign media, the Sri Lankan government is citing national security as the basis for banning the burqa, and the cabinet has approved a proposal to ban full-face veils including Muslim burqas.

Sri Lanka’s cabinet approved the proposal despite the United Nations declaring it a violation of international law.

Sri Lanka’s public security minister has proposed a ban on the burqa, which will be sent to the attorney general after approval, with parliamentary approval required to become law.

Foreign media say that due to the majority of the government in the parliament, the law banning the burqa will be passed easily after the approval of the cabinet.

Sri Lankan Minister of Public Security Sarath Weerasekera called the burqa worn by Muslim women a symbol of religious extremism and said banning the burqa would improve national security.

Media reports say the burqa was temporarily banned in Sri Lanka after the 2019 Easter suicide bombing, which killed 260 people.

In this regard, Saad Khattak, Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, shared the news of the ban on the burqa on Twitter last month, saying it would hurt the feelings of Muslims.

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