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COLOMBO: Sri Lanka announced on Saturday (March 13) plans to ban burqa wear and said it would close more than 1,000 Islamic schools known as madrassas, citing national security.
Public Security Minister Sarath Weerasekara said he signed a document on Friday seeking approval from the Cabinet of Ministers to ban burqas, outer garments that cover the body and face worn by some Muslim women.
“The burqa has a direct impact on national security,” Weerasekara said at a ceremony at a Buddhist temple on Saturday, without elaborating.
“In our early days, we had many Muslim friends, but Muslim women and girls never wore the burqa,” Weerasekara said, according to video images sent by her ministry. “It is a sign of religious extremism that emerged recently. We will definitely ban it. “
The wearing of burqas was temporarily banned in 2019 after the Easter Sunday bomb attacks on churches and hotels in Sri Lanka that killed more than 260 people. Two local Muslim groups that had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group have been blamed for the attacks in six locations: two Roman Catholic churches, a Protestant church and three major hotels.
Weerasekara also said the government will ban more than 1,000 madrasas, saying they are not registered with the authorities and do not follow national education policy.
The decision to ban burqas and madrasas is the latest measure affecting the Muslim minority of the Indian Ocean island nation.
Muslims make up about 9% of the 22 million inhabitants of Sri Lanka, where Buddhists make up more than 70% of the population. Tamils belonging to ethnic minorities, mainly Hindus, comprise about 15% of the population.
