Sri Lanka’s Public Security Minister Sarath Weerasekara said that the government would soon ban the burqa. The burqa ban comes ahead of the troubled second anniversary of the 2019 Easter bombings.
- If the ban is approved from the country’s parliament, Sri Lanka will be among a handful of non-Muslim countries, mostly in Europe, where the garment will be outlawed.
- In Sri Lanka Muslims comprise less than 10% of the 21 million population — they are mostly Tamil speaking.
- Along with the burqa ban, Weerasekara announced the government would shut down 1,000 madrasas.
- The Pakistani High Commissioner has raised concern over Sri Lanka’s recent announcement on outlawing the burkha, noting that such a ban would “injure” the feelings of ordinary Muslims in Sri Lanka and elsewhere.
(Indian Express)
