Sri Lanka bans burqa, other face veils

International Desk: Sri Lanka has banned face coverings in public, following a spate of suicide attacks on Easter Sunday that killed at least 250 people and injured hundreds.

President Maithripala Sirisena said he was using an emergency law to impose the restriction from Monday.

Any face garment which "hinders identification" will be banned to ensure security, his office said. Muslim leaders criticised the move.

The niqab and burka - worn by Muslim women - were not specifically named.

The move is perceived as targeting those garments, however.

Sri Lanka remains on high alert eight days after Islamist attacks that hit churches and hotels.

Sri Lanka has a sizeable and centuries-old Muslim population - of the country's 21-million population, just under 10% are Muslim.

Only a small number of women are thought to wear the face-covering niqab, or the burka - a one-piece garment that covers the face and body.

Last week a Sri Lankan MP had proposed a ban on women wearing the burka, saying it should be outlawed on security grounds.

Agencies


risingbd/Dhaka/Apr 29, 2019/Nasim