Sri Lankan authorities have on Monday took measures to impose a ban over all kinds of face covers and burqas under emergency law in the wake of the Easter Sunday blasts that claimed the lives of more than 250 people with 500 wounded.
According to ANI news reports, the prime minister’s office was quoted as saying in an official statement that PM Wickremesinghe has said the ACJU (All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama), the group of Muslim clerics in the country has proposed a complete ban on the burqas. Prior to this development, the minister of justice will hold discussions with the council and further issue necessary draft legislation.
“We have given guidance to the Muslim women to not to cover their faces in this emergency situation,” ACJU assistant manager Farhan Faris said.
“It is a presidential order to ban any dress covering faces with immediate effect,” Dharmasri Bandara Ekanayake, a spokesman for President Maithripala Sirisena, told Reuters.
The decision to ban burqas across Sri Lanka comes days after a parliamentarian member of parliament, Ashu Marasinghe, submitted a private member’s motion to impose a ban over the burqas on security grounds, following eight consecutive suicide bombing blasts in churches and hotels on Easter Sunday.
In his submitted motion to parliament, Marasinghe said the burqas are not considered under traditional Muslim attire and was used around the globe by men to hide their faces and carry out acts of terrorisms, according to Colombo Page reports.
The motion said, “Our Muslims leaders have also accepted that Burka is not a traditional Muslim attire and some places even have notices to remove the Burka before entering.” He added, “Accordingly, considering the national security I propose to ban the burka.”
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