Sri Lanka Bans Face Coverings Including Burqa In The Aftermath Of Easter Sunday Attacks

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Sunday (28 April 2019) decreed a ban on any form of face covering that can hinder the identification of any individual under emergency regulations, reports Times of India.

The emergency law will prevent Muslim as well as other women from veiling their faces in public. The decision comes after the cabinet of the Sri Lanka government had proposed laws banning face veils in a recent meeting. The restriction takes effect from Monday (29 April 2019).

"The ban is to ensure national security... no one should obscure their faces to make identification difficult," read an official statement from the President office.

According to an Indian Express report, Muslims account for 10 per cent population of the island country. Most Sri Lankan Muslims practice a liberal form of the religion, with only a small percentage of women wearing a full face veil known as niqab.

The decision has been taken in the light of recent Easter Sunday bomb blasts which were carried out by locals affiliated to the Islamic State (ISIS) which has claimed the responsibility of the dastardly terror attacks. As many as 253 individuals were killed and ,many others were injured in the terror attack which had left the island nation in a state of absolute shock and uncertainty.