Cabinet approves ban on burqas, other face-covering veils

By Saman Indrajith

The Cabinet of Ministers had yesterday approved the proposed ban on burqas and other face covering veils, Public Security Minister Rear Admiral (Ret.) Sarath Weerasekera said.

 There was a temporary ban on burqas and other face coverings following the Easter Sunday attacks of 2019, under the emergency regulations of the Public Security Ordinance and it lapsed after the end of the emergency.

 Yesterday’s Cabinet decision would lead to a total ban, and Sri Lanka will join 16 others nations namely Tunisia, Austria, Denmark, France, Belgium, Tajikistan, Latvia, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Gabon, the Netherlands, China, Morocco and Switzerland in baning the burqa and other face covering veils, Rear Adm. Weerasekera said.

 The Minister said that the Cabinet paper at issue had been prepared on the basis of precautionary measures needed to safeguard  national security as proposed by the investigations of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry on Easter Sunday attacks. It was also one of the recommendations of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Easter Sunday attacks that burqas should be banned.

Weerasekera said that it was Azath Salley who had first issued a directive to the effect of banning burqas. “Soon after the Easter Sunday attacks there was a fear that there would be terror attacks on schools. During that time Salley as the then Governor of the Western Province issued a circular to all schools in the province not to permit anyone wearing a burqa to enter educational institutions.”.

The Minister said that another proposal to ban more than 1,000 madrassas (Islamic schools) which were “flouting national education policy” and that decision too would be passed by the Cabinet in the coming days.