ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Saad Khattak has condemned the island’s Public Security Minister Sarath Weerasekara’s plans to ban burka and other face coverings on grounds of “national security”.
Sri Lanka is reportedly going to ban the wearing of the burqa and shut more than 1,000 Islamic schools in the latest actions affecting the country’s minority Muslim population.
Khattak tweeted on Monday that the ban would “only serve as injury to the feelings of ordinary Sri Lankan Muslims and Muslims across the globe”.
https://t.co/BjrnFSoesO
The likely ban on Niqab #SriLanka will only serve as injury to the feelings of ordinary Sri Lankan Muslims and Muslims across the globe. At today's economically difficult time due to Pandemic and other image related challenges faced by the country— Saad Khattak (@SaadKhtk) March 15, 2021
The Lankan government, however, says it would take time to consider a proposed ban on the wearing of burqas, after Sarath Weerasekera, signed a paper on Friday for cabinet approval to ban burkas calling it a sign of “religious extremism”.
“In our early days Muslim women and girls never wore the burqa,” said Weerasekera in a news conference on Saturday. “It is a sign of religious extremism that came about recently. We are definitely going to ban it”, referring to the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings which took the lives of almost 270 civilians. Further, he accused madrassa Islamic schools of flouting national education policy.
However, government spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella on Tuesday said a ban was a serious decision and “It will be done in consultation. So, it requires time”.
The announcement came just weeks after Sri Lanka finally ended its forced cremation policy, an issue raised by PM Imran Khan during his official visit to the country. The order authorising the permanent ban on burka and face coverings is currently pending parliamentary approval.
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