COLOMBO: A draft bill that would outlaw full-face veils and body coverings for Muslim women in Sri Lanka will be tabled in parliament next month, a government official said on Wednesday, a day after the Cabinet cleared a proposal banning the burqa in public for national security reasons.
“The framework of the Cabinet decision taken on the burqa ban has been sent to the Attorney General’s department, and the bill is likely to be presented in the legislature within a month,” Public Security Minister Sarath Weerasekara told Arab News.
Last month, Weerasekara sought Cabinet approval to ban the burqa an outer garment worn by some Muslim women to cover the body and face calling it “a sign of religious extremism” with a “direct impact on national security.”
Covid-19: Sri Lanka forcibly cremates Muslim baby sparking anger yahoo.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from yahoo.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
As he watched his son’s body being placed in the crematorium, Mohammed Fahim stood outside the cemetery, weeping.
“How could I watch my baby being burned,” demanded the Muslim man, whose faith prohibits cremation and any form of mutilation of the body after death.
The family had been dealt blow after blow when their infant son Mohammed Shaykh was diagnosed with pneumonia upon admission at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital. An antigen test conducted on the 20-day old infant revealed he was positive for the corona virus. His parents, including the mother who was breast-feeding little Shaykh, have tested negative.