The Sri Lankan cabinet has cleared a proposal, citing threat to national security
Colombo: Sri Lanka s Cabinet on Tuesday approved a controversial proposal to ban all forms of face coverings in public places, citing a threat to national security.
The move came weeks after Minister of Public Security Sarath Weerasekara signed a note in March, seeking the approval of the
Cabinet to ban burqas outer garments that cover the body and face worn by some Muslim women.
The Cabinet has decided to ban all forms of face coverings in public places, Cabinet spokesperson and information minister Keheliya Rambukwella told reporters here, without specifying burqas.
In truth, the move is consistent with attempts to stigmatize the country’s small Muslim minority.
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March 17, 2021
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Sri Lanka’s recent announcement banning the burqa (among other face coverings) and its shuttering of over 1,000 Islamic schools in the country is a testament to the government’s tendency to advance an Islamophobic agenda under the guise of national security.
The minister of public security, Sarath Weerasekara, stated that the decisions to ban the burqa and close Islamic schools was due to the fact that he felt it had a “direct impact on national security” and that the face covering was a sign of “religious extremism.” But the fact is that these steps are a direct violation of human rights and freedom of religious expression. The wearing of the burqa was previously banned following the tragic Easter bombings in 2019, but now the Sri Lankan government is going one step further in prohibiting Islam from being taught in over 1,000 Islamic s
Behind Sri Lanka s Move to Ban Burqa and Shut Down 1,000 Islamic Madrasas
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Quad summit 2021
Sri Lanka s cabinet will soon decide if burqas will be banned in the country. The island public security minister Retired Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekara has said he has sent the proposal to the cabinet he Cabinet paper recommending a total ban Muslim women from wearing the long garment that covers the whole body from head to feet.
Though the country s two million Muslims view the move as a discriminatory move, minister Weerasekara says burqa is a national security threat. Burqa is new to Sri Lanka. Earlier, no Muslim women used to wear burqa. Sri Lanka has had a peaceful coexistence with all religions for long. These days, some women wear burqa. It poses a grave threat to national security , Weerasekara said.
“In case, any passenger on board an aircraft refuses to wear mask or violates the COVID-19 protocol for passengers even after repeated warnings during the course of the flight, such passenger may be treated as ‘unruly passenger’ and the procedure in respect of handling such unruly passenger as provided in CAR shall be followed by the concerned airline,” said the DGCA circular issued on March 13.
The Health Ministry said said 140 deaths had been reported with five States accounting for 81.43% of them. Maharashtra saw the highest casualties (56) followed by Punjab (34) and Kerala (14).