Sri Lanka imposes Burqa ban; President Sirisena issues ordinance -

Colombo: Srilanka imposed a Burqa Ban on Monday. President Maitripala Sirisena issued an ordinance banning the burqa, using special powers. The Sri Lankan President’s office informed that this decision has been taken in view of security. The Sri Lankan President’s office said that although the order does not mention burqa and Hijab directly, it says that no garment covering the face, can be worn in a public place.

250 people were killed in the 8 serial bombings and suicide attacks, at the churches and hotels in Sri Lanka on 21st of April. The terrorists carried out blasts in Sri Lanka, even after that. Following this, the Sri Lankan agencies are making efforts on a war footing and harsh decisions are being taken. The Sri Lankan Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe had expressed concerns that the terrorists are still roaming freely in the country and preparing to carry out saboteur activities.

As per the information possessed by the Sri Lankan intelligence,the next plan of the terrorists is to attack the Buddhist places of worship, and female suicide bombers may be used in the attacks. CCTV footage from one of the shops showed a woman buying Burqas worth 29,000 Sri Lankan rupees. Suspicion is being expressed that this woman could be a suicide bomber. The Sri Lankan agencies informed that one of the suicide bombers in the 21st April attacks was a woman.

Against this background, the Sri Lankan President’s office announced the burqa ban from Monday. According to this order, no garment covering the face can be worn at any public place. The President’s office said that this obstructs the process of identification and therefore this order has been issued for security reasons. President Sirisena’s office has appealed to the citizens and religious leaders to cooperate in the matter. This is eliciting response from the people, and one of the Islamic teachers has appealed to the people to cooperate with the government.

Earlier, European countries Austria, Denmark, France, Belgium, Latvia and Bulgaria have banned burqa at public places. These countries also have said that the decisions were taken from security’s point of view.