Sri Lanka to ban burqa, shut down Islamic schools

Addressing a press conference on Saturday, Minister for Public Security, Sarath Weerasekera, said that he asked for cabinet approval for ban on burqa for "national security".

"We are definitely going to ban it," the Minister confirmed, stating that the body covering is " a sign of religious extremism". He also told the media that over 1,000 Islamic schools will be shut down for going against national education policy.

The latest actions come after the Sri Lankan government made cremation mandatory for Muslims following the coronavirus pandemic. That restriction was lifted earlier this year after criticism by international rights groups and other countries including Pakistan and United States of America.

Sri Lanka has taken actions that are perceived to be anti-Muslim after the 2019 church bombings and hotel attacks that killed over 250 people, including many foreign tourists. Back then, the government of the island nation had temporarily banned the burqa.