On the 28th of April, a week after the Easter Sunday blasts on the 21st of April, the Sri Lankan Government banned burqas and all kinds of face masks in the island Country.
The emergency law was passed by the Government days after eight blasts ripped through the Country and killed close to 260 people. President Maithripala Srisesana’s office passed a law saying any garment or clothing which obstructs the process of identification is barred.
Announcing the ban, President Sirisena’s office said in a statement: “The ban is to ensure national security. No one should obscure their faces to make identification difficult.”
The restriction is going to take effect from the 29th of April and will not allow Muslim women to wear burqas or covers of any kind till further notice.
Sirisena’s office took this decision after local Islamic clerics asked Muslim women not to cover their faces and to stay clear of prayers in public areas. This rule essentially means Muslim women can now wear only the hijab and the chador and they will no longer be able to wear the niqab and the burqa in public.
The people of this island Country are tense and on edge because of the volatile situation. According to reports from the President’s office, close to 48 people were arrested in relation to the blasts so far.
Furthermore, on the afternoon of the 28th of April, police entered the main mosque of National Towheed Jamaat (NTJ) in Kattankudy and took into custody people suspected of being involved in the blasts.
This move came shortly after the NTJ was declared a terror group and was thought to be a threat to the Country. The authorities banned NTJ due to its connection with Mohammed Zahran, the alleged mastermind behind the Easter Sunday blasts.
Post the search, the police locked up the mosque just before prayers.
With the Country under curfew and Christians and Muslims banned from praying in public places, Sri Lankan residents are living in constant fear.
Stay tuned for more updates.
