Colombo: Sri Lanka has decided to ban Muslim women from wearing the burqa in public places and to close more than a thousand madrassas.
Speaking to the BBC, Sri Lanka’s Minister for Public Security Veerath Verasekara said the move was in the interest of national security.
He said the burqa was a symbol of religious extremism that had recently emerged affecting national security and needed to be permanently banned.
He said that he has signed a cabinet order banning the burqa and closing madrassas, which now needs parliamentary approval.
The Sri Lankan official said they expect the ban on burqa soon.
