Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Saad Khattak condemned Sri Lanka’s Public Security Minister Sarath Weerasekara’s recent plans to ban burka and other face coverings on grounds of "national security".
On Monday, Khattak opined that the ban will offend Muslims around the world and will exacerbate divisions amongst communities on the island. He tweeted,
https://t.co/BjrnFSoesO
— Ambassador Saad Khattak (@SaadKhtk) March 15, 2021
The likely ban on Niqab #SriLanka will only serve as injury to the feelings of ordinary Sri Lankan Muslims and Muslims across the globe. At today's economically difficult time due to Pandemic and other image related challenges faced by the country
at international fora, such divisive steps in the name of Security, besides accentuating economic difficulties, will only serve as fillip to further strengthen wider apprehensions about fundamental human rights of minorities in the country.
— Ambassador Saad Khattak (@SaadKhtk) March 15, 2021
The announcement to ban Muslim face coverings and to close over a thousand Islamic schools came just weeks after Sri Lanka finally ended its forced cremation policy following numerous domestic and international calls for the discriminatory policy to end. The cabinet order authorising the permanent ban is currently pending parliamentary approval.
Weerasekara claimed that the burqa was “a sign of religious extremism that came about recently”, referring to the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings which took the lives of almost 270 civilians. Further, he accused madrassa Islamic schools of flouting national education policy.
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