Sources from Colombo stated that Muslim women in Sri Lanka will not be allowed to wear any form of face veils in public from Monday under new regulations announced by President Maithripala Sirisena who used emergency powers in the wake of the Easter Sunday bombings. Meanwhile the new regulation banning any form of face covering was announced by the President on Sunday, a week after the coordinated blasts hit three churches and three luxury hotels, killing over 250 people and injuring more than 500 others.
Furthermore it specifically mentions "any face garment which hinders identification". Sirisena's office said in a statement "The ban is to ensure national security, where no one should obscure their faces to make identification difficult". Apparently he took steps under the emergency regulation to prohibit the use of face coverings of all sorts which is an obstacle to ensure the identity of the people and a threat to national and public security.
Moreover the order clarifies that the key criterion for establishing the identity of a person is the need to clearly expose the face. Reportedly the President has taken this decision to establish a peaceful and cohesive society which does not inconvenience any community people as well as ensure national security and the presidential communiqué, however, makes no mention of niqab and burqa.
