Sri Lanka on Saturday announced a ban on the burqa and the closure of more than 1,000 Islamic schools in the country, according to the Associated Press.
“The Burqa has a direct impact on national security,” Public Security Minister Sarath Weerasekara said of the one-piece garment worn by some Muslim women.
He added: “It is a sign of religious extremism that has emerged recently. We will definitely ban it. “
Weerasekara said he signed a document on Friday advancing the burqa measure to the Cabinet for approval. He also addressed the closure of Islamic madrassa schools, citing a lack of adherence to national education policy, according to Reuters.
According to the US State Department’s 2018 Report on International Religious Freedom in Sri Lanka, the South Asian island country officially recognizes four religions: Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism and Christianity.
The country’s population is 9.7% Muslim, compared to 70.2% Buddhist, 12.6% Hindu and 7.4% Christian.
The report states that Sri Lankan government officials have “systematically discriminated against religious minorities, especially Muslims, and are converting to” free “(non-denominational and evangelical) Christian groups.”
The last time the burqa was banned in Sri Lanka was in 2019, after Islamic militants killed more than 250 people after bombing churches and hotels, according to Reuters.
Other countries have adopted burqa bans in recent years, including Switzerland and Denmark.