The law to ban face coverings took effect from Monday in Sri Lanka. The move which came a week after more than 250 people were killed in a series of coordinated attacks on Easter Sunday, has drawn a mixed response. Activists say that the move “violated Muslim women’s right to practice their religion freely”.
President Maithripala Sirisena said on Sunday “The ban is to ensure national security… No one should obscure their faces to make identification difficult.”
All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama (ACJU), the top body of Islamic scholars in the South Asian island nation has backed the move on security grounds.
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