Sri Lanka attacks: face coverings banned to stop terrorists hiding identity

Security forces display seized items after the raid at what they believed to be an Islamist safe house
REUTERS

Sri Lanka has banned face coverings in public in a new bid by the government to ensure national security.

President Maithruipala Sisirsena announced an emergency law would come into effect on Monday, prohibiting the use of any face garment which "hinders identification".

The ban comes eight days after the Easter Sunday suicide bombings, which claimed the lives of more than 250 people in churches and hotels across the country.

Despite more than 150 arrests in connection with the attacks, Sri Lankan intelligence has warned that many more militants are still on the loose.

Security forces display seized items after the raid at what they believed to be an Islamist safe house
AFP/Getty Images

Authorities are also hunting for an estimated 140 followers of Islamic State, which has said it was involved in the bombings, and the country remains on high alert.

The niqab and burqa – face and body veils worn by Muslim women – were not specifically named in the new law.

However, Sri Lankan MPs proposed a ban on women wearing the burqa during a Cabinet meeting in the days following the bombings, saying it should be outlawed on security grounds.

Muslim clerics in the country have also asked women to avoid wearing face coverings, according to news outlet India Today.

A woman is comforted as she attends a funeral for a person killed in the Easter Sunday attacks
Getty Images

In a nation of 21 million people, just under 10% are Muslim. Only a small number of women are believed to wear face veils.

Thousands of Sri Lankan troops stood guard on the streets over the weekend, protecting churches and mosques, despite Sunday church services being cancelled across the country as a safety precaution.

“We don’t want repetitions,” said archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, as he asked parishioners to stay home and worship there instead.

The archbishop himself, delivered a homily before members of the clergy and the country’s leaders in a small chapel at his Colombo residence.

Sri Lanka bombings - In pictures

1/22

“This is a time our hearts are tested by the great destruction that took place last Sunday,” he told his guests.

“This is a time questions – such as ‘does God truly love us, does He have compassion towards us? – can arise in human hearts.”

President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and opposition leader Mahinda Rajapaksa all attended the Mass, in a rare show of unity.

Their political rivalry and a “major intelligence lapse” are blamed for a failure to act upon information received from foreign intelligence agencies, that could have helped prevent the atrocities.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in