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Politics

Sri Lanka to ban burqa, shut many Islamic schools, minister says

Burqa was temporarily banned in 2019 after the bombing by Islamic militants

A person wears a face mask and a veil during a silent protest, demanding the justice for Easter Sunday attack on April 21, 2019, in Colombo, Sri Lanka Mar. 7.,    © Reuters

COLOMBO (Reuters) -- Sri Lanka will ban the wearing of the burqa and shut more than a thousand Islamic schools, a government minister said on Saturday, the latest actions affecting the country's minority Muslim population.

Minister for public security Sarath Weerasekera told a news conference he had signed a paper on Friday for cabinet approval to ban the full face covering worn by some Muslim women on "national security" grounds.

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