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Sri Lanka Mulls Burqa Ban In Wake Of Deadly Easter Attacks

© AP Photo / Boris RoesslerIn this June 28, 2014 file photo veiled women attend a speech by preacher Pierre Vogel, in Offenbach, near Frankfurt, Germany. A law that forbids any kind of full-face covering, including Islamic veils such as the niqab or burqa, has come into force in Austria Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017. Only a small number of Muslim women in Austria wear full-face veils, but they have become a target for right-wing groups and political parties. France and Belgium have similar laws and the nationalist Alternative for Germany party is calling for a burqa ban there too
In this June 28, 2014 file photo veiled women attend a speech by preacher Pierre Vogel, in Offenbach, near Frankfurt, Germany. A law that forbids any kind of full-face covering, including Islamic veils such as the niqab or burqa, has come into force in Austria Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017. Only a small number of Muslim women in Austria wear full-face veils, but they have become a target for right-wing groups and political parties. France and Belgium have similar laws and the nationalist Alternative for Germany party is calling for a burqa ban there too - Sputnik International
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On Easter Sunday, Sri Lanka was hit by a series of coordinated bombings in churches and hotels in the capital Colombo and other cities, killing over 300 people and wounding at least 500 others.

In the wake of the deadly terrorist bombings in Sri Lanka, a Sri Lankan United National Party MP has declared on Facebook that he was going to present a private member's bill calling for the burqa to be banned throughout the country.

 

In the motion he submitted to parliament, Prof. Ashu Marasinghe said the face-covering burka is not traditional Muslim attire and is used around the world by men to hide behind and carry out acts of terrorism.

"Our Muslim leaders have also accepted that Burka is not traditional Muslim attire and some places even have notices [requiring visitors] to remove the Burka before entering," he said in his motion.

"Accordingly, considering the national security I propose to ban the burka," he said.

READ MORE: FBI to Assist Sri Lanka in Blast Probe — US Embassy in Colombo

France was the first European country to ban the burqa in public, in 2004, with a clampdown on students in state-run schools displaying any religious symbols.

Then in April 2011, the government brought in a total public ban on full-face veils, with then-President Nicolas Sarkozy saying they were “not welcome” in France.

Belgium followed closely in France’s footsteps, introducing its ban on full-face veils in 2011.

Full or partial bans have since been passed in Austria, Bulgaria and the southern German state of Bavaria.

READ MORE: WATCH Sri Lanka Suicide Attack Suspect Patting Little Girl’s Head Before Blast

On Easter Sunday, over 300 people were killed, including at least 45 children, when seven suicide bombers attacked three luxury hotels and three churches.

Sri Lanka's Daily Mirror learned from Defence sources that the perpetrators' female accomplices had escaped from a Dematagoda apartment complex wearing burqas.

Officers were questioning a suspect in the building hours after the initial attacks when they set off a suicide bomb, killing three police officers. Three suspects were detained there.

Sri Lankan Defence Minister Ruwan Wijewardene said on Wednesday that two different local Islamist groups were to blame for the coordinated blasts, but Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe admitted there may be some links with Daesh*.
Wijewardene also told parliament that preliminary investigations suggested the coordinated blasts were 'in retaliation for the attack against Muslims in Christchurch'.

READ MORE: Sri Lankan Bombings Death Toll Rises to 359, New Suspects Arrested — Report

Prof. Ashu Marasinghe 's call for a ban on the face-covering garments comes as Sri Lanka's prime minister warned there are more explosives and militants 'out there', according to Reuters.

Appearing at a Wednesday news conference, PM Ranil Wickremesinghe deplored the security lapses made evident by the attack. He added that some officials would be losing their jobs in light of security agencies having failed to act on detailed warnings before the attacks.

The number of people killed in the deadly Sunday blasts has risen to 359, Ada Derana news portal reported on Wednesday, citing police.
Daesh* has reportedly claimed responsibility for the Sri Lanka attacks and released images that purportedly show the attackers.

 


  *Daesh (ISIS/ISIL/Islamic State), a terrorist group outlawed in Russia and numerous other countries

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