Many from Sri Lanka’s minority Muslim community say they are being targeted – and in the latest decision affecting them, the government is reintroducing a ban on burqas.
The government says the full-face covering for women is a sign of what it calls religious “extremism”, and it is barring it on national security grounds.
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More than 1,000 Muslim schools accused of flouting national education policy will also be shut.
The moves come nearly two years after a series of attacks on hotels and churches on Easter Sunday that killed more than 250 people.
So, will the new rules stop “extremism” in the country?
Presenter: Peter Dobbie
Guests:
Rauff Hakeem – Leader of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, member of parliament and former minister of justice
Shreen Abdul Saroor – Peace activist and co-founder of Women’s Action Network
Jehan Perera – Executive director of the National Peace Council of Sri Lanka