Closing Islamic schools and banning the burqa in Sri Lanka .. Does the authority target Muslims through the "anti-terrorism" law?

The Minister of Public Security in Sri Lanka, Sarat Wirassekera, said - today, Saturday - that his country will completely ban the wearing of the burqa and close more than a thousand Islamic schools, in the latest measures targeting Muslims.

He added - at a press conference - that he signed a decision Friday to obtain the government's approval to ban the full-face veil worn by some Muslim women, for reasons of "national security."

"Years ago, women and girls weren't wearing the burqa. It is a sign of the religious extremism that has finally happened. We will definitely ban it," he said.

The burqa was temporarily banned in Sri Lanka in 2019 after the bombing of churches and hotels, killing more than 250.

Weerasera said that the government intends to ban more than a thousand Islamic schools, which he described as an affront to national education policy, adding, "No one can open a school and teach the children what they want."

anti-terrorism?

On Saturday, Sri Lanka announced the entry into force of the provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Law in order to "combat religious extremism", and measures that give the government broad powers that allow suspects to be detained for up to two years, with the aim of "de-radicalization."

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa decided to impose measures under the Anti-Terrorism Act, allowing the arrest of anyone suspected of being involved in "acts of violence or conflict between religions, races or sects, or who expresses feelings of hostility or hostility between different societies."

These provisions, which came into effect on Friday, are part of the Curbing Terrorism Law, which human rights organizations have repeatedly called for its abolition.

The previous government, which the Rajapaksa Party won in the 2019 elections, promised to abolish the law, after admitting that it threatened individual freedoms, but it did not do so.

Rajapaksa, who assumed power, also announced measures to "de-radicalize violent extremist religious thought, according to the terms published in the Official Gazette on Saturday."