Colombo’s ban on the niqab is against a woman’s right to choose — and is just the thing extremists feed on.

Colombo’s ban on the niqab is against a woman’s right to choose — and is just the thing extremists feed on.

By Editorial |Updated: May 1, 2019 6:02:06 pm

Wrong step

Colombo’s ban on the niqab is against a woman’s right to choose — and is just the thing extremists feed on.

Significantly, even before the President took the step, Muslim civil society organisations and the clergy had already urgently appealed to their “sisters” to stop wearing the full face veil.

President Maithripala Sirisena has taken the extraordinary step of effectively banning the niqab, a face covering worn by some Muslim women, under the country’s Emergency regulations, promulgated after the Easter Sunday bombings claimed by ISIS. It makes Sri Lanka the only country outside Europe to take such a decision. The directive does not explicitly mention the garment, which covers the face almost entirely and leaves narrow openings only for the eyes. It says all face coverings are banned for national security reasons. It is unfortunate that President Sirisena took such an extreme step without wider consultation, as it goes against the fundamental freedoms set out in the Sri Lankan constitution. Even accepting that the Emergency gives the government vast powers to suspend some freedoms, this is an unwarranted and extreme measure. The niqab is an import from the Middle East. It is not a common sight in Sri Lanka. Few women wear it. There is now the danger that the ban on the niqab will be read up in its implementation to include the more commonly worn hijab and burqa, especially as there have been demands earlier by Buddhist extremists that these garments should be banned. It could also open up demands for banning other visible identity markers, such as caps and bears worn by men.