Face veil ban not taken up in Cabinet

A Cabinet paper to ban the wearing of face veils, such as the Burqa and Niqab, was not taken up at yesterday’s cabinet meeting, a senior member of the Government told the Daily FT.

The controversial move by the Minister of Public Security Rear Admiral (Rtd.) Sarath Weerasekara to ban the two types of face veils worn by some women of the Islamic faith drew criticism from many groups, including religious groups and some in the diplomatic community.   

Weerasekera said that he had signed the Cabinet paper to ban the wearing of face veils including the burqa last week, adding that the proposed ban did not include the ‘hijab’ worn by many women in the Muslim community.