President says no to break civil liberties of Muslims

Aug 29, 2016

One security staff personnel, a head of a security force had brought in a proposal at a crucial security staff meeting the other day to ban the Muslim women wearing the ‘Burka”. To this proposal president Maithripala Sirisena had not agreed.

This proposal had been brought forward with the clear intention to prevent the ISIS Islam principles in cultivating roots for Islamic terror. When the proposal was put forward the President had asked whether there had been any clues identified in regard to this attempt.

However there had been only two instances of involving the “Burka” that have been reported. One instance had been when a husband had come disguised wearing a “Burka”while returning from the Katunayake International airport to surprise his wife and the other instance was when thieves had entered a bank in Kandy area to rob the bank.

The President had added that some European countries are making attempts to ban the “Burka” but  it cannot be allowed here as in  such a background like what had happened in the past era when the religious conflicts and clashes took place, such repetition of events would take place.

The President had emphasized that there no reports from the intelligence services that ISIS terrorist organization is having links and is a target in this country. Hence in these contexts there is no necessity to raise alarms and in such a proposal to ban the “Burka” in this country. However the President had stated that not to listen to certain extremist persons in some organisations on this matter.

This view of the President was endorsed by the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mangala Samaraweera.