Sri Lanka Muslim women uncover out of fear

Religious tensions and a government ban on covering the face since the Easter Sunday suicide attacks have forced conservative Muslim women in Sri Lanka to shun veils, head scarves and long robes in public.

Muslims in the South Asian nation have felt they are a target ever since jihadist suicide bombers killed more than 250 people with their coordinated strikes on six churches and hotels.

Many women said they stopped wearing niqab face veils, hijab scarves and abaya robes straight after the attacks, which have been claimed by the Islamic State group. On Monday the Sri Lanka government banned women from covering their face in public, bringing it into line with a number of European countries, including France, Denmark and Belgium.

Sri Lanka's population of 21 million is a patchwork of ethnicities and religions, dominated by the Sinhalese Buddhist majority. Hindus (12.5% of the population) and Muslims (9.5%) follow, with Christians fourth (7.0%).

"I have stopped wearing the abaya and hijab in the last few days because of the comments and looks I was getting," said one Muslim widow, asking not to be named. "I will start wearing them when the situation is calmer and people are less paranoid," she said.

"The hijab has not been banned, but people look suspiciously when they see me in it."
"We strongly appeal to our sisters to be mindful of the critical emergency situation now prevalent in our country," the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama said in a statement. "We advise that in the prevailing situation our sisters should not hinder the security forces in their efforts to maintain national security by wearing the face cover."