Sri Lanka bans face coverings in wake of Easter Sunday attacks

The Catholic Church in Sri Lanka has urged the government to crack down on Islamic extremists with more vigour as face coverings were banned in public in the aftermath of the Easter bombings.

Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, the archbishop of Colombo, said the church may not be able to stop people from taking the law into their own hands unless the government conducts a more thorough investigation and does more to prevent further attacks.

His comments came as president Maithripala Sirisena said he was using an emergency law to impose the restriction on face coverings from yesterday.

Any face garment that “hinders identification” will be banned to ensure security, his office said. Muslim leaders criticised the move.

While not specifically named, the niqab and burka – worn by Muslim women – are included in the ban. Sri Lanka remains on high alert, with the Islamic State group having claimed responsibility for the Easter attacks, which killed more than 250 people.

Investigators are looking into the extent of the extremist group’s involvement with the local radicalised Muslims who carried out the suicide bombings.

But the cardinal said he is not satisfied with how the government has conducted its investigations so far. “All the security forces should be involved and function as if on war footing,” Cardinal Ranjith said.

“I want to state that we may not be able to keep people under control in the absence of a stronger security programme. We can’t forever give them false promises and keep them calm.”

He urged the government “to implement a proper programme in order that the people don’t take the law into their own hands”.

However, Cardinal Ranjith said the church assured Muslims that it would not allow any revenge attacks against them.

He also said church services would be held this coming Sunday after necessary precautions were taken. The number of Masses will be reduced at every church, with police and parish committees entrusted with the task of looking out for strangers.

Churches were shut across the nation on Sunday – a week after the bombings – for fear of another attack by Islamic State group-linked militants. Sri Lanka’s Catholics celebrated mass in their homes as Cardinal Ranjith presided over a televised service.

The closing of the churches came after local officials and the US embassy in Colombo warned more militants remained on the loose with explosives.

All of the island nation’s schools, which have been closed since the attacks, are due to reopen on 6 May.