“Is it Necessary to Ban Burka and Niqab?” An Analytical Study Based on Mawanella, Sri Lanka

Abstract

The debate over Muslim women’s attire has become one of the more controversial topics in the current world. In Sri Lanka, this topic became the topic of discussion in the aftermath of the Easter Sunday attack because Muslims were the major suspects in this attack, and then onwards, Muslim women’s attire has started to be considered a major threat to national security. Because of this, a huge debate has risen in society. Therefore, in this context, it is vital to find out the opinion of the general public. Therefore, this study attempts to explore how people from multiculturally diverse societies feel about their neighboring communities. Here, I have conducted research based on the Mawanella Divisional Secretariat, which consists of a huge diversity, and used qualitative methodology as my research methodology. This study discovered that, as a result of their previous experience with ethnic riots, the community has a better understanding of and respect for other ethnic groups. Also, this study finds that with regards to the prohibition of the burka and niqab, the Muslim community has their own interpretation and rationale for their clothing practices. And according to the Muslim women’s opinions, wearing the niqab and burka is a tradition they should maintain and transmit from generation to generation. However, this study was conducted based on one divisional secretariat, and this may have led to missed perspectives from the people who live in another divisional secretariat.