Two years ago concealed Islamic terrorists on Easter killed 260 people in churches in Sri Lanka. The ban is country's instrument of the defence against further attacks, the authorities.

Sri Lanka announced plans over the weekend to ban the wearing of burqas — clothes worn by some Muslim women that cover the body and face — and also said it would close more than 1,000 Islamic schools known as madrassas, citing national security.

Country's minister of public security, Mr. Sarath Weerasekara, called the burqa a sign of religious extremism and said it has a direct impact on national security. Mr. Weerasekara signed a paper on Friday seeking the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers to ban burqas.

The wearing of burqas in Sri Lanka was temporarily banned in 2019 soon after the Easter Sunday bomb attacks on churches and hotels that killed more than 260 people in the Indian Ocean island nation. Two local Muslim groups that had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group have been blamed for the attacks at six locations — two Roman Catholic churches, one Protestant church and three top hotels.

Sri Lanka also plans to ban more than 1,000 Madrassas, saying they are not registered with the authorities and do not follow the national education policy.

Muslims make up about 9% of the 22 million people in Sri Lanka, where Buddhists account for more than 70% of the population. Ethnic minority Tamils, who are mainly Hindus, comprise about 15% of the population.

About two weeks ago, more than 51 percent of Switzerland's residents do not want to see covered faces on the streets of their cities.

The authors of the ban stated that facial covering is a symbol for this extreme, political Islam which has become increasingly prominent in Europe and which has no place in Switzerland.

In result of the referendum, the prescription on the types of clothing in public places will appear in the constitution of the Swiss Confederation.