The Beach A Temporary Escape for Muslims - Sri Lanka
A woman seen from the back, looking at the horizon, holds her daughter on the beach in Weligama, Sri Lanka, on January 2nd, 2022. In Sri Lanka, the Muslim community has faced increasing challenges since the 2019 Easter bombings, when coordinated attacks on churches and hotels by a local Islamist extremist group claimed over 250 lives. In the aftermath, anti-Muslim sentiment surged across the island, leading to heightened discrimination and hostility. The situation worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the government introduced a series of stringent policies impacting the Muslim community. These measures included banning the burqa and niqab in public spaces, closing over 1,000 madrasas, and requiring all Islamic texts entering the country to be reviewed and approved by the Ministry of Defense. These actions have raised significant concerns about religious freedom and the marginalization of Muslims in Sri Lankan society. Weligama, a picturesque coastal town located approximately three hours south of Colombo
- Product Code
- ILEA003178970
- Registered date
- 2022/1/02 00:00:00
- Credit
- Abaca Press / Kyodo News Images
- Media source
- Middle East Images/ABACA
- Media size
- 4160 × 6240 pixel
- Deployment size
- 2.65(MB)*
*File size when opened in Photoshop, etc.