The Sri Lankan government Thursday said minority Muslim schoolgirls had a choice whether to cover their faces after the state decided to give them free veils as part of their uniforms.
Government spokesman Mangala Samaraweera said the decision last month was aimed at giving Muslims in state-owned schools veils in line with religious practices, but the left-leaning government was not insisting they wear them.
"What we have decided is to give them material for the veils," Samaraweera said. "But, it is not compulsory for them to wear it unless they want to."
Muslims are considered a distinct ethnic community in Sri Lanka and make up about 7.5 percent of the 19 million population, making them the second largest minority after Tamils.
The majority Sinhalese are mostly followers of Buddhism while Tamils are mainly Hindus.