Philippine City To Ask Muslim Women Not To Wear Burqas

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The city government of Davao in the southern Philippines is discouraging Muslim women from wearing burqas in public places.

“The law enforcement officers have expressed their opinion that it would be a good security practice to disallow garments that cover faces in public places,” said Mayor Sara Duterte in a statement on Sept. 15.

While she said that she understands the sentiments of Muslim women, the mayor said “the general welfare of the majority takes precedence over religious tradition.”

“May I suggest that you wear the hijab which shows your face or cooperate with security personnel and show your face if you are wearing the burqa,” she said.

“While it is true that these garments are not disallowed by law, we discourage their use in public places,” the mayor added.

UCA News

The Union of Catholic Asian News (UCA News, UCAN) is the leading independent Catholic news source in Asia. A network of journalists and editors that spans East, South and Southeast Asia, UCA News has for four decades aimed to provide the most accurate and up-to-date news, feature, commentary and analysis, and multimedia content on social, political and religious developments that relate or are of interest to the Catholic Church in Asia.

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