The burqa ban debate has picked up steam in the country. The immediate trigger for this is Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut's recent editorial in the Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamna. Raut said that Sri Lanka has banned face coverings and it was time for India to follow suit. Raut said this was driven primarily by security concerns.

Now, the head of a Kerala-based Muslim education group has been threatened because he has cited in a circular that women students should not cover their faces. It is time to look at the burqa ban for what it is -- it is a ban for face coverings, and in fact all camouflages for the visage in public places. Muslim women who wear the niqab (face veil) will fall under the ambit of this ban. Several countries in Europe have banned the face veil.