Radical monk slams Sri Lanka for allowing Muslim nurses hijab
Seelarathane Thero, leader of Sinhala nationalist party Jana Setha Peramuna, claims policy to permit Muslim attire “erases Sinhala culture"
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (MNTV) — A prominent Sinhala-Buddhist monk and far-right political leader has accused Sri Lanka’s new government of undermining the country’s majority culture after it moved to allow Muslim nurses to wear uniforms that reflect their religious and cultural identity.
In a video circulated online, Seelarathane Thero — head of the Sinhala-nationalist party Jana Setha Peramuna — denounced the decision as an attempt to “erase Sinhala culture.” He targeted Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya and Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath, saying the policy would “ruin the country’s culture and history,” according to the independent outlet Tamil Guardian.
His vitriolic remarks came after a meeting chaired by Minister Herath between Muslim community representatives and government officials to discuss workplace barriers faced by Muslim women. Participants said restrictive dress codes discouraged women from entering nursing, where uniforms traditionally expose the forearms and lower legs.
Herath responded that the existing legal framework already permits variations to accommodate cultural and religious identity, stating that “faith should not be an obstacle to ambition.”
Seelarathane Thero countered that allowing Muslim nurses to cover their heads and legs would create “different rules” for citizens, urging the National People’s Power (NPP) government to enforce “one law” for all.
He argued that if Muslims could modify uniforms, “Sinhalese nurses should also be allowed to wear the Kandyan or lama saree, and Tamils their traditional attire.”
The monk also attacked Minister Herath’s appearance at last month’s UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva, alleging that he “failed to represent the country’s interests” and “allowed foreign agencies to dictate human rights policy.”
Seelarathane Thero has long courted controversy for his hard-line Sinhala-Buddhist nationalist rhetoric. As leader of Jana Setha Peramuna — a small party aligned with Sinhala majoritarian politics — he has supported military occupation of Tamil-majority regions and publicly defended the Rajapaksa family during war-crimes investigations.
Rights observers have frequently linked his speeches to anti-Muslim sentiment that surged after the civil war’s end in 2009.
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