Sri Lanka rights body rules hospital violated Muslim women’s religious freedom

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (MNTV) — Sri Lanka’s national human rights commission has ruled that a government hospital violated the constitutional rights of six Muslim women by forcing them to choose between observing their religious dress requirements and continuing their employment, in a significant decision protecting religious freedom in the workplace.

The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL), in findings issued Monday, Oct. 12, concluded that authorities at Kalmunai North Base Hospital had unlawfully restricted the women’s religious freedom, discriminated against them and violated their right to lawful employment.

The ruling followed complaints from six newly appointed Muslim healthcare assistants who said hospital officials ordered them to remove their hijabs, long sleeves and trousers worn alongside their prescribed uniforms.

The women joined the hospital in eastern Sri Lanka’s Ampara district on August 6 after receiving appointments from the Ministry of Health.

During their orientation, hospital officials instructed nine Muslim female employees to remove clothing worn for religious modesty. Three complied, while six refused.

The six women were subsequently warned that they would not be permitted to sign the attendance register unless they followed the hospital’s dress instructions.

According to their complaints, hospital officials presented them with three choices: abandon their religious clothing, accept transfers to other facilities or resign from their positions.

The women also reported verbal harassment and intimidation by hospital authorities.

Hospital administrators defended their instructions, arguing that they were enforcing government regulations governing uniforms for public employees.

However, the commission rejected that justification, finding that neither the 1989 nor the 2022 public administration circulars cited by hospital officials explicitly prohibited religious head coverings or additional modest clothing.

Investigators also found that another government hospital in the same district permitted Muslim female employees to wear similar clothing without restrictions.

The commission concluded that the hospital’s interpretation of government regulations was arbitrary, unreasonable and discriminatory.

It further determined that transferring the six employees without conducting disciplinary inquiries violated their constitutional protections.

The ruling identified violations of five constitutional provisions covering freedom of religion, equality before the law, protection against discrimination, freedom to practice religious beliefs and the right to engage in lawful employment.

The commission recommended that Kalmunai North Base Hospital issue written instructions explicitly permitting employees to wear hijabs, long sleeves and trousers alongside their official uniforms.

It also called for an independent investigation into the women’s harassment allegations and directed authorities to offer all six employees the opportunity to return to their original workplace without restrictions on their religious clothing.

Beyond the individual case, the commission urged Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Public Administration to introduce nationwide guidelines protecting the right of government employees to wear religious attire alongside prescribed uniforms, provided their faces remain identifiable.

The recommendation could have broader implications for Muslim women working in Sri Lanka’s public sector, where disputes over Islamic clothing have raised questions about religious accommodation and equal employment rights.

The commission warned that arbitrary restrictions on religious attire risk creating hostile workplaces, deepening tensions between religious communities and undermining national reconciliation.

The hospital director and the Ministry of Public Administration have been asked to report on the implementation of the recommendations by Nov. 11.