The burkini – modest swimwear designed for Muslim women – is causing controversy and outrage, with some wanting it banned and others claiming it’s better than togs that expose too much flesh.
The ban on the Islamic burkini swimsuit on some French beaches has triggered disdain in English-speaking countries, where outlawing religion-oriented clothing is seen as hampering integration.
Newspaper commentators have condemned the ban as an absurdity, and one questioned how a burkini could be more offensive than “middle-aged bum crack” bursting out from traditional Western beachwear.
Some experts said the debate raised questions about the French one-size-fits-all model of integration.
In Britain, the full-face veil is not an uncommon sight in towns and city districts with big Muslim populations, but ostensibly does not stir as strong a reaction as in France.
One of the world’s most secular countries, France strongly separates religion and public life. Defenders of the policy say a common arena without religious connotations helps avoid sectarian conflicts and encourages equality.
As a result, the burkini — like the burqa before it — has come under fire in France.
Some deem it a garment that channels radical Islam and oppresses women.
“It is the expression of a political project, a counter-society, based notably on the enslavement of women,” French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said of the burkini last Wednesday.
Such views are widely contested in Britain, both on the grounds of tolerance and practicality.
Britain’s best-known example of burkini-wearing was not by a Muslim but by TV chef Nigella Lawson, who hit the headlines in 2011 when she wore a black version of it on Bondi Beach in Sydney.
A BBC look at the issue found Muslim women in Britain speaking in favor of the burkini and saying it aided integration.
“The burkini allows me the freedom to swim and go on the beach, and I don’t feel I am compromising my beliefs for that,” Aysha Ziauddin told the broadcaster.
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