August 24, 2016

Too little, now too much: the burkini ban is just the latest way to police women's bodies

located:	France
editor:	Vanessa Ellingham

This has got to be some sleazy guy's wet dream: Muslim women may now be legally required to wear less clothing on French beaches.

Authorities in 15 French towns have banned the burkini, a long-sleeved and legged form of swimwear including a headscarf, calling for the removal of religious dress following recent terrorism in France.

A press image published this week shows four armed policemen surrounding a burkini-clad woman who was lying on the beach at the Promenade des Anglais, the site of the Bastille Day attack.

Surely four policemen were not needed to carry out this task. But policing women's bodies and what we wear has been sport for centuries. Who would want to miss out on the fun?

Muslim women's modest dress is designed to be exactly that: modest. But ironically, a fine handed to a Muslim woman on the beach in Cannes who was not wearing a burkini but rather regular clothing and a headscarf, stated that she was not wearing “an outfit respecting good morals and secularism”.

What's a woman to do?

“I was sitting on a beach with my family,” said the 34-year-old woman. “I was wearing a classic headscarf. I had no intention of swimming.”

A witness said other beachgoers were shouting at the woman to "go home", while others applauded the police.

France's state council is set to probe the the Burkini ban, which will set a legal precedent for the rest of the country.

Let's hope they choose to protect freedom of religion over freedom to police women's bodies.