Nice is the latest city in France to ban the popular Muslim women’s swimming garment, the burqini, from its beaches.
The decision to do so was fueled by the idea that the burqini “is not compatible with the values of France and the Republic,” according to Prime Minister Manuel Valls. He said the burqinis represented the notion that women are impure and harlots.
Others in France saw the burqini as a symbol of provocation of Islamic extremist views, believing that this women’s bathing suit could perhaps incite terror in a public place such as a beach.
However, a burqini is not a call to arms. It’s a swimming garment that covers everything a traditional burqa would while leaving the face uncovered.
However, violence was recently incited over a burqini in France. But the fights were not acts of terror. They broke out after a group of tourists on a beach insisted upon taking pictures of women sporting the bathing suits — exploiting them as some type of sight to see.
By banning burqinis, the French government is doing exactly what those tourists did — they are treating Muslim women as if they are irregular to their environment.
The bans imply that these women are not fixtures in the French community and that they never will be unless they conform to laws that push them out of their comfort zone.
The burqini was invented for just that reason. Some Muslim women felt uncomfortable wearing the traditionally revealing Western swimsuits to public beaches and pools where men were present.
Beyond what this ruling says about Muslim women, it sets a precedent for the way women in France are treated in general.
When Prime Minister Valls said clothing that paints women as “harlots” goes against French values, he seemed to also imply that women making their own decisions about what to wear goes against French values.
Conservative swimwear is not just a concept for Muslim women. Other women and some men feel more comfortable wearing bathing suits that cover up more of their body. The style of swimsuit that covers arms and legs with a rash guard has always been a popular choice for those who are scuba diving, protecting themselves from the sun or simply wanting a more modest choice.
There are a lot of things wrong with banning this style of swimming garment on public beaches in cities in France. A law like this limits women’s freedom of religious and cultural expression, paints a burqa or burqini as a symbol for terrorism, and polices what women put on their bodies.
All of that should not be “compatible with the values” of any nation.
