Women protest in response to ban of burka swimsuits in France
What began as a burkini ban within a single resort quickly spread across the rest of the state to country clubs, public and private pools alike.
By ZACHARY KEYSERA WOMAN WEARS a burkini at a beach in Marseille yesterday.(photo credit: REUTERS)
Many pools in France ban the use of burka swimsuits called burkinis, something a group of Muslim civil rights activists are trying to abolish through a project called "operation burkini."The protest, claimed to be inspired by US civil rights activist Rosa Parks, incorporated a group of Muslim women who chose to wear burkinis in a stand of solidarity with religious civil rights at a Grenoble pool in the French state, according to the BBC. Burkinis allow Muslim women to swim publicly while retaining religious ethics."But the burkini remains controversial in France, where authorities in several French towns have proposed banning the garment altogether," the BBC stated. "In 2010, France became the first European country to ban the full-face veil in public."What began as a burkini ban within a single resort quickly spread across the rest of the state to country clubs, public and private pools alike - as many citizens in France see the burkini as "symbol" of Islam, going against the secularism of the state.The Muslim women wearing the swimsuits were told by the lifeguard that the suits were prohibited from being worn at the pool, however the bathers continued to swim for about an hour to the applause of many other members of the swimming club. However, the women were later sequestered by French police and fined around forty-dollars each for breaching the club's laws."We have a dream: to have fun in public swimming pools like all other citizens, to accompany our children whenever they want to have a swim while it is very hot in the summer here in Grenoble," two of the protesters Hassiba and Latifa told the BBC. "We must fight against discriminatory policies and prejudice in France, as we are actually deprived of our civil rights of access to public services and city-owned infrastructures."