The Burkini Hidden Agenda
So earlier this week, controversial photos of armed officers apparently ordering a woman to remove her clothing at beach in Nice, France were taken. This clothing is called a burkini.
What is a a burkini? A burkini is a full-body swimsuit that covers everything except the face, hands and feet. It is in a sense, a fusion between the words ‘burka’ and ‘bikini’ despite the obvious differences that bikinis are very revealing. It gives Muslim women a way for them to swim publicly while adhering to strict modesty edicts.
What’s important to understand is that, in 2010, France was one of the first European countries to ban the full-face veil in public, and in 2004, a law was made that forbid the wearing of religious emblems in schools and colleges. The French are very big on secularism, the separation of religion and state, and in fact, their 1905 constitution aimed to separate Church and state.
This type of legislation escalated in light of the recent terror attack in Nice in July, when a truck driver pledged allegiance to ISIS before driving through a group of Bastille Day fireworks watchers, killing 80 people. Since then, the burkini ban took place in which wearers were fined up to 38 euros. The French passed this on the idea of promoting secularism, arguing that “the burkini represents Islam’s inability to assimilate to France’s values.”
So… sure. Their concept of laïcité, a term for France’s secular values, seems to be ban all religious symbols and clothing — including crosses, yarmulkes/kippah, and Islamic headscarves — from public schools in 2004.
In reality, these laws seem like radical anti-French Muslim legislation as well as an attack against Muslim women and Islam, in an effort to ensure that ISIS attacks will not happen on French soil ever again. Compared to relatively little discrimination toward French Christians and Jews, it’s very easy to tell the difference.
“Race, gender, and other identity categories are most often treated in mainstream liberal discourse as vestiges of bias or domination — that is, as intrinsically negative frameworks in which social power works to exclude or marginalize those who are different.” — Kimberle Crenshaw
By passing such legislation, outlawing burqas and burkinis alike, the French are not only trying to start “war on Islam”, but also against Muslim women and women in general. Traditionally, Muslim women are the only ones that are required to “cover up” their skin in order to hide their beauty from the public. By outlawing and fining these articles of clothing, it is a violation of human rights and an attack against these women.
The deputy mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, has referred to the covering of women on the beach as a “provocation” to French order.
It’s simply absurd.
“My answer is simple: At the end of the day women are women, whether they are Muslim or not, and we all want to be comfortable, look beautiful and feel feminine.” — Vanessa Lourenco, a burkini designer
Ms. Lourenco argues that she designs burkinis for Muslim women in order to give them a chance to participate in the same activities as the rest of the community. As she loves to go swimming herself, seeing religious Muslims or others not be able to go swimming “struck me as unacceptable.” Her internet business sells swimwear in 120 countries and she’s not even Muslim.
Thankfully, the burkini ban in one French Town was overturned. The flimsy arguments that burkinis as bathing attire were not “appropriate,” was not “respectful of good morals and of secularism,” or did not respect “hygiene and security rules” did not fly with the court. It’s fairly obvious what the ban was about and who they were targeting.
“Emotions and concerns that are the result of the terrorist attacks, most notably the one carried out in Nice last July 14th, do not suffice to legally justify the ban.” — The Council of State in France.
However, this is just one of 30 cities along the French Riviera that ban the burkini.
It doesn’t stop at the burkini either. Muslims are clearly being targeted and women are inadvertently being targeted as well. For example, French Muslim homes are being raided on no basis, with no form of apology or explanation other than the fact that they are Muslim. Such fears are understood, but this discrimination is going so far as to remind me of Trump and his excessive, radical discrimination.
“We’re dealing with people without uniforms… we are allowing people into our country — we have no idea where they are coming from. They have no paperwork, no documentation. This may be the greatest Trojan Horse of all time.” — Donald Trump on Muslim immigration.
It is very probable that Muslims will continue to be targeted. I think that Mr. Muhammad, the head of Collective Against Islamophobia in France puts it very well this way.
“Now that is is over with the beach, they are going to come back with the debate on long skirts or on halal meals.”
