This summer, the burkini drew international speculation when Cannes, a resort located in the French Riviera, became the first location to place the garment under an intended short-lived ban, set to expire on August 31.
Since July 28, at least 14 additional cities in France have instituted comparable restrictions in response to terrorist attacks. The bans have recently drawn additional attention when armed police officers in Nice, France forced a Muslim woman in leggings, a top with long sleeves and a head scarf to do away with layers of her clothing. As of today, Nice is the first French city to overturn the ban.
The burkini, a term coined by combining “burqa” and “bikini,” is defined as full-coverage swimwear commonly worn by Muslim women while at public beaches or pools. It was designed and created by Aheda Zenetti, a Lebanese-Australian woman who crafted the suit to accommodate her niece, who struggled to participate in athletics while wearing a traditional Islamic head scarf.
The French burkini ban has drawn criticism from not only religious advocates, but also those campaigning on behalf of women’s rights.
In response to the restrictions, Zenetti said, “The burkini swimsuit is freedom and happiness and lifestyle changes—you can’t take that away from a Muslim, or any other woman, that chooses to wear it.”
The burkini has not only been popular as beachwear for Muslim women, but also among Christians, Hindus, Jews and Mormons and is viewed among many supporters as a form of female empowerment and self-expression, as well as being able to serve as a sense of identity.
Both the bans and the burkinis themselves have generated international debate, and the bans are also being accused of facilitating religious persecution and come into question with whether they align with the French principle of secularism. However, regardless of the August 26 ruling by the most authoritative administrative court in France that deemed the ban illegal, Mayor Marc Etienne Lansade intends to uphold the town of Cogolin’s ban until Spetember 15, which indicates that regardless of the judicial ruling, the sentiment enforcing the bans is still very much intact.