Wednesday, August 24, 2016

The Burkini: Modesty or Degradation?


Following an increased spate of terrorist attacks in France, authorities have cited that public concern is behind the banning of burkinis. A burkini essentially covers the body as much as a wetsuit, with a burqa attached to cover the head. It is worn by women, the majority of whom are Muslim, who choose to wear the burkini as a form of modesty whilst at the beach.



The bylaws in Nice do not specifically prohibit the burkini. Instead, they refer only to vaguely defined “proper attire.” “Access to public beaches is forbidden to ‘any person not properly dressed, respectful of morality and secularism, respecting the rules of hygiene and safety,’”.
Since them implementation of these bylaws, photographs have emerged of armed French police confronting a woman on a beach and making her remove some of her clothing. In another incident, a woman, wearing a burkini, was fined and issued a ticket which stated she was not wearing “an outfit respecting good morals and secularism”.

My initial reaction to seeing women in burqa is always unease. I cannot help but feel as though it is degrading and ridiculous that a woman should have to cover herself from head to toe to identify as a modest and devout Muslim. I always think of the preposterous idea that someone would expect me to wear this claustrophobic mask and to walk behind my significant other, as a mark of respect to him as a man. Obviously if you know me my response would be “you can fuck right off”, if anyone ever suggested this becoming a reality for me.

In 2010, France made it illegal for anyone to cover their face in public spaces. It was criticised for targeting Muslim women, who often wear a burqa, which covers the head and the body, and a niqab, which leaves only the woman’s eyes visible. I specifically mention a woman’s eyes because Muslim men do not wear burqas or a niqab. Again, my reaction was one of acceptance. France is a secular country that has every right to insist that people are easily identifiable in public spaces, as this law also targets the wearing of balaclavas and hoods.

The “when in Rome” argument intrigued me the most. For example, if you are in Saudi Arabia on your annual sun holiday (!), you would most certainly not be parading yourself through the streets in a skimpy River Island leopard print bikini. Whilst you may dislike the dress codes of certain countries and monuments, you still abide by the rules in order to avoid conflict with authorities. In other words, if we abide by your rules and societal norms, you should abide by ours.

Alas, following learning about the burkini ban, and its harsh implementation by authorities in France, I am truly appalled at where we are as a society. The women wearing a burkinis on the beach, whilst with their families and young children, are not the same people who have terrorised France and other countries recently. These women are the same as the women who choose to wear one pieces, or bikinis, or even the women who go topless to avoid tan lines.

The important word here is ‘choice’. Who am I to tell a woman that she is degrading herself by covering herself completely? Similarly, who is she to say that I am degrading myself by choosing to expose my skin to other beach goers? Let’s imagine a Catholic nun, dressed in a habit, is on the same beach as a burkini clad woman, who will get told to strip off to adhere to “respecting good morals and secularism” first?

We are all terrified of terrorists. Isis is succeeding in their aim to have the Western world isolate more and more Muslims and in turn, increase the number of those becoming radicalised through anger and distress.
To conclude, I came across this comment on the situation, that I feel sums up how I feel.


“When, as happened recently in France, an attempt is made to coerce women out of the burqa rather than creating a situation in which a woman can choose what she wishes to do, it’s not about liberating her, but about unclothing her. It becomes an act of humiliation and cultural imperialism. It’s not about the burqa. It’s about the coercion. Coercing a woman out of a burqa is as bad as coercing her into one.” – Arundhati Roy.

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