You might have seen in the news recently that towns in France have taken the controversial step of banning the burkini. A burkini, if you’re not already aware, is a coverall item of beach clothing worn primarily by Muslim women when they’re visiting the seaside. It’s a step, a backwards one for tolerance in the Western World if you ask us, that supporters have tried to justify by citing “public safety concerns.” While writing this piece, we should say that France’s highest court announced they were suspending the ban.
The ban, a plainly misguided one, was a response to the horrific terrorist attacks that have hit France in recent times. These attacks, responsible for considerable loss of life, had Islamic extremism at their core. Because of this, there are those that now cite burkinis as symbols of Islamic extremism and who feel they have no place on French beaches. The implementation of the ban, that will surely only serve to drive French communities apart rather than bring them together, has stirred up a lot of strong feelings.
