Paris pool bans Muslim woman in 'burqini' swimsuit

Breitbart ^ | 08/12/09 | Staff

[OldDeckHand]

A Paris swimming pool has refused entry to a young Muslim woman wearing a "burqini," a swimsuit that covers most of the body, officials said Wednesday.

The pool ban came as French lawmakers conduct hearings on whether to ban the burqa after President Nicolas Sarkozy said the head-to-toe veil was "not welcome" in secular France.

Officials in the Paris suburb of Emerainville said they let the woman swim in the pool in July wearing the "burqini," designed for Muslim women who want to swim without revealing their bodies.

But when she returned in August they decided to apply hygiene rules and told her she could not swim if she insisted on wearing the garment, which resembles a wetsuit with built-in hood.

Pool staff "reminded her of the rules that apply in all (public) swimming pools which forbid swimming while clothed," said Daniel Guillaume, an official with the pool management.

Le Parisien newspaper said the woman, identified by her first name Carole, was a French convert to Islam and that she was determined to go to the courts to challenge the decision.

[OldDeckHand]

This is interesting. As ridiculous as I believe the "burqa" to be, it is a expression of religious belief. France is making a mistake in this case. I think that there are public safety concerns with respect to the Burqa or hijab that fully or partially covers the face, but this "swimsuit" does nothing of the kind.

[a fool in paradise]

"Next up! Svimvear!"

[org.whodat]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2314300/posts

[Scythian]

Where’s she going to get her Vitamin “D” from? I see this as a health issue /sarcasm (but only half)

[duckman]

I’d pay money to see a “burqa” dive off a 50 foot board.

[OldDeckHand]

Pictures of the "burquinis"

[<1/1,000,000th%]

C’mon.

Muslim women have finally joined the 19th century.

[MediaMole]

Honestly, I can see a lot of fathers buying these for their teenage daughters.

[Madistan]

What part of the rules that apply in all (public) swimming pools which forbid swimming while clothed don’t you understand?

[bgill]

A hygiene issue? A public pool is the closet thing some french get to a bath and not to mention how much urine and other unmentionables are deposited into pools everyday.

[Moose4]

Let her swim in it. If they won’t, maybe she can buy a wetsuit a couple of sizes too big and wear that.

}:-)4

[HamiltonJay]

[<1/1,000,000th%]

LOL!!

[Buckeye McFrog]

reminds me of a scene with Fareekh and Annette from
“Beach Blanket Beheading”....

[KarlInOhio]

Full facial nudity! Hot, hot, hot!

(I think I'm blushing).

Seriously, I see nothing wrong with them. It's like a loose wetsuit. The not-fully-clothed rule should just be about not wearing street clothes, just as some gyms don't allow you to wear street shoes on them to keep the floor from getting dirty and scratched.

[TomOnTheRun]

What part of the rules that apply in all (public) swimming pools which forbid swimming while clothed don’t you understand?

It's made of the same materials as the swimsuits of all the other swimmers. Nobody is requiring that they take off their suits. So these suits are more modest that is a problem?

I -don't- like burqas but it is a valid religious expression that the state shouldn't be banning. I especially have a problem with them wanting to ban burqas when many nuns dress just as modestly for religious reasons.

[rogue yam]

What part of the rules that apply in all (public) swimming pools which forbid swimming while clothed don’t you understand?

C'mon, let's be fair-minded here. Nobody at these pools is swimming naked. The discussion here is regarding what is a "bathing suit" and what is "clothing". We do not have the rules in front of us. But is it really so outrageous that modest people should choose to wear less-revealing swimwear? So what is the fair definition of "bathing suit" that allows a one-piece women's Speedo and disallows a burquini?

[OldDeckHand]

And they say so-called global warming doesn’t have any benefits.

[umgud]

I wonder what a wet burqini contest looks like.

[3niner]

Why is the lower half of the face bare?