In France last Tuesday, the country’s highest court voted to overturn a decision made in Grenoble, a city that contravened its burkini ban and permitted women to wear full-coverage swimwear if they so desired.
Since 2016, burkini bans have been implemented at public pools in France, but after protests from Muslim women, Grenoble’s municipal council voted to suspend the ban last month. France’s Council of State struck down the dispute and reinstated the ban, saying that it could not allow “selective exceptions to the rules to satisfy religious demands”.
The burkini, as we know it, was founded in 2004 by Lebanese-Australian fashion designer Aheda Zanetti, to provide a garment that would allow Muslim women to enjoy Australia’s beach lifestyle while adhering to their modestwear guidelines.
Since then, it has become the subject of much controversy; France, for instance, which prides itself on secularism, has deemed it a symbol of religious extremism.
Full-coverage swimwear, however, is not always religious — there are a multitude of reasons why women may gravitate towards burkini-style swimsuits for public pool and beach excursions.
Just ask Lindsay Lohan, who wore a burkini while holidaying in Thailand in 2017. Six years prior, British television personality Nigella Lawson caused a stir when she wore a burkini by Muslim brand Modestly Active while on holiday in Sydney.
Chiara Taffarello, the Italian designer behind luxury modest swimwear brand Munamer, which participated in last year’s Dubai Modest Fashion Week, reveals that about 20 per cent of her customers are non-Muslim.
“Many European ladies who have ordered a full-set burkini sometimes don’t use the head cover or even the leggings, but buy it because they need a long-sleeved top that covers up to their half-leg,” she tells The National.
“The need to cover the body is not only motivated by religion, but can also be for health or personal reasons. If you want to preserve the right to go to the beach and the pool for everyone, I believe you can find other solutions and compromises,” says Taffarello, who disagrees with the French burkini ban.
“For scuba diving and other water sports, swimmers often wear suits that require protection from UV rays or the cold,” she explains, pointing out that burkinis provide the same coverage as a surfer’s wetsuit, which remains without stigma in the western world.
The rise of modest fashion, driven largely through social media, has helped to shatter stereotypes about conservative clothing and swimwear. Not only have sports brands such as Nike and adidas jumped on the burkini bandwagon, but luxury labels such as Cynthia Rowley and high-street stores including H&M have also begun designing stylish, long-sleeved swimwear.
The UAE has its own share of modest swimwear design talent, with brands such as Maya and Nur paving the path for stylish burkinis. This spring, Dubai influencer Hadia Ghaleb, who has more than two million followers on Instagram, launched an inclusive swimwear brand, giving burkinis a cool and colourful upgrade.
While the fashion industry may have accepted and embraced modestwear, the image of the Muslim veil — now extended to burkini swimsuits — remains a heated political symbol, especially in France, where the country’s senate voted to ban hijabs on minors last year.
France’s strict swimwear policy, however, doesn’t only target Muslims; it sends a message to all women in the country that if they want to enjoy swimming publicly, they must put their skin on display — a requirement not all women are comfortable with, whether that’s due to personal preferences, skin-related medical issues that make sun exposure dangerous or plain-old body insecurities.
Such stringent swimwear policies, which can come off as Islamophobic, misinterpret burkinis to be a symbol of cultural or religious patriarchy. However, bans that force women to reveal their skin in swimwear, making it more digestible to the “male gaze” —something that has influenced fashion for so long — ironically cater to patriarchal sentiments that keep the focus on women’s bodies.
They also set a dangerous precedent for fellow western nations with regard to the policing of women’s bodies — an occurrence American and European politicians often argue occurs only in the East.
Burkini bans that prevent women from covering their skin while swimming are just as oppressive as forcing women to cover their skin against their will, and cannot be masqueraded as progressive in the 21st century. The vehemence with which such rulings are upheld and enforced should be extremely worrying to proponents of women’s rights, no matter where you float on the burkini debate.
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
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Engine: 80 kWh four-wheel-drive
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 402bhp
Torque: 760Nm
Price: From Dh280,000
Results
Men's finals
45kg:Duc Le Hoang (VIE) beat Zolfi Amirhossein (IRI) points 29-28. 48kg: Naruephon Chittra (THA) beat Joseph Vanlalhruaia (IND) TKO round 2.
51kg: Sakchai Chamchit (THA) beat Salam Al Suwaid (IRQ) TKO round 1. 54kg: Veerasak Senanue (THA) beat Huynh Hoang Phi (VIE) 30-25.
57kg: Almaz Sarsembekov (KAZ) beat Tak Chuen Suen (MAC) RSC round 3. 60kg: Yerkanat Ospan (KAZ) beat Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) 30-27.
63.5kg: Abil Galiyev (KAZ) beat Nouredine Samir (UAE) 29-28. 67kg: Narin Wonglakhon (THA) beat Mohammed Mardi (UAE) 29-28.
71kg: Amine El Moatassime (UAE) w/o Shaker Al Tekreeti (IRQ). 75kg: Youssef Abboud (LBN) w/o Ayoob Saki (IRI).
81kg: Ilyass Habibali (UAE) beat Khaled Tarraf (LBN) 29-28. 86kg: Ali Takaloo (IRI) beat Emil Umayev (KAZ) 30-27.
91kg: Hamid Reza Kordabadi (IRI) beat Mohamad Osaily (LBN) RSC round 1. 91-plus kg: Mohammadrezapoor Shirmohammad (IRI) beat Abdulla Hasan (IRQ) 30-27.
Women's finals
45kg: Somruethai Siripathum (THA) beat Ha Huu Huynh (VIE) 30-27. 48kg: Thanawan Thongduang (THA) beat Colleen Saddi (PHI) 30-27.
51kg: Wansawang Srila Or (THA) beat Thuy Phuong Trieu (VIE) 29-28. 54kg: Ruchira Wongsriwo (THA) beat Zeinab Khatoun (LBN) 30-26.
57kg: Sara Idriss (LBN) beat Zahra Nasiri Bargh (IRI) 30-27. 60kg: Kaewrudee Kamtakrapoom (THA) beat Sedigheh Hajivand (IRI) TKO round 2.
63.5kg: Nadiya Moghaddam (IRI) w/o Reem Al Issa (JOR).
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The years Ramadan fell in May
The years Ramadan fell in May
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
CONFIRMED%20LINE-UP
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
OIL PLEDGE
At the start of Russia's invasion, IEA member countries held 1.5 billion barrels in public reserves and about 575 million barrels under obligations with industry, according to the agency's website. The two collective actions of the IEA this year of 62.7 million barrels, which was agreed on March 1, and this week's 120 million barrels amount to 9 per cent of total emergency reserves, it added.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The biog
Family: Parents and four sisters
Education: Bachelor’s degree in business management and marketing at American University of Sharjah
A self-confessed foodie, she enjoys trying out new cuisines, her current favourite is the poke superfood bowls
Likes reading: autobiographies and fiction
Favourite holiday destination: Italy
Posts information about challenges, events, runs in other emirates on the group's Instagram account @Anagowrunning
Has created a database of Emirati and GCC sportspeople on Instagram @abeermk, highlight: Athletes
Apart from training, also talks to women about nutrition, healthy lifestyle, diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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MORE ON THE US DEMOCRATIC PRIMARIES
Six things you need to know about UAE Women’s Special Olympics football team
Several girls started playing football at age four
They describe sport as their passion
The girls don’t dwell on their condition
They just say they may need to work a little harder than others
When not in training, they play football with their brothers and sisters
The girls want to inspire others to join the UAE Special Olympics teams
