The Banning Of The Burkini – A Security Measure Or Act Of Discrimination?

In August of this year, an incident described by opposing parties as both “necessary action” and “discrimination”, sparked major discussion and debate globally. On a beach in Nice, in the south of France, a woman was forced to remove her ‘burkini’ – an article of clothing which has become increasingly popular with women of Islamic beliefs, since it was first designed by Australian fashion designer Aheda Zanetti in 2004. The incident in question took place in close proximity to the city’s Promenade des Anglais, the location of the lorry attack which claimed the lives of eighty-four people on Bastille Day just a month previously, an attack which ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) later claimed responsibility for.

The woman in question, whose family have been French citizens for at least three generations, was issued with a fine which stated that she was “not wearing an outfit respecting good morals and secularism.”  The incident has since sparked controversy worldwide, as many believe its implications grow deeper than the French society’s fears for security and could perhaps be considered as a form of Islamophobia. In September 2011, the Senate of France passed a bill which prohibits the concealment of the face in public spaces, resulting in the ban of masks, helmets, balaclavas, niqabs, any veil covering the face and burqas (if covering the entire face).

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