Paris Pool Denies Muslim Woman For Wearing Burqini

A Paris swimming pool has refused to allow a young Muslim woman to swim after she tried to enter while wearing a burqini, a full body covering that resembles a wet-suit with built-in hood, AFP reports. The burqini is made for Muslim women who want to swim and keep their body covered.

The woman had been allowed to swim at the pool in July, but when she returned in August she was told she could not enter without typical swim attire.

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 organisation that manages pools in the area.

The swimming-while-clothed controversy comes amidst a national debate in France over women wearing a burqa. In June, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said burqas are "not welcome" in France, as reported in the AP.

In a high-profile speech to lawmakers in the historic chateau at Versailles, Sarkozy said the head-to-toe Muslim body coverings were in disaccord with French values _ some of the strongest language against burqas from a European leader at a time when some Western officials have been seeking to ease tensions with the Muslim world.

"In our country, we cannot accept that women be prisoners behind a screen, cut off from all social life, deprived of all identity," Sarkozy said to extended applause of the lawmakers gathered where French kings once held court.

"The burqa is not a religious sign, it's a sign of subservience, a sign of debasement _ I want to say it solemnly," he said. "It will not be welcome on the territory of the French Republic."

French lawmakers are conducting hearings on whether women should be allowed to wear the burqa in public.

Get HuffPost World On Facebook and Twitter!

Comments

[Nora-Charles]

10:25 AM on 08/28/2009

I wonder, can an American woman wear whatever she wants in a country dominated by Muslims?

[MalloMel]

11:27 PM on 08/28/2009

Of course not.

[parisblues]

12:25 AM on 08/26/2009

One day we will all be wearing the equivalent of a burkini, when everyone finally becomes aware that the chemicals in the sunscreens we use are already causing serious environmental damage, including the destruction of coral reefs off the coast of Cancun.

[indyactivist]

11:46 PM on 08/19/2009

While I would never argue against the fact that the French are (more often than not...note the qualifier here) biggotted toward Muslims (particularly Arabs) I can state that the pool thing is something entirely different.
Any American male who has spent any time in France knows that they WILL ABSLUTELY NEVER let you in a public pool in long, baggy swim trunks. They have an very, VERY strong feeling about what they say is a "hygene" problem. I have experienced this first hand with high school boys I have traveled with who usually sit out swimming pools rather than buy a Speedo or short, tight swimsuits.
The French are wrong about the burkas, but not for the reason you might think...

[riff4u]

03:03 PM on 08/24/2009

The burqini is made from the same material as an ordinary swimsuit...... only more. Therefore the hygeine argument is nonsense. I always wear a t-shirt to swim to avoid sunburn and I have been asked to remove it in a public pool because the threads from the material could clog up the filtration system, but a regular bathing suit is not a problem.

[Jennifer Hagan]

06:38 PM on 08/26/2009

No this pool thing is about Muslim women. Burkini are made out of the same material as swimming suits. You can go to public swimming pools in wetsuits as long as it is the swimsuit material. If the woman can provide proof that it is made of that material, she should be able to wear it. When was the last time you were in France. Have you seen the atmosphere here? Sarkozy is blatantly islamoarabophobic. During the election he made all these inflammatory statements that pissed people off. He actually had a meeting on the "French Identity". I was shocked. But, Chirac did the same thing when he talked about understanding why the French were xenophobic because of the smells and the noises they may hear from the immigrants they are living next to. I'm American, I think these people have taken their xenophobia too far. I was at the University last year talking to a girl, she said she saw a woman with a headscarf. She actually told the woman that she wasn't in North Africa and that she should rip it off her head because she found it offense that she was pushing religion on her. I understand that this country is secular. However the law of the foulard does not apply to universities or any state institutions of higher learning.

[ForeverXL]

06:18 PM on 08/18/2009

Very good. I did not know that the French have more backbone these days than any other European country.

This nonsense, to tolerate those who are intolerant to us, finally needs to stop. You want to swim fully covered? Morocco and Algeria are not far away.

[alucas08]

03:57 PM on 08/19/2009

The French don't have backbone. To take a "stand" against someone's expression of there religion is cowardly at best . Really it is racist and intolerant and backwards,. Why should it bother you that someone chooses to go swimming fully clothed or not. This is just as bad as the intolerance of gays being married here in the U.S. Really the ban on burquas is so, well American, of the French.

[riff4u]

05:29 AM on 08/20/2009

You claim to be liberal and tolerant. You sound more like an evangelical Christian waving a flag with a McCain/Palin bumber sticker on his pickup truck.

[SparkyAdams]

12:33 PM on 08/15/2009

Here we have huffpooers trying to defend the indefensible.

It's like watching naz ies trying to defend Hltler.

But he was nice to pets!

[riff4u]

02:09 PM on 08/15/2009

Sparky, I suppose you are a big supporter of the Bush Administration whose policy was a Crusade against Islam. "Lets go into Iraq and Afghanistan and kill as many brown people as we can."

[ModernTimes1]

12:26 PM on 08/16/2009

it a certain kind of idi0cy to invent a quote and attribute it to someone.
I hacve a feeling someone already pp-ed in riff4u's genetic pool :-)

[Design 75]

10:22 AM on 08/15/2009

Though all for a two pc bikini or even a topless or a naked woman in a swimming pool (or even in public), i strongly advocate the wish of people to wear what they like.

As someone righly mentioned in their comments above, Burkha or Burkini was dying a natural death. Its simple provocation and reminding people about its existence by stirring controversy.

Cheap publicity stunt!

[bismillah001]

04:08 AM on 08/15/2009

LOL at the idea of a 'French' person having a hygiene issue with a Muslim. That is just too rich!

[Aron Cohen]

04:25 AM on 08/15/2009

So true... They think of themselves as the pinnacle of socio-cultural evolution, yet they are nothing more than the (not so far off) descendants of European barbarians.

[SparkyAdams]

12:31 PM on 08/15/2009

What a absolute twlt, you are.

[seattle music]

04:38 AM on 08/15/2009

You don't want to go there.

I've lived and studied in France.

As a poor student, I lived in a neighborhood that was more like Morocco or Algeria than Paris.

Trust me, you don't want to go there.

[Jennifer Hagan]

06:42 PM on 08/26/2009

Lmao where did you live? You were in the banlieu. That ain't paris baby.

[biscuits-in-the-wind]

11:18 PM on 08/14/2009

at one point in time in the not-so-distant past, ALL swimsuits looked liked the burkini . . . just do some research on the history of the swimsuit.

[seattle music]

01:20 AM on 08/15/2009

Bathing costumes were for the rich.

Native people and the poor swam in their birthday suits.

In Northern Africa, you can see Muslim women swimming and washing their clothes in rivers in the nude. If a car drives nearby they cover their faces as they stand there, nude, in the river surrounded by their laundry.

[ModernTimes1]

03:20 AM on 08/15/2009

Wht's your point?.
At one point in time people wore loin cloth.
So now a fundie woman is excused to wear a hoodie and scarf into the pool becuase long time ago people wore leopard skins to the beach?

[Usama]

06:51 PM on 08/14/2009

American women who converted to Islam:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eeoc8xvKrR8&feature=related



Why do you show women crying to get free of burqa?

Otherwise its men telling women how to dress, and forcing them to undress. Some women choose to be follow the standards of men, and some women choose to follow the standards set by God.

Since Sarkozy divorced his wife and mother of his children to have a young model as a wife who has stripped naked in public, his values are clear.

[SparkyAdams]

07:46 PM on 08/14/2009

More riots in Europe.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/14/iraqi-refugees-in-denmark_n_259899.html

[Usama]

11:43 PM on 08/14/2009

Yes, Iraqi refugees who have experienced 20 years of war, destruction, chaos, are certainly equal to Danish and European rightwing males who fear their cooks, busboys, drivers, garbage men and laborers are taking over because they turn to their beliefs to get them through the day.

As for women in the Muslim world, hear from them rather than western media. The media will give voice to the most vitriolic critic but ignore the majority who have good things to say.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuxkU3H11Ag

HuffPost is as bad as any other western media source in seeking to report only sensational stories. And if one reads the threads of HP posters, they have developed a Pavlovian response to HP editorial style.

[SparkyAdams]

07:54 PM on 08/14/2009

Have you seen the Afghani movie called Osama about a little girl who has to try to pass as a boy in order to work in a shop to feed her family after the father dies?

It's an Afghan film.

Be prepared for tragic ending when you watch it.

[FilMishMish]

02:58 PM on 08/14/2009

'Ban the Burka'.

Take the time to watch this. It's only six minutes but pretty much covers the entire issue.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlkxlzTZc48

[SparkyAdams]

03:33 PM on 08/14/2009

We need more people speaking up like Pat.

[riff4u]

10:15 PM on 08/14/2009

If the French would leave the burqa issue alone it would probably die a natural death. Instead they foolishly feed the flames and encourage more women to put one simple to be rebellious.

[Usama]

11:52 AM on 08/14/2009

Americans should realize the undercurrent of prejudice towards Muslims in Europe appears to have become violent.
The recent terroristic murder of the pregnant, hijab wearing Muslim Egyptian woman, Marwa Sherbini in Germany by a Russian German man reveals this.
The recent terroristic murder of the pregnant, hijab wearing Muslim Turkish woman, Arzu Erbas in Amberstam Netherlands by an unknown assailant reveals this.
The German assailant made public statements against Islam and Muslims. The Turkish woman recieved death threats when her name was made public in articles showing her charity work and successful business.

Muslim women in hijab are visibly becoming targets of cowardly European terrorists. The talk about hijab has become a successful wedge issue for rightwing elements within Europe much like abortion was a wedge issue for the rightwing in America for years.
In like fashion, violence has followed in both cases. Not to mention the constant vandalism, swastikas, and desecration of mosques in Europe which some insurance companies are now refusing to insure http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2005-02/25/article02.shtml

If one notices, there are people on this thread who publicly admitted to wanting to do violence in response to the hijab issue. This hijab is as much a wedge issue for violence and hatred than any issue that has emerged in America.

[SparkyAdams]

12:03 PM on 08/14/2009

Talk about the pot calling the kettle b lack.

Did you really not expect any blowback from populations sick of your extre mism?

You have cheek, my friend.

[SparkyAdams]

12:06 PM on 08/14/2009

Talk about the pot calling the ket tle b lack.

Did you really not expect any blo wback from populations sic k of your extre mism?

You have cheek, my friend.

[clabberty]

08:57 AM on 08/14/2009

I completely oppose burqas because they are not mandated by the Koran but by the men who want women to be nothing but slaves. There is a certain logic of covering yourself, both men and women, in countries that are mostly desert to protect your skin but that doesn't apply outside of those countries. I can't see how that is a religious practice instead of a practical one.

Burquinis are sort of a practical thing. I have that white, Irish type skin that needs to be protected from sun. Not that I want to cover my head, the burquini looks like a useful thing to protect my skin. Considering the floppy, bony, fat, unattractive bodies that go topless (or naked) on Euro beaches and pools - I'm talking about both men and women - I would be grateful to see those covered up. Too many women these days dress like $10 hookas thanks to the male dominated fashion industry. Modesty can be a good thing in the end.

If we could see ourselves from behind, on a regular basis, we would all wear capes.

[Bafun]

11:26 AM on 08/14/2009

some people want to be sun tanned and go to the beaches for this reason.
Unfortunately not only topless and naked bodies on "Euro beaches" are unattractive. You just need to walk on America's to see f at unattractive people wearing shorts and tank tops.

For this burqini story, you cannot swin in a public pool in France wearing clothes. period. If you don't follow the rule you are excluded. It was again pure provocation and this woman now sues for discrimination.
Can you swim in a public pool in America wearing clothes? just a question.

[Atcha]

11:57 AM on 08/14/2009

You can wear burkini on the beach if you want to, they are just banned from public swimming pools, like the surf swimming trunks or the bikinis with a mini skirt, it's just a question of hygiene

[clabberty]

07:47 PM on 08/14/2009

What could be more unhygienic than a man or a woman in a thong bathing suit? Just the thought of the sand accumulating in the cracks makes me want to woof. And sitting in a hot plastic chair - well let's not think of that. I'm at a loss to think why the burqinis would be unhygienic in comparison.

[luziannagirl]

08:00 AM on 08/14/2009

Though I'm big on women's rights and for security and public safety reasons advocate banning face covering in public except on certain holidays or for the hideously disfigured, I really kind of don't understand the problem with women wearing a "burkini" into a public pool.

From a pubic health standpoint, if the garments are dedicated to pool use alone, and do not double as streetwear (I guess one must take the word of the wearer), and don't cover the face, in this regard, what's the difference in them & regular ladies' s swimwear? Is the main objection one of impinging on the basic legal freedoms of individual women in a systematic way, even though the women say they choose this impingement and don't see it as such?

If that's true, then does that standard apply to every aspect of a French citizen's life? I mean, because cellphones are legal and the freedom to use them just about anywhere has become the norm, would it mean those who choose to not have or use one for philosophical reasons ---or because they claim they are actually "freer" without the "freedom of 24-hour wireless contact", are breaking the law? _

[Atcha]

11:52 AM on 08/14/2009

Women swimwear with a miniskirt or men swimwear that look like shorts are also banned from French swimming pools, it's the only way to control that people haven't been wearing them outside and bring germs in that chlore cannot destroy, you don't take the word of the wearer for it, any teen with his surf shorts that has been hanging everywhere and suddendly fancies a dip in the pool wouldn't hesitate to lie, the rules are for everyone

[TheKidd]

07:39 AM on 08/14/2009

some of y'all are so arrogant. you're "fighting against the oppression" of a group of women but ironically, you won't even let them speak for themselves.

[SparkyAdams]

12:05 PM on 08/14/2009

Thank you, fuzzy confused thinker.

[Bafun]

01:38 PM on 08/14/2009

All these women living their "no-risk Islam" in a free country, profiting of the women kind laws of these free countries, have to think about other oppressed women

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/14/afghan-women-may-be-depri_n_259538.html

Do you really think these women want to live like this and it is their "choice"? They cannot escape.

[riff4u]

03:51 AM on 08/14/2009

If an anorexic French model walked down the runway in a burkini .........then everybody would go out and buy one. Let's get a MALE fashion designer to make so that all the women of the world will become slaves to the MALE dominated fashion industry.

[Bafun]

11:29 AM on 08/14/2009

of course only French model are anorexic... and all models are French!

[SparkyAdams]

12:15 PM on 08/14/2009

Just when you thought it couldn't get any st00pider.

Congratulations.

Only you could pull this off, riff4u.