France Is Forcing Muslim Women To Wear Bikinis And Here's How People Are Reacting

By Sarmad Amer | 17 Aug, 2016

France has come under criticism from women’s groups and gender activists.  It is forcing women, particularly Muslim women, into wearing bikinis by banning the use of the more “figure-covering” burkinis in several beach cities and towns. It is certainly oppressive to say the least and is a violation of human rights by forcing women to choose to wear only what the government prescribes. Wasn’t that the whole problem with Saudi Arabia in the first place, France?

 

The logic for the ban presented by the French government is twisted

The French Minister for Women’s Rights Laurence Rossignol, while defending the choice of three cities to ban burkinis, said, “The burkini is not some new line of swimwear, it is the beach version of the burqa and it has the same logic: hide women’s bodies in order to better control them”.

Source: Deenga.com
Source: Deenga.com

Is it just us or does the act of forcing women to show off their bodies also look like a move to control them?

 

Oppression runs both ways.

burkini-france
Source: Chicago Tribune

Forcing women to cover up, stay within the confines of their homes and not participate as equal citizens in the society is deplorable. So is forcing women to conform to what is an equally restrictive idea of being “liberal”. In fact, it probably is against the very essence of what being a liberal is all about – letting people choose for themselves, being open to other’s ideas, tolerating their choices and living in harmony while respecting diversity.

 

Women around the world have certainly been ticked off by France’s move to force women to wear bikinis

And this is how they’ve been responding:

 

France’s actions are exactly what went on in the US in 1920s

beach-wear-police-1920s-2
Source: Mashable.com

There was strict policing on the kind of attire women could wear to the beach in the United States, during the 1920s. In fact there were special police personnel who went around the beaches and checked if the clothes women were wearing were conforming with the exact rules.

The tussle over choice of clothing and the government’s regulation of what women can and cannot wear also led to violence in multiple cities in the US, during this period.

beach-wear-police-1920s
Source: Mashable.com

 

People, generally, are not happy with France

It is completely oppressive of France, after all.

 

Well, some people have found ways to cheat this ban

 

Wake up, France. We thought you were better than this.

 

Cover Image via: elespanol.com

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