Source: The Guardian

By Angelique Chrisafis in Paris and Martin Farrer

French presidential hopeful earns sharp rebuke from burkini designer Aheda Zanetti, who says French don’t understand her creation

The former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has branded the full-body burkini swimsuits worn by some Muslim women a “provocation” that supports radicalised Islam.

After efforts by a series of French coastal towns to ban women from wearing burkinis set off a heated debate in the country, Sarkozy said in a TV interview on Wednesday night that “we don’t imprison women behind fabric”.

His outburst earned a sharp rebuke from the woman who created the burkini, the Australian designer Aheda Zanetti.

“I truly, truly believe that the French have misunderstood and that they don’t know what a burkini looks like and what it represents,” said Zanetti.

“For someone to bring out a statement like that on a piece of clothing that is about joy … he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He needs to go to the beach and maybe ask, what is a burkini swimsuit?

“Burkini is just a word that describes a full cover swimsuit and it doesn’t symbolise anything to do with Muslims. It’s about encouraging our kids and children to learn how to swim.”

On Thursday, the council of state, France’s highest administrative court, will examine a request by the French Human Rights League to scrap the burkini bans. Lawyers argue that the short-term decrees are illegal.

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