Source: The Guardian
By Angelique Chrisafis in Paris
The political row in France over mayors banning the burkini has intensified after a woman in a headscarf was photographed on a beach in Nice removing a long-sleeved top while surrounded by armed police.
The series of pictures, taken by a local French news photographer, showed a woman dressed in leggings, a long-sleeved tunic and headscarf being approached by four officers. As the police stand around her, she removes her long-sleeved top, revealing a short-sleeved top underneath. It is unclear whether or not the woman was ordered to do so. In another image, a police officer appears to write out a fine.
A spokesman for Vantage News, which released the pictures in the UK, said they were taken at about 11am (10am BST) on Tuesday. “The woman was fined, she left the beach and so did the police,” the spokesman said.
The Nice mayor’s office denied that she had been forced to remove clothing, telling Agence France-Presse that the woman was showing police the swimsuit she was wearing under her tunic over a pair of leggings.
The woman was wearing ordinary clothes and not a burkini, or full-body swimsuit. The photographer noticed the police presence, but was standing far from the scene and took the pictures with a long lens, his French photo agencytold newspaper Libération.
Last week, Nice banned the burkini on its beaches, following about 15 seaside areas in south-east France where mayors have done the same.
Nice’s deputy mayor, Christian Estrosi, from the centre-right Les Républicains party, said a municipal police team had “acted perfectly to make sure that [the] decree was respected”. He threatened legal action against anyone disseminating pictures of municipal police. A total of 24 women have been stopped by police in the city since the burkini ban came into force.
The pictures of the woman removing the item of clothing were met with outrage. “I am so ashamed,” tweeted the French feminist Caroline De Haas.
Accounts of other women being stopped by police for wearing Muslim headscarves and long-sleeved clothing on beaches caused fury among the ruling Socialist party and rights groups.
Related
Categories: Europe, France, Hijab, The Muslim Times
What is the matter with France and the french? Don’t they read the news that other countries have accommodated Muslim women’s need to wear the hijab by even adding it to their official uniforms and accepting diversity. Officialdom in France is behaving like rebellious teenagers trying to have their own way for petty reasons.
There seems to be no valid reason for banning the ‘burkini’ other than imposing their version of ‘freedom’ ONLY! If the French truly believe in their so-called freedom, then they should allow people to also be covered if they wanted to, for the present, only translates to dictatorship and definitely NOT FREEDOM!
To put it another way – in France one is allowed to go about naked or half so, but not covered up. What a strange country…
Why you do not criticize the authority of Saudi Arabia,instead of France?
The western people have fed up and sick to see the behavior of Islamic Syariah in Saudi,Iran etc
Islam is religion of Justice and honest..as long as Saudi Arabia force women to cover her head, France people can do the same.
I am standing up firmly for justice and honesty, I urge Muslim Ahmadiyah come together with us to stand up for justice and honesty for the sake of the true Islam
Ali Hidayah is sometimes going too far. Yes, we do not support Saudi doctrines, but what has got that to do with the ridiculous French action of forcing Muslim ladies to disrobe?
”
FROM BURQA—HIJAB—BURKINI
For me, it does not make sense at all, if women’s hair, head, hands and feet cannot be seen by others. Islam is logical, There is no one word in Al Quran explicitly Allah forbid women to show her hair, hands and feet by others.
Islam does not make difficulty in people life. Only Islamic scholars make people’s life become difficult. These Arab clerics who live in desert deceive people around the world, include the intellectual Muslim Ahmadiyyah too,nauzubillah.
Quran 33;59. Quran 24;31 are not obligation commandment. but a suggestion for women who live in desert to prevent heat sand do not harm her hair, hands and feet..it is logical reason.
READ MORE ABOUT BURQA, BURKINI ETC.
http://ilovemodrenislam.blogspot.com/2016/08/womens-issue-in-islam-today.html
Ali misses the point. All Burkini ladies at French beaches are wearing the Burkinis out of their free will. They feel comfortable that way and enjoy the beach.
Rafiq, the point is;
Europe used to be free country; but After 11/9 the world has changed, Christians communities are afraid of if Muslims communities in Europe want to establish Syariah system.
i.e; Islamic Bank, Islamic Madrasah /school, Islamic swimsuit, Burkini, Islamic food and store, Islamic dress etc. etc. They have the right to reject Syariah law in their community.
Let me ask you Bro; When you visit your friend house, do you intend to change their culture by force or law? You do not right/, It is not wise to change your friend culture / dress.etc
Look at Saudi Arabia closely, there is no freedom of religion, speech and expressing for non Muslim.
So we have to demand Saudi Arabia and Iran to do the same, do justice for all people.
If Saudi Arabia and Iran implement the true Islamic government, the world will be better off, unfortunately, Saudi and Iran do not implement the true Syariah law .This is the root of problem.
in Contrast. America is the true Islamic Government.
From my perspective, Rafiq, The world will be better off, if Arab countries obey Human Right. or if Saudi and Iran implement the true Islamic government like America.
What do you think?
Ali: You are mixing things up. If I visit a friend’s house and he serves alcohol to other guests let him. I do not have to take part and drink it too. Nor do I ‘force him’ not to drink in his house if he so wishes. On the other hand of course you are right that the world will be better off if Arab Cvountries obey Human Rights. And France too.
Ali Hidayah, as brother Rafiq has been trying to point out to you, but you seem to be completely missing the point and keep bringing extremist countries into this conversation for some reason best known to you.
Since, France and other Western countries believe so much in ‘freedom’, they should allow each to follow what they believe in and practice. If the women want to go around half naked or completely so and are ‘free’ to do so according to their law, then, they should in the same way allow the women who want to cover up to do the same.
Why should this ‘freedom’ only be a one way traffic? That you can expose ONLY and NOT cover up, if you want to?