Banned burkinis: What next?

Woman in Burkini  (Photo by Giorgio Montersino)

Imagine if the wearing of cross necklaces or yarmulkes was banned within the United States.  A mighty outcry regarding religious freedom would hopefully ensue.

Now imagine that you are a Muslim woman on a beach in Nice, France.  You are comfortably resting in your burkini (a religious garment that “covers the body and head”).  Police suddenly arrive and force you to remove this significant outfit.

You not only feel religiously violated, but also publicly humiliated.  To make matters worse, hostile onlookers are shouting, “Go home!”

France may have been your home for years, but now you feel like a stranger in a strange land.  This is not only happening in Nice, but also in Corsica and 15 other French towns.

Such an extreme measure is deemed necessary in order to “protect the population.”  But at what expense?  With religious freedom up for grabs, anything and anyone could be next to go. 

Resources

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/french-police-make-woman-remove-burkini-on-nice-beach/ar-BBvYpQb?li=BBnb7Kz 

Copyright August 25, 2016 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved