Imagine walking down a high school hallway and being punished for wearing something that is affiliated with your religion. Is it fair to discriminate against people based on what religious clothing they choose to wear? For Muslim women in some towns in France, this has become a reality.

A Burkini is a full-body swimsuit, covering everything but the hands and face, that is mostly used by Muslim women. At the end of July, several towns along the French Riviera in France decided to put a ban on this type of swimwear.  Despite the ruling on August 26 that towns are not allowed to ban burkinis, many mayors refuse to remove the bans. Their reasoning was that burkinis led to bad hygiene and went against France’s public morals. Some also believe that burkinis are an example of Islamic extremism. Many of these reasons stem from French officials’ fear of what others think about France.

Seeing women being forced to remove parts of their burkini in public and being fined when wearing one have caused many anti-Islamophobia groups in France  to speak out. Many say that Muslims should receive acceptance for their clothing choices, just like other French citizens receive acceptance when wearing revealing clothing. Many high school students can relate to this story because of the acceptance they wish to receive from their peers and elders when it comes to clothing choices.

PV senior Ebteehal Ismail says, “As a Muslim American in high school, it’s really sad to see other Muslim women struggling with Islamophobia. I’ve been taught the importance of liberty and freedom and to see it taken away from women who are just like me saddens me. Their freedom of expression is being threatened and I hope that this burkini ban doesn’t provoke anyone to think negatively of my religion. People often think of Muslim women as being oppressed through the rules of Islam, but in reality it’s the Islamophobics who are oppressing us.”

Dress codes at school often stem from administrators’ fear of how other students might react to certain clothing styles. Principal Mike Zimmer explains, “We allow freedom of speech such as wearing a cross or the Star of David on a clothing item. However, if something is interrupting the educational purpose of the building or putting someone else down, that is where we have to draw the line.” This brings up the question of whether or not the burkini is interrupting the routine of public beach-goers or if the burkini is offensive to those in France.
Countries all over the world, even France, are speaking out about the burkini ban and have divided opinions. A French mayor recently stated, “If you don’t want to live the way we do, don’t come.”