An anti-burkini law in France would fuel tensions between communities and would be unconstitutional, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said on Sunday. France’s top administrative court has overturned Friday Aug. 26, 2016 a town burkini ban amid shock and anger worldwide after some Muslim women were ordered to remove body-concealing garments on French Riviera beaches.
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In France many religious icons and clothes are banned, including wearing the Christian cross, yarmulkes (the Jewish skullcap) and Islamic headscarves in public schools.
Last Friday, France’s Council of State made it illegal to ban the burkini in the resort town of Villeneuve-Loubet, near Nice on Côte d’Azur, a decision that was applauded by Amnesty International as “an important line in the sand”. By overthrowing the decision of the mayor, the court has “stated the law”, he added.
Earlier this summer, burkinis were banned from municipal beaches in about 30 French towns, including Nice that suffered from a terrorist attack in July that killed 84 people.
“However, Muslims must continue to engage with us over gender equality, the inviolable nature of the principles of the French Republic, and tolerance in order to live together”.
In recent weeks, around 30 French municipalities chose to ban access to public beaches “by anyone not wearing proper attire, which is respectful of good morality and the principle of secularism and not respectful of the rules of hygiene and bathing security”.
He said the decision could set a precedent and topple other beach bans that have caused an worldwide furor.
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The debate has split both the left and the right, with former President Nicolas Sarkozy calling for a nationwide ban on the burkini, while former premier Alain Juppe has expressed opposition to “an exceptional law”.
