What is a burkini, can you buy one in the UK, which countries have a burkini ban and how is it enforced?
WOMEN covering up in burkinis were hauled off a number of beaches in France after a controversial ban was enacted last year.
Now a British family say they were humiliated when they were chucked out of a hotel pool in the Algarve because the garment is “against Portuguese culture”. Here’s what you need to know about burkinis…
What is a burkini?
Burkini is the name given to a type of head-to-foot swimming costume – supposedly a cross between a bikini and a burka.
It leaves just the face, hands and feet exposed and is designed to respect Islamic traditions of modest dress.
In the UK, burkinis are available to buy from a number of specialist Muslim retailers but also Marks & Spencer, Amazon, and national chain .
In 2011, telly chef Nigella Lawson was pictured wearing a burkini on the beach in Australia.
She later said she chose the outfit to avoid the sun, saying: “I can see it looks odd but it is incredibly comfortable and you’re not getting a tan.”
In April, Hollywood star Lindsay Lohan wore a burkini while paddleboarding in Thailand.
She recently confirmed she has been studying the Koran to find “peace” but has not said if she plans to convert to Islam.
Where has the burkini been banned and why?
In August 2016, Cannes in the south of France became the first place to outlaw the wearing of burkinis following the Bastille Day terror attack in nearby Nice.
Mayor David Lisnard said the full-length swimsuit is an “ostentatious display of religion” which can inflame public disorder.
Around 30 other French coastal resorts followed with similar bans including Nice, Cannes and parts of Corsica.
Local laws were enacted after a mass brawl broke out in Corsica after an argument over women wearing burkinis.
The ban was not in force nationwide and only affected the individual districts where the local government decided to bring it in.
Former president Nicolas Sarkozy gave his backing to the ban and promised to extend it over the whole country and enshrine it in the constitution if he was re-elected.
Far-right candidate Marine Le Pen – who came second in the Presidential election – also vowed a ban on burkinis.
There is no equivalent law in other countries.
But in August 2017 Brit holidaymaker Maryya Dean told how she and her sister-in-law Hina were “treated like criminals” and ordered out of a pool in Portugal because they were wearing long tops and leggings.
How is the burkini ban enforced?
French cops were sent to patrol beaches in the area that implemented bans, ready to dish out fines of up to £50.
Several women found to be in breach of the local dress codes have been fined.
And there have been numerous high-profile cases of women being told to remove the offending clothing or leave the beach.
One young Muslim woman was fined and threatened with pepper spray for wearing a headscarf in Cannes, while a middle-aged beachgoer was ordered to strip by four cops in Nice.
Australian Muslim Zeynab Alshelh told how she was forced from a beach just minutes after arriving in the banned outfit.
France’s highest court the State Council ruled the burkini ban was illegal as it breaches individual liberty.
But that did not end the controversy as a group of mayors promised to ignore the decision.
Later Nice and other resorts announced they had dropped the ban in the wake of the court ruling.
In May, Austria became the latest European country to make it illegal for women to wear burkas in public despite huge controversy.
