Burkini allows more women to participate in an activity that they would otherwise be excluded from. That’s how it should be

There are echoes here of the arguments made in 2016, when a number of French cities, had banned the burkini. A court overturned the bans citing “violation of fundamental freedoms” but that did little to change the popular perception of the burkini as standing for the failure of Muslim migrants to integrate into secular society.

But it was for precisely the opposite reason that Aheda Zanetti had created the burkini. Hereafter, Muslim women could participate in an activity that they would otherwise be excluded from. Not surprisingly, when it was first introduced in 2002, the burkini became a huge hit — not only with its target consumers, but also other women who are, for various reasons, far more comfortable in the full-body coverage that it offers compared to more conventional swimwear. For those who see a red rag in the burkini — or indeed, other modest garments, such as the burqa and the hijab — surely there’s a lesson here in accommodation.

This editorial first appeared in the print edition on May 18, 2022 under the title ‘Modesty proposal’.