Chris B. sent me this article regarding Muslim women being denied the right to swim in a Paris pools. From AP:
A Muslim woman who tried to go swimming in a head-to-toe "burquini" has been banned from her local pool in the latest tussle between religious practices and secular authority in France.Officials on Wednesday insisted they banned the woman's use of the Islam-friendly swimsuit because of France's unusually strict hygiene standards in pools — not because of official hostility to wearing overtly Muslim garb.
[Link]
I think Muslim women should be able to swim. Granted, a compromise has to be made regarding modesty and the the bagginess of the material, but if a swimsuit manufacturer can make a suit made of the same material as an approved western European swimsuit which would not hinder the ability of the swimmer to float or swim, then they should be able to swim.
The woman pictured above was taken in Newport Beach, California.
