A Full Swing from Bikini to Burkini:
Islam? Distortion of Islam? Islamophobia?
The New York Times ran a headline France's Burkini Debate Reverberates Around the World ) on August 31, 2016. The author Dan Bilefskyaug describes the reactions in Britain, North Africa, West Africa, Russia and the United States. This debate found its place on FB also and quite “naturally” the catchword “Islamophobia” was thrown out. But, is there Islam in this debate to produce a phobia against it? The logical first step is to answer the question asked by a Muslim sister as far back as July 1, 2012 to a panel supervised by Shaykh Muhammad Saalih al-Munajjid:
“I am a Muslim woman aged twenty-eight years, and I want to go swimming so that I can lose some weight. Can I go swimming in a swimming pool wearing clothes that cover me from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet? There are special clothes for Muslim women who want to swim and they cover the entire body, but they cling to the body when wet. What does Islam have to say about this? What if I wear a towel over these clothes and cover myself beforehand and straight after coming out of the pool? Is it permissible for me to swim in this case? Is it permissible for me to swim if there are some men present?”
Obviously, if the answer is in the negative then we Muslims have to thank France for their Islam friendly action in disallowing burkini on their beeches! The reply she received is pretty long. Trust me with an honest editing. The relevant points in the answer are:
Islam takes complete care of the Muslim woman and preserves her modesty, conceals her and keeps her away from places of fitnah (temptation).
Islam enjoins women to stay at home and not go out unnecessarily, so as to preserve their chastity, maintain their dignity and protect them from all evil.
Muslim women going out to public centres and swimming pools is something that is emphatically forbidden, because it involves a number of evils and negative consequences.
If these swimming pools are in public centres that are frequented by men and women, this is a great evil.
Ahadith from Abu Dawood and at-Tirmidhi are quoted.
The scholars of the Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas from Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah, said:
“For men and women to swim together and then shake hands with one another after swimming is a great evil and it is not permissible to do it. The one who does that should be denounced and the ruler should prevent them from doing it.”
If these swimming pools are only for women it is not permissible to go to them either, even if that is less serious than public baths. That is because women uncover their ‘awrahs, and even if the Muslim woman covers her body she will see those naked women and she will not be able to tell them not to do this evil action.
I will close my message by repeating my advice to my believing brothers not to let their daughters, sisters, wives or other female relatives under their guardianship go to these centers or clubs.
To the best of my knowledge, this pretty well represents the Classical Fiqh (Jurisprudence) of all the four schools of Sunni Islam on swimming. From this point of view there is NO issue here, leave alone a debate. There should not be any Muslim sisters in the pools or on the beeches of France, hence no burkini, hence no “armed police forcing a sister to remove her shirt” and hence no phobia of Islam.
Those of our brothers and sisters in Islam who are inclined towards the Madrassa curriculum and approach, accept the principle of Taqleed and believe in uncritical conformity to the hadith literature have no option but to accept this verdict and stay away from swimming pools and beeches; end of debate.
However there are a multitude of Muslims brothers and sisters who regard Quran as central for guidance, who regard Taqleed as un-Islamic practice and insist on a rational approach to the valuable hadith literature. They will not be impressed by the logic and tone of the verdict given above.
Swimming is a very healthy and enjoyable activity. Lots of sisters just love it. It sounds cruel to deny them this pleasure. On the other hand the motions and the dress necessary for it do conflict with the demands of modesty and decency in our deen. The issue needs real research with an open mind by our scholars. In the meantime, in my humble opinion segregation of genders (for this activity alone) is the best option out. Separate pools for ladies or separate hours in the same pool. This system worked well at the open air but enclosed pool of Karachi Gymkhana. This does deny to ambitious sisters any chance of international competition. In summary, instead of screaming about the banning of burkini, let us Muslims - brothers and sisters - discuss and debate about the Islamic rules and restrictions for swimming. Playing with water in the ocean, in my view again does not present a really big problem.
There are some very interesting information in the article I have quoted above:
In Britain and the United States, the modest outfits are being seen as part of a multicultural model of integrating minorities.
In China, where face-covering swimwear has long been popular among wrinkle-fearing beachgoers, many do not understand what the fuss is about.
In Britain, the swimsuit has become so popular that it recently sold out at the retailer Marks & Spencer.
Ismail Sacranie, a founder of the Islamic sportswear manufacturer that designed Ms. Lawson’s burkini, said 35 percent of his clients were non-Muslim. It is primarily driven by the desire to protect against the sun, he said in a phone interview, but the other reason is that some women of all sizes just don’t want to wear something tiny, and feel more comfortable being covered.
Long before the French ban, many private hotels and pools in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, all governed by France in the past had put up signs banning the burkini, or variations of it, some citing hygiene as the reason. Burkinis caused a stir years ago in Algeria when they started appearing on beaches. The general trend is modesty, so we see more and more women dressed in a burkini. On the beaches of Dakar, the mostly Muslim capital of the overwhelmingly Muslim country of Senegal, no one seems to notice or care what anyone wears. One recent hot afternoon, male bathers wore jeans, white briefs or board shorts into the water. Women were soaking in long dresses, burkinis, bikinis and one-piece swimsuits.
In Russia, the burkini has been banned or rebuked in some quarters as an affront to hygiene and local culture. The health resort in Yessentuki, a city at the base of the Caucasus Mountains, banned women this month from wearing full-body swimsuits, saying that guests had complained; the resort’s head doctor called the swimsuit unhygienic. Muslims have not raced to the swimwear’s defense. Al’bir Rifkatovich Kurganov, a mufti in Moscow, has said that a French-style ban would be irrelevant for Russians, since practicing Muslims would not be visiting secular beaches in the first place.
American Muslims have greeted France’s burkini ban with bemusement and dismay. In northern New Jersey, which has a vibrant Muslim population, the newspaper The Record reported that the burkini ban had mystified many locals. The newspaper talked to two Muslim sisters, Sara and Sondos Elnakib, who said they wore yoga pants and long-sleeve shirts to show modesty at the beach.
The exaggerated opinions on both sides, due to bias or twisted thinking in this debate is highlighted by Asma T Uddin, the Op Ed Contributor of New York Times in her article When a Swimsuit is a Security Threat on Aug 24, 2016. She is the director of strategy at the Center for Islam and Religious Freedom in Washington and a member of the Panel of Experts on Freedom of Religion or Belief for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The issue is discussed objectively giving evidence. I would like to share with you some of the arguments she has made and add my response, if necessary:
“According to the ordinance in Cannes, Beach attire that ostentatiously displays a religious affiliation, while France and places of worship are the target of terrorist acts, is likely to create risks to public order.
How do pants, a long-sleeve shirt and a head covering made of swimsuit material threaten public safety?”
I have a problem in seeing any “religious affiliation” in burkini. Muslims who wear this also proudly claim the same and push it as Islamic. I will repeat there is no basis for this claim in the sources of Islamic jurisprudence. It is certainly not Islamic by classical teaching. Moreover burkini contravenes many of the demands of Islamic modesty and decorum. I have discussed this earlier. On the contrary, I do see some basis, not justification that massive death and destruction done with the slogan of “Allah-o-Akbar” will induce strong sentiments in some against a display of “Islamic dress” on the beech. The mayor of Cannes, David Lisnard has stretched this point to the extreme when he said in a newspaper interview: “The burkini is the uniform of extremist Islamism, not of the Muslim religion.” The prime minister of France, Manuel Valls is wide off the mark when he says “the suit is part of the enslavement of women.” Frankly speaking this impression in the West about subjugation of Muslim women does have substantial basis in the way Muslim men treat their womenfolk (entirely against Islamic teachings) in large parts of the Muslim world.
The author at one point states “……… when dealing with Muslim women in religious garb. According to Europe’s highest court of human rights, Muslim women in head scarves and burqas are simultaneously victims, in need of a government savior, and aggressors, spreading extremism merely by appearing Muslim in public.” Let us forget our debate with the French for a moment; and have an internal discussion. As a PPK Muslim, I take exception to some of the points mentioned in this sentence. Islam has not prescribed any “religious garb”; it dictates shyness, virtue and decorum; looking “sexy” very popular in the Western culture is forcefully taboo in Islam. One does not need a headscarf or a burqa to “appear Muslim in public”. The five daily prayers and the character that goes with it are the identity of a Muslim. One has a right to adorn a headscarf or burqa on her religious beliefs. But there are those - Muslims and non-Muslims - who do not see this dress through that light. For them it is quite natural to have a negative reaction to it specially if the dress is widely different like that of ancient nuns or superficially resembling the dress of a dacoit or a hijacker. Action and reaction are equal and opposite. If you go out of the way to look different(for what ever reasons) then do not complain if you are treated as different. If wearing a headscarf gives a feeling of flying the flag of faith to some, it feels like giving an anachronistic and backward looking face to Islam in the eyes of others. Each must have respect for the opinion of the other. Coming back to the debate with the French, the author raises the issues of gender inequality, human rights, individual rights and freedom, victim, threat to security and religious liberty. These are important issues in the debate but in my view these are not relevant to “Islam and Islamophobia”. “Face-covering veils, including the niqab and the burqa” are regarded as compulsory by many Muslims I admit; to many others it is reactionary and archaic. Islam by nature is dynamic and progressive to remain relevant for many millennia to come. If you are really surprised by the negative sentiments to a full burqua with a slit in front walking on the streets of Paris, imagine the reaction to a bikini pacing on the beach in Karachi or any Muslim country.
An article by Mike Ivesaug on Aug 24, 2016 Burkini"s Inventor Says Sales Have Skyrocketed on Heels of Controversy is interesting. Aheda Zanetti, 49, the Lebanese-Australian inventor of the swimsuit, said the controversy over efforts to ban the full-body bathing suit worn by some Muslim women has helped bolster demand for her invention. She claims the burkini swimsuit is “freedom and happiness and lifestyle changes.” Religion is not included as one of the reasons. Hence opposing burkina cannot be labelled as “Islamophobia”. She also said that she designed the garment in 2004 for women who wanted to show less skin while bathing or exercising. Obviously she does not realise that just covering the skin is not the only purpose of hijab; it is much more than that.
She wanted to introduce a full range of clothing to suit a Muslim woman or any woman that wanted a bit of modesty and wanted to participate in any sporting activities. She seems to forget that a Muslim sister will not and should not be satisfied with “a bit of modesty” but will aspire for full standards set by her religion. A fashion designer and former hairdresser, Ms. Zanetti coined the name burkini, a blend of the words burqa and bikini, but said that the swimsuit was not intended to exclude non-Muslims and was not meant to be a political statement.
The French bans, and the news reports about the ensuing debate, have been good for business, she said, with online sales rising about 200 percent in recent days. Most demand is coming from Australia, Europe and Canada, she said, and some new customers include skin-cancer patients who are looking for ways to shield their skin from the sun. She also created the hijood headwear attached to the burkini, to look like the hood of a sweatshirt. “I have a strong voice on behalf of women, for freedom of choice” she said. I wii add this is a no brainer. Women definitely have a right to freedom of choice.
Daniel Greenfield, a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the Freedom Center, is a New York writer focusing on radical Islam posted this article The Burkini is about Sexual Violence Against Women - Free to Molest on August 30, 2016 in Frontpage Mag.
He obviously has strong resentment against Islam and Muslims and therefore betrays a distorted approach to the problem as is clear form the title of his article. However he has made some arguments worth noting by us Muslims.
“The “Burkini”, a portmanteau of “Burka”, the all-encompassing cloth prison inflicted on women in Afghanistan by the Taliban, and “Bikini”, was banned in France along with its parent, the Burka.” You will agree his description of burqua is quite realistic!
“But the clothing of Muslim women is not a personal fashion choice. Muslim women don’t wear hijabs, burkas or any other similar garb as a fashion statement or even an expression of religious piety……..”
“Muslim women wearing a burka, a hijab or a burkini are pointing a sign at other women.” I will respond that they certainly do not mean to. But it can justifiably be construed as such.
“In the Islamic worldview, sexual violence is the fault of the victim, not the perpetrator. From the dancing boys of Afghanistan to the abused women of Egypt, the fact of the assault proves the guilt of the child or the woman who was assaulted.” Very painfully I have to accept that this as true. I have seen it unfolding in Pakistan.
“If you take uncovered meat and put it on the street, on the pavement, in a garden, in a park or in the backyard, without a cover and the cats eat it, is it the fault of the cat or the uncovered meat?” the Grand Mufti of Australia said. “The uncovered meat is the problem.” The Grand Mufti wasn’t discussing cats or meat. He was talking about gang rapes by fourteen Muslim men. "If she was in her room, in her home, in her hijab, no problem would have occurred,” he said.” Needs to be confirmed but my bet is for it. He has highlighted a very ugly blot in the thinking of a large section of Muslims and their scholars. Shameful, I think. Disgraceful it is. A very distressing and agonizing truth for Muslims. This is the reason I think this article is useful for us despite its venom against Muslims and Islam.
“It’s not the cloth itself that is the problem, but the Islamic attitudes that attach themselves to it”. Once again I agree. It is not just a piece of cloth under discussion; much more is at stake.
Alissa J. Rubinaug in her paper in the New York Times From Bikinis to Burkinis, Regulatin What Women Wear dated Aug. 27, 2016 has discussed the issue objectively. She has tried to ride above sentiments and and present some facts. It is worth reading. I have included here some prominent features.
“To start with, it depicts a photograph with the following explanation:
The photo dates from 1957. The woman is wearing a bikini on the beach at Rimini on Italy’s Adriatic coast. At the time, Italy prohibited the revealing bathing suit; it was too immodest to be worn in public.
In the midst of France’s fight over banning the burkini, the bikini is celebrating its 70th anniversary, and photographs chronicling its debut and early history in the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s are on display in one of Paris’s chic galleries, prompting parallels to the uproar over the burkini today.”
“What is it about women’s swimwear and more generally women’s attire that over and over in history has attracted controversy and impelled societies to legislate or regulate women’s choices? Historians, sociologists and anthropologists have argued about it for decades, but the seemingly simplistic statement that women’s bodies are a battleground has some truth to it. Formally or informally, men (primarily) have been making rules about women’s attire for a very long time.”
“As the debate continues, much that is important will be said about France and racism and Islam, but it is worth pondering that it is women’s clothes that are at issue.””
“Throughout history, a combination of legislation, local regulation and social pressure has influenced the way women have dressed — corsets and décolleté, hoop skirts and bustles, the controversial advent of pants. France is now a society demanding that women undress, but in many ways this debate is part of the same narrative.”
“As recently as the 1980s, a number of large American corporations had extensive dress codes for women. “There would be four pages on what a woman could wear to work, and four sentences for men,” Professor Clemente said.”
“Today the French seem to believe as strongly that such undress is mandatory as Italy, under the Vatican’s influence, felt it was necessary to hide women’s bodies, she added.”
“Indeed, the deputy mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, who is a political power broker on the Côte d’Azur, has repeatedly referred to the covering of women on the beach — whether in a burkini or a large T-shirt, pants and hijab — as a “provocation,” suggesting a challenge to the French order.”
“Ms. Lourenço, whose internet business sells swimwear in 120 countries, is not Muslim, and people often ask her why she designs for Muslim women. “My answer is simple: At the end of the day women are women, whether Muslim or not, and we all want to be comfortable, look beautiful and feel feminine,” she said.”
If you are impressed by these information, do read the whole article.
Islamic Center of Beverly Hills after quoting this hadith “Our beloved Prophet, Peace Be Upon Him (PBUH) said all Muslim men and women should learn to swim in case of an emergency like flood, drowning, water voyage and war” comes out with this advice “We should teach our children how to swim at an early age, but swimming should be considered a very private event in the family with a proper bathing suit.”
The problem we are discussing is very well summed up in this question by a Muslim sister:
“Many Muslim girls are into swimming but unfortunately there's no special swimming pool for women here where I am. I know there's a swimwear Muslim girls could wear to swim in a regular swimming pool, it still can cover up the aurat but still it's tight and show your body shape when you get out of the water. Many guys would see the body shape and I think it's considered haram. I know tight clothing when swimming is for the safety of the swimmer but still it's an issue Muslim girls are having now. If only I was rich, I would build a special area pool for girls so that they're safe in the pool and by the rules. But there's nothing I can do right now other than asking what kind of outfit should me and my Muslim women wear to swim in a regular swimming pool.”
Finally it will be interesting to listen to one of the “interest” groups. Alsharifa is a manufacturer of “Islamic, or Sharia, Swimsuits”. They were asked “whether such swimsuits should be allowed in Islam for women to use.” After clarifying that they are “manufacturer, and not an authority on religion or issues of faith”, they volunteered to provide some “pointers” which to me sound meaningful:
“The most commonly cited drive behind wanting to swim is the Sunnah of the prophet (pbuh) through the verified hadith: “Teach your children : Javelin throwing, Swimming, and Horse Riding”. The hadith in Arabic uses the word “Awlad” which has the literal translation of children. It did not talk about “boys” alone, so both men and women are included.”
“We were initially surprised when members of the local churches where we are located began purchasing swimsuits from us. The demand for cover is there, regardless of faith. Some people cover for religious reasons, others to keep a more flattering look in cases such as overweight or having an irregular body shape. One of our customers Nora who purchased the Malibu swimsuit said “I think it’s important for a woman to be able to dress modestly and still look sporty.”
“On the theological side, many people have made statements about the topic of Islamic Swimwear. Suad Saleh, Professor of Fiqh at al-Azhar University and the former Dean of the College of Islamic Studies opines that hitting the beaches to relax and getting relief from stress is permissible as Islam is “deen-ul-waseeta”, which means it is a religion of moderation. So one neither has to be too hard on oneself, nor the opposite extreme. On the other side of the spectrum, Pof. Mustapha Umara who is a member in the Higher Council For Islamic Affairs in Cairo, Egypt, has the opinion that woman is “awra” or “aurat” as a whole so she cannot wear short or tight clothing, or anything that shows the details of her body, whether at the beach or in public places. The direct definition of Awra / Aurat is “something than cannot be exposed in public.”
To reports from Egypt that certain resorts were disallowing Muslim women from using Islamic Swimsuits in their pools on hygienic grounds the organization reacts “it is preposterous because the Islamic Swimsuit is naturally more hygienic” for the following reasons:
1) it covers more of the skin, compare this to the exposed skin of other swimmers, think blisters, open wounds, dirt, sweat, hair, etc.
2) the swimsuit material is anti-bacterial, as it repels most things it comes in contact with including water, sand, germs, etc.
3) it fully covers the hair (imagine all the germs in the hair alone soaked in water, absent this type of swimsuit – germs exchange medium)
