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AFP
London
The ban on the Islamic burkini swimsuit on some French beaches has triggered disdain in English-speaking countries, where outlawing religion-oriented clothing is seen as hampering integration.
Newspaper commentators have condemned the ban as an absurdity, and one questioned how a burkini could be more offensive than 'middle-aged bum crack' bursting out from traditional Western beachwear.
And experts said the debate raised questions about the French one-size-fits-all model of integration.
In Britain, the full-face veil is not an uncommon sight in towns and city districts with big Muslim populations, but ostensibly does not stir as strong a reaction as in France.
One of the world's most secular countries, France strongly separates religion and public life.
Defenders of the policy say a common arena without religious connotations helps avoid sectarian conflicts and encourages equality.
As a result, the burkini - like the burqa before it - has come under fire in France. Some deem it a garment that channels radical Islam and oppresses women.
"It is the expression of a political project, a counter-society, based notably on the enslavement of women," French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said of the burkini Wednesday.
Such views are widely contested in Britain, both on the grounds of tolerance and practicality. Britain's best-known example of burkini-wearing was not by a Muslim but by TV chef Nigella Lawson, who hit the headlines in 2011 when she wore a black version of it on Bondi Beach in Sydney.
A BBC look at the issue found women in Britain speaking in favour of the burkini and saying it aided integration.
Commentator David Aaronovitch, writing in The Times newspaper, said only 'warped minds' would impose a burkini ban."The idea that full-length clothing provokes attacks on the wearer, as the French suggest, displays a poisonous logic," he said.
No problems are solved by this"French absurdity", only new ones created, he wrote.
