France Bans Burquinis at Pools

The burquini (shown, but not with the woman involved), is an obviously particularly modest swimsuit, but does not, according to French officials, meet France's unusually strict pool hygiene standards. Under the policy, swimmers are prevented from wearing any street-compatible or baggy clothing in favor of typical figure-hugging suits.

The 35-year-old woman, identified only as Carole, was quoted as telling the daily Le Parisien newspaper that she had bought the burquini after deciding "it would allow me the pleasure of bathing without showing too much of myself, as Islam recommends." She tried to go swimming in the Paris suburb of Emerainville, and was given the boot.

"For me this is nothing but segregation," she said.

French lawmakers recently proposed a ban on the burqa and similar Muslim attire. President Nicolas Sarkozy backs the move, but this issue has nothing to do with it, according but Daniel Guillaume, a regional official in charge of swimming pools, said:

"These clothes are used in public, so they can contain molecules, viruses, etc. which will go in the water and could be transmitted to other bathers. We reminded this woman that one should not bathe all dressed, just as we would tell someone who is a nudist not to bathe all naked."

Sounds reasonable, but nothing is as easy as it seems. Readers, what do you think?