Highest France Court to Decide Ruling on Burkini Ban

Tension has become the reigning disposition in France over the banning of the burkini from public beaches. The country has been in the news several times within the last year and a half for Islamist terrorist attacks. France has been attempting to deal with such attacks, and the burkini ban is another such development. On Thursday, the highest court in France received an appeal for this ban. The ban on the bathing suit that leaves solely the feet, hands and head exposed and worn commonly by Muslim women comes from the town of Villeneuve-Loubet. The town is located between Cannes and Nice and is now going to be at the center of a ruling that will affect bans throughout the country.

France is deeply rooted in democracy and civil liberty, hearkening back to the violent and emotional revolution that disposed of their king 200 years ago. This band and subsequent conflict that will expunge from it question how France will embrace its relationship with other cultures. Mr. Vallis, the prime minister, has been in support of the ban, calling the burkini a representation of “woman’s enslavement.” Secularism is largely a part of France’s culture at this point, which was partly responsible for the ban on religious symbols in public work areas and schools. This ban was instituted in the late 90s and largely banned head scarves. Another ban came later in 2010, dealing with the concealment of faces in public, effectively restricting niqabs and burkas.

François Pinatel and Patrice Spinosi, the lawyers representing Villeneuve-Loubet and the Human Rights League respectively, have both spoken about their main points. Pinatel claimed that the law was preventative, and is the reason there has been less trouble within the town of Villeneuve-Loubet. Spinosi spoke on the ban as unnecessary, expressing that there was no trouble before the ban and that any religious clothing, such as a priest or nun, will also suffer these effects. The judges have not made a ruling yet, so this case remains shrouded. The certainty comes from the knowledge that this case will affect all of France and the way it deals with civil liberties moving forward.

Image via flickr/user Bruno Sachez-Andrade Nuno