French Pool Boots Woman in 'Burkini'

Officials say head-to-toe swimwear violates hygiene rules
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 13, 2009 2:53 AM CDT
French Pool Boots Woman in 'Burkini'
Mecca Laa Laa wears a 'Burkini' on her first surf lifesaving patrol at North Cronulla Beach in Sydney, Australia.    (Getty Images)

A Muslim woman has been banned from a French public pool for wearing a head-to-toe "burkini" swimsuit, the BBC reports. The woman, who had purchased the suit in Dubai, called the ruling "segregation." Officials cited hygiene rules that prevent swimming clothed, and said it was not because of religious discrimination or the country's efforts to ban the burka. "That type of suit does not exist in the Koran," explained the town's mayor. (More France stories.)

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