Muslims and bathing costumes
All in it together
The story began two years ago when an 11-year-old girl and her Moroccan parents, living in Frankfurt, demanded that she be exempted from co-educational swimming. Her lawyer argued that wearing a burkini did not entirely meet her religious scruples: it would make her feel embarrassed, and she would still have to mingle with scantily clad boys. She wanted to swim, but only with girls.
But an appeals court in Leipzig upheld the opinion of lower courts that the burkini was an adequate solution. Nor did the judge have much sympathy for the girl's desire to avoid splashing about with boys in skimpy togs. The most interesting part of the ruling stated that "the basic right of religious freedom does not confer any entitlement to be spared from encountering, at school, the behaviour of third parties...[behaviour] which is widely observed in daily life, outside school, at certain seasons." As for the risk of inappropriate physical contact with Spandex-wearing lads, that could be avoided in the judge's view by a vigilant teacher and due precautions by the girl herself.
The subtext was that if the girl was unbearably offended by people sunbathing or walking the streets with very little on (or nothing at all, in some parks and beaches), then Germany might not be the country for her. But given that she was in Germany, a burkini offered a way of adhering to her values without imposing them on others. Muslim groups in Germany have given a mixed response; they are pleased that the burkini is now accepted in pools and they think it meets religious concerns, but they would be happier still if the individual's right to opt out were respected.
All in it together
The story began two years ago when an 11-year-old girl and her Moroccan parents, living in Frankfurt, demanded that she be exempted from co-educational swimming. Her lawyer argued that wearing a burkini did not entirely meet her religious scruples: it would make her feel embarrassed, and she would still have to mingle with scantily clad boys. She wanted to swim, but only with girls.
But an appeals court in Leipzig upheld the opinion of lower courts that the burkini was an adequate solution. Nor did the judge have much sympathy for the girl's desire to avoid splashing about with boys in skimpy togs. The most interesting part of the ruling stated that "the basic right of religious freedom does not confer any entitlement to be spared from encountering, at school, the behaviour of third parties...[behaviour] which is widely observed in daily life, outside school, at certain seasons." As for the risk of inappropriate physical contact with Spandex-wearing lads, that could be avoided in the judge's view by a vigilant teacher and due precautions by the girl herself.
The subtext was that if the girl was unbearably offended by people sunbathing or walking the streets with very little on (or nothing at all, in some parks and beaches), then Germany might not be the country for her. But given that she was in Germany, a burkini offered a way of adhering to her values without imposing them on others. Muslim groups in Germany have given a mixed response; they are pleased that the burkini is now accepted in pools and they think it meets religious concerns, but they would be happier still if the individual's right to opt out were respected.
