Much ado about burkini

Asalam alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu. Hello again. I hope you are doing great. I've been following a particular news item these past few days and I haven't quite made up my mind about it. It brings mixed feeling of amazement, amusement and a little bit of sadness really. 

Once again muslims are getting negative press, only this time it's for being fully clothed. Imagine that.  We live in a world where nudity is preferred to modesty. Yes, I'm referring to the burkini fiasco. See news here

May Allah have mercy on the Ummah and may His mercy and grace never depart from us. Ameen.

As a muslimah, the rule concerning the way we dress is clear cut and straight forward. God in his infinite wisdom and mercy has given clear instruction on how we should look at home and outside the house as shown in the holy Quran:

(Q24:31) And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard (2984) their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments (2985) except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husband´s fathers, their sons, their husbands´ sons, their brothers or their brothers´ sons, or their sisters´ sons, or their women, or the slaves whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex; and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments.(2986) And O ye Believers! turn ye all together towards Allah, that ye may attain Bliss. (2987)

Commentary:

 

2984:The need for modesty is the same in both men and women. But on account of the differentiation of the sexes in nature, temperaments, and social life, a greater amount of privacy is required for women than for men, especially in the matter of dress and the uncovering of the bosom. 

 2985: Zinah means both natural beauty and artificial ornaments. I think both are implied here, but chiefly the former. The woman is asked not to make a display of her figure or appear in undress except to the following classes of people: (1) her husband, (2) her near relatives who would be living in the same house, and with whom a certain amount of negligee is permissible: (3) her women, i.e., her maidservants, who would be constantly in attendance on her: some Commentators include all believing women; it is not good form in a Muslim household for women to meet other women, except when they are properly dressed; (4) slaves, male and female, as they would be in constant attendance (but with the abolition of slavery this no longer applies); (5) old or infirm men-servants; and (6) infants or small children before they get a sense of sex.

2986: It is one of the tricks of showy or unchaste women to tinkle their ankle ornaments, to draw attention to themselves. 

2987: While all these details of the purity and good form of domestic life are being brought to our attention, we are clearly reminded that the chief object we should hold in view is our spiritual welfare. All our brief life on this earth is a probation, and we must make our individual, domestic, and social life all contribute to our holiness, so that we can get the real success and bliss which is the aim of our spiritual endeavour. 

(Surah 24 An Nur: Verse 31-commentary by Yusuf Ali)

In our bid to be modest and partake in the life outdoors, we have adopted the burkini. But if we were to be sincere with ourselves, we muslimahs should not be seen in public pools or beaches where there is mixed company. As modest as it may seem, the burkini does not hide your ‘curvaceousness’. At best, I think it’s a polite piece of clothing which we girls can wear to hang around each other at the pool, instead of running around butt naked.

What you look like underneath your clothes is nobody’s business but yours. As a muslimah, you want to be treated with courtesy and respect wherever you go and you can only achieve this if you present yourself properly to the world. Simply put, dress the way you want to be addressed.

My dearest muslimah, the Cannes burkini ban should not come as a surprise, we live in a time where 'islamophobia' is validated by the actions of a misguided group of people. Morocco also did same thing in 2014 citing sanitary reasons. whatever the reason may be, we are met with change and we have to adapt.

The way forward: 

It's abundantly clear that we should not be seen in the company of people that have not been cited in the verse above, so public swimming is a no-no. We need to find private pools with only women in attendance. 

May Allah make it easy for us to have our own pools, beaches and resorts where we can all hang out in peace. Ameen.

Take care of your mind, body and spirit.