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NORTHERN ITALIAN MAYOR BANS BURKINI

Women wearing Islamic swimsuit will be fined

(ANSA) - Turin, August 19 - A mayor of a northern Italian town decided on Wednesday to slap a hefty fine on women seen wearing the Islamic head-to-toe swimsuit or 'burkini' in local pools. Gianluca Buonanno, the mayor of Varallo Sesia in the northwestern region of Piedmont, said the sight of ''a masked woman could cause dismay, especially among children'' enjoying a day at the pool. Buonanno, who is also an MP with the devolutionist Northern League party, said he was similarly concerned that the costume might pose ''hygienic problems''. ''We're always very respectful of the customs and habits of those who are not of our culture but we mustn't always be tolerant,'' said the mayor, whose party has been accused of being anti-immigrant. ''Let's try to imagine what would happen if a western went swimming in a Muslim country wearing a bikini: she might be decapitated, sent to jail or expelled from the country.'' ''We are simply banning it and if this decision upsets anyone they can simply take a dip in a burkini in their own bathtub,'' said the mayor, who said women seen wearing it would be fined 500 euros. In France, a woman wearing a burkini was recently evicted from a pool outside Paris because officials said the outfit was unhygienic.

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The mayor is suffering from some serious Islamophobic delusions.

The issue of inappropriate swimwear on a given beach occasionally arises in various Muslim countries. Usually a cop suggests more appropriate attire, which has widely varying meaning from one Muslim country and one beach to another. (For example, Turkey has topless beaches.)

No one gets decapitated although the IDF occasionally blows up Palestinians on Gaza beaches -- but for breathing and not for women's attire.

Here is a typical bathing suite from 1900-1920.

It comes with a matching cape to conceal the wearer's figure when the suit is wet and clingy.

Any woman wearing a modern bathing suit back then would almost certainly have been fined or arrested for indecent exposure.

Here is a modern burkini.

It is certainly within the tradition of swimwear. Women should be able to wear whatever makes them most comfortable on a beach.

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