The Elche City Council is going to authorize the use of the burkini -the swimsuit worn by some Muslim women- as an exception in public swimming pools while prohibiting the rest of long garments below the knee.
This limitation for hygiene reasons obliges all swimmers to use a short locker room, but in the recently published regulation that establishes the rules in sports facilities, in general, this exception is going to be introduced so that burkini users They can easily access the pools.
The justification for making this distinction between a swimsuit that covers the entire body down to the ankles and even the neck, arms and head, compared to others such as shorts, which cover a much smaller area of the body, is that the burkini is “Approved”, as indicated by the municipal government team, the PSPV-PSOE and Compromís.
Apart from reasons related to hygiene, which in theory are the basis of these regulations, this swimsuit worn by Muslim women has cultural and religious connotations and, in fact, sparks controversy around the world, with supporters and detractors who have staged demonstrations to claim it. In France, for example, its authorization in swimming pools has also generated a scandal a few days ago.
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