Burkinis and nuns' habits banned on the beaches of Nice, France
Nuns cannot wear their habits on the beaches of Nice anymore after the city's ban on the burkini. Rudy Salles, the deputy mayor of Nice, cited the separation of religion and state as the reason behind this decision.
"So if you want to go to the beach in a burkini, it's forbidden because it is a provocation. Religion and the state are completely separated," Salles said during an interview with Edward Stourton on BBC Radio 4. "Religion is the affair of each one but each one at home, each one at church, not each one in the street," he added.
"What about a Catholic nun? Would she be allowed on the beach wearing her habit?" Stourton asked. "No. The same," Salles replied.
The burkini has been banned in around 30 French coastal resorts. An Italian imam, Izzedin Eldir, included the nun's habits in the discussion about the ban two weeks ago when he posted images of fully-clothed nuns at the beach on his Facebook account. His account was reportedly blocked for seven hours but was later reinstated.
Last week, pictures of a French policeman confronting a woman wearing a burkini circulated on the internet. The woman in the picture appeared to be removing parts of her outfit while a policeman stood next to her. It is not clear whether or not the police fined the woman for her outfit.
Salles defended the ban insisting that it was necessary. "It's a necessity after... the 14th of July on the Promenade des Anglais," he told BBC, referring to the terrorist attack that happened on Bastille Day.
The highest administrative court in France suspended the burkini ban last Friday but majority of French mayors are still keeping the ban in place. Mayor David Lisnard of Cannes, the first mayor to ban the burkini, said that the ruling does not change his conviction about the controversial piece of clothing.
