On Friday, France's Council of State ruled against the country's controversial burkini ban, which outlawed a full-coverage swimsuit worn mostly by Muslim women. While the court's decision only suspends a ban in the town of Villeneuve-Loubet, it has the potential to reverse the estimated 30 bans already installed in other cities and once again allow women to wear the body-covering swimsuits on the beach. The burkini covers the entire body including the head, leaving only the face, hands, and feet exposed, to better conform to Islamic rules of modesty.
French mayors decided to ban the burkini because of "growing terror concerns," CNN reported. The ban does not explicitly name burkinis, instead only prohibiting "beachwear which ostentatiously displays religious affiliation," The Guardian reported, but human rights activists quickly fought back, arguing that the ban impeded religious freedoms and encouraged fear-mongering.
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