Remember Burkini? The other controversial outfit before Hijab row

A war over dress code in educational institutions has been brewing in Karnataka, a south Indian state for the past few weeks.

Protests erupted across the state after certain educational institutions barred students wearing hijab to attend classes.

In parts of Karnataka, authorities prevented some students from attending college as they insisted on wearing Hijab- a traditional Muslim scarf to the classroom.

Karnataka hijab row: From dress code to protests, what really is the issue?

The protests have now reached the national level, with people debating for and against the issue.

Islamic ways of covering the head, the face has always been subjected to scrutiny, forward and ban in several parts of the world.

In recent times, Burkini, a swimwear worn by several Muslim women, was banned on beaches of France. Here's the back story.

The origin

The Burkini is not a traditional clothing, but was made by Australian designer Aheda Zanetti who decided to create the outfit keeping in mind the Islamic traditional burqa.

Zanetti recognised that there was a lack of sportswear for Muslim girls and women that would meet the needs of both modesty and physical activity, so she designed some culturally appropriate activewear clothing. Before this, there was no outfit that catered to the Muslim community and their tradition. Many Muslim women were uncomfortable going to public pools and beaches. The Burkini typically covers the whole body except the face, the hands and the feet. The suit is similar to a wetsuit or a bodysuit and is light enough for swimming.

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The controversy

In 2016, a number of French municipalities banned the wearing of burkinis to their beaches. The ban sparked international controversy and France was accused of Islamophobia.

Back in August 2009, a woman in France was barred from swimming in a public pool as she was wearing a Burkini. The ban was justified by referring to a French law that prevents anyone from using public pools in street clothes. France is known to encourage a 'religiously neutral arena' which means French law emphasises that people should appear similar in public spaces and be treated equally.

The controversy died down for years until August 2016 when the mayor of Cannes banned Burkini on the beaches citing a possible link to Islamic extremism. 20 other French towns subsequently joined the ban. Several women were issued fines across the country for wearing an outfit that did not 'respect good morals and secularism. It is important to note that the authorities felt the women- covered from head to toe- were disrupting the secular fabric of the country.

Some women were even verbally attacked by bystanders when they were confronted by the police. Enforcement of the ban also hit beachgoers wearing a wide range of modest attire besides the burkini.

Media reports cited that in one case, armed police forced a woman to remove the burkini she was wearing over her clothes on a beach in Nice. The Mayor's office though denied the incident although the woman was condemned for wearing an outing that 'provoked the public' in the aftermath of the Nice terrorist attack.

While France put a ban on the outfit, it ironically resulted in a significant increase in sales of the famed outfit among Muslim as well as non-Muslim women - especially for those who were survivors of skin cancer.

Not just France, even Germany in 2018 called for a ban on the burkini citing hygiene concerns. The outfit was banned in public pools. Following protests, in June 2019, German courts overruled and lifted the ban citing violations to the German constitution's call for equality.

In 2014, Morocco too had placed a ban on the outfit citing hygiene issues. In 2017, the Swiss city of Geneva passed a law requiring swimmers to wear swimsuits that do not go lower than the knee and keep the swimmer's arms bare. In both countries, the laws were met with protests.