A close look at Islamic culture will reveal gender defined roles that, at first glance, may appear to be stereotypes meant to oppress women. However, this is not the case at all, as the new Islamic swimwear represents a cultural shift whereby Islamic women are modernizing their religion and still staying true to it.
A woman’s body is still sacred.
The Burkini -as it has come to be called- fuses swimwear with core Islamic values. It is the kind of modest and dignified dressing that, besides being an affront to traditional gender roles, is slowly challenging traditional Islamic beliefs which have been overstated at times.
Recently, the Burkini was banned in France. To French authorities, the Burkini was regarded as being a form of systematic oppression that ran counter to French secularist views. However, the ban was soon lifted. The burkini is a modest fist of defiance. Slowly but surely, gender defined stereotypes will end eventually.
