Women speak out against growing number of burkini bans in France

Beaches in France have always been known as places where you can show as much skin as you like, the more skin the better. But now that's becoming sort of compulsory. In fact, on some beaches you have to show more skin, or risk being fined.

Across France a growing number of cities are banning the full-body swimsuit worn by some Muslim women. The suits are known as "burkinis". Some women have already been fined for covering up too much while on the beach by wearing a burkini.

Feiza Ben Mohamed tells As It Happens guest host Laura Lynch that it's a latest sign of growing islamophobia in the country.

She says freedom means people wearing what they want, when they want.

"This is not freedom. It think this is a new step for this city to go for more islamophobia, something that is going to get worse and worse, because of next year's elections."

Ben Mohamed is the leader of a local Muslim organization in Nice -- the latest city to enact a ban on the burkini. She is also now involved in appealing the bans at several city councils in France.

Some supporters of the ban have claimed that confrontations have taken place on French beaches as a result of women wearing the burkini. But Ben Mohamed says she's not aware of that.

"It never happens. I don't know why everybody's talking about that. We've never had any problem by women going to the beach with a burkini. I don't know why all the politicians are saying that...maybe they just want to make people afraid".

The city council in Nice says it is banning the burkini swimsuit because it has a religious connotation, and as such does not fit with France's secular values.

"But even if someone is wearing something religious, it doesn't mean that the state is not secular", insists Ben Mohamed.

She adds that the French Prime Minister Manuel Valls is obsessed with Muslims, and "is always talking about the hijab as something dangerous. It's not true."