ABSTRACT
In July 2016, following the truck murder of pedestrians in nearby Nice, the mayor of Cannes banned ‘burkini’ full-cover swimming costumes from Cannes beaches as ‘a symbol of Islamic extremism’. Over thirty French mayors then did likewise, though this was ruled unlawful on 26 August by the French Council of State. Australian commentators have referenced European, especially French, regulation of Muslim women’s clothing since the 2004 prohibition on wearing religious symbols in French state schools. Right-wing politicians called for similar measures in Australia; eventually in 2014 attempting to ban or segregate visitors wearing face-coverings from the public gallery of parliament. Anti-hijab rhetoric from such politicians validated the abuse and harassment of visibly Muslim women by those seeking to ‘liberate’ them. Women often perceived these fearful events as a stage in a process that would lead to French-style bans of hijab in public spaces. Drawing on the burkini affair in Australia and France, this chapter illustrates the two societies’ differing experiences of colonialism, secularism and immigration as well as Islamophobia.
