Friday, 6 June 2008
What do you get when you combine a burqa with a bikini? A burqini! These bathing suits are all the rage among Muslims in Australia, according to The Christian Science Monitor.
"Instead of a barely there bikini, she's in a burqini - a top-to-toe two-piece lycra suit complete with hijab, or Islamic head covering," the paper says, describing a young woman who volunteers as a lifeguard. "Loose enough to preserve Muslim modesty, but light enough to enable swimming, the burqini, taking its name from the burqa, is at the forefront of a dramatic shift within Australia's iconic surf lifesaving clubs."
It's said to be harder to swim in the burqini, but the lifeguards' trainer says that's a sacrifice the women are willing to make for modesty. "It's the biggest hurdle the girls face. But we can't do anything about it, it's part of the deal. They just need more intensive training," he said.
The burqini, designed by Lebanese expatriate Aheda Zanetti, comes in "slim fit" and "modest fit" designs.
• Photos of the swimsuits.
Zanetti told Britain's Telegraph newspaper "it had taken her a year to persuade Muslim women in Sydney that swimming 'is not a sin.' Now sales of the 'burqini,' which retails for about £80, have soared, largely through word of mouth."
"Instead of a barely there bikini, she's in a burqini - a top-to-toe two-piece lycra suit complete with hijab, or Islamic head covering," the paper says, describing a young woman who volunteers as a lifeguard. "Loose enough to preserve Muslim modesty, but light enough to enable swimming, the burqini, taking its name from the burqa, is at the forefront of a dramatic shift within Australia's iconic surf lifesaving clubs."
It's said to be harder to swim in the burqini, but the lifeguards' trainer says that's a sacrifice the women are willing to make for modesty. "It's the biggest hurdle the girls face. But we can't do anything about it, it's part of the deal. They just need more intensive training," he said.
The burqini, designed by Lebanese expatriate Aheda Zanetti, comes in "slim fit" and "modest fit" designs.
• Photos of the swimsuits.
Zanetti told Britain's Telegraph newspaper "it had taken her a year to persuade Muslim women in Sydney that swimming 'is not a sin.' Now sales of the 'burqini,' which retails for about £80, have soared, largely through word of mouth."