People have taken to social media to post photos of nuns wearing their habits on the beach in response to the controversial burkini bans in France.
On Aug. 23, photos emerged of four armed French police officers forcing a woman wearing a burkini — which leaves only the face, hands and feet exposed — on a beach in Nice to remove some of her clothing.
According to the French news agency AFP, the woman was fined for not wearing “an outfit respecting good morals and secularism.”
READ MORE: France burkini ban backlash after photos show woman removing coverings, police issuing fine
Many people are sharing the nun images to point out what they seem to view as hypocrisy at play.
Authorities in several French towns have implemented bans on the burkini citing concerns about religious clothing in the wake of recent terrorist attacks in the country.
READ MORE: Cannes bans full-body ‘burkini’ swimsuits from beaches citing security concerns
French Muslims are concerned that decisions taken by some authorities to ban the body-covering swimwear could lead to further stigmatization of Muslims, the head of an organization representing Muslims in France told Reuters on Wednesday.
France’s highest court, Conseil d’Etat, will meet on Thursday to consider a complaint against the ban.
President Francois Hollande’s government has backed the decisions taken by mayors to impose the ban, arguing that the burkini violates French laws on secularism.
*With files from Reuters.
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