You know it’s officially summer in Egypt when the infamous ‘bikini-burkini’ issues start rising. For the past decade, veiled Egyptian women have been struggling to get their basic rights of being able to swim in pools with their friends.
in 2019, the Egyptian Hotel Association took a stance and made it illegal to ban veiled women from accessing public areas due to a biased dress code since many resorts, beaches and pools were discriminating against hijabis as seen below.
Burkini Ban
However, just today, an Egyptian female, Dina Hisham faced the same issue when invited to swim with her friends at Palm Hills Compound. Hisham, who was awfully distressed and felt discriminated took to her social media account to object to the ridiculousness and unfairness of the situation she was put in.
View this post on Instagram
Hisham shows 4 different swim suits, a bikini, one-piece swimsuits and two burkinis or hijabs swimsuits explaining that they’re all swimsuits!
“The bikini costed $10, the one-piece swimsuit costed $50 and the two burkinis costed $300 and $350! They’re all swimsuits!” Hisham explains.
Hisham explains that she has had enough with the oppression and discrimination she constantly faces in Egypt because of her hijab and how difficult Egypt makes it to be veiled.
“I lived in Canada for 10 years and never encountered any obstacles. One year in Egypt and it’s even more difficult than Canada! We’ve had enough!” Hisham cries.
We’ve been struggling with this issue for years, but still, hijab is constantly looked down upon and discriminated against with stupid, unjust rules by the entitled and rich upper class. If it’s a swimsuit made of the same fabric as any other swimsuit, who gives them the right to prevent them from swimming?
It feels like every time we move one step forward, we end up going several steps backwards. Veiled women should not have to put up with this discrimination. Voices like Dina Hisham deserve to be heard. We, at Rahet Bally, support you!
Shame on you, Palm Hills! Such a shame that you would think for a split second that a burkini is in any way degrading, it’s dignifying and it’s absolutely up to anyone to wear any swim wear model they like as long as it’s swim wear material.
Further reading:
- I Refuse to Be Judged or Discriminated for Wearing a Burkini
- 15 Places to Buy Burkinis In Egypt
- Egyptian Moms Confess: My Veiled Daughter Feels Alienated At School
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1 comment
I really feel she’s making a big deal about the whole situation and she know the rules, yet she just planned to get her mother’s blessing, who in high places to go through this drama and make a big stink with Amr Aidib’s program, whole simply could see between the lines to follow the rules and doesn’t wear her Birkini which is the Muslim bathing suit! She then made another complaint to another show Al Nahar and told the host I really made a big stink didn’t I I? That tells me that she’s manipulative and wants things done her way !!!! She’s really spoiled by her mother who bends the rules for her. She claims when she lived in the States no one gave her a hard time over her Berkini, I’ve never seen it here!! I don’t agree with her going around and harassing the staff in hotels, so that people don’t wear normal swimwear!!!