The Islamist junta in control of Syria, headed by former al-Qaeda officer Ahmed al-Sharaa, issued a decree on Monday that women must wear full-body coverings at public beaches and swimming pools.
The junta’s Ministry of Tourism included the Islamic dress code in a decree that also laid out safety guidelines for swimming at the beach and in pools. The decree mandated swimmers to use “appropriate swimwear that respects public decency and the feelings of different segments of society.”
The Syrian Ministry specifically ordered women to wear “the burkini or swimming clothes that cover the body more,” and to don a “cover or a loose robe over their swimwear when moving between the beach and other areas.”
A burkini is a women’s swimsuit that covers the entire body, frequently including a head covering. They are often advertised as “modest” swimwear.
The Ministry of Tourism threw in a requirement for men to wear shirts while swimming and to avoid baring their chests in “public areas outside the swimming areas,” including “hotel lobbies or restaurants.”
A concession to foreign visitors, but not Syrians who reject Islamic dress codes, was included in the decree. The Ministry of Tourism said high-end hotels and private beaches could allow “normal Western swimwear,” provided they respect “public morals” and remain “within the limits of public taste.”
The Ministry bulletin did not say how the new directives would be enforced or specify the penalty for disobedience.
Sharaa’s government has been walking a fine line on Islamic law since overthrowing dictator Bashar Assad, who was repressive in many respects, but ran a largely secular regime. Syria is home to many religions, including Muslim sects that strongly disagree about various aspects of Islamic dogma.
After kicking Assad out of Damascus, Sharaa strove to present his new government as both Islamist in character and more “inclusive” than most such regimes. He explicitly promised not to establish a medieval caliphate like the Taliban in Afghanistan and said he supported such modern notions as education for women.
This was an effort to win Western support and get sanctions that had been imposed against the brutal Assad regime lifted, as well as to convince the numerous factions of the Syrian rebellion that they would each have a seat at the table in Damascus. Sharaa further promised his administration would be temporary, and a more diverse government would take shape through elections in the coming years.
One of the major international concerns about Syria’s interim government was the danger of ethnic cleansing, religious purges, or violent retaliation against groups seen as supportive of Assad, especially the Alawite Muslim religious sect to which Assad belonged.
Significant amounts of violence and intimidation have been directed at the Alawites, Christians, Druze, and other minority groups by members of Sharaa’s rebel coalition, but the interim government has denounced the attacks, and full-blown ethnic cleansing has been avoided thus far.
President Donald Trump placed a major bet on Sharaa when he met with the Syrian leader in Saudi Arabia last month and lifted sanctions. Trump described Sharaa as a “young, attractive guy” with a “very strong past” who has “a real shot at holding it together.”
Although the interim constitution signed by Sharaa in March described Islamic sharia law as the “main source of legislation” for Syria, Monday’s burkini decree was among the first explicitly Islamic rules imposed by the post-Assad government. Some Syrians have reported seeing fliers that encouraged women to cover their skin, but their provenance was unknown.
Newsweek on Wednesday cited a mix of responses to the swimwear order on social media, ranging from apprehension among feminists to applause for reasonable modesty standards.
“Whoever wants to go out with their family without clothes should go to private resorts. Public beaches have people from all social groups, and the majority of the Syrian population rejects such disgusting sights,” said one Facebook user.
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