Right after the Egyptian girl Dina Hisham, posted through her Instagram account a video to speak up about the discrimination and racism incident she was subject to when she was denied to right to swim alongside her friends in the pool of a private club because of being veiled and wearing burkini swimsuit.
The incident ignited public opinion in social media among supporters and opposers, with many suggestions of beach and pool segregation between veiled and unveiled women swimmers.
Hisham: Beach discrimination lies under the umbrella of discrimination since it would differentiate between people
Dina Hisham said that implementation of such suggestion in real life would lie under the umbrella of discrimination since it would differentiate between people who should have similar rights. “As long as what I wear is of good material and ethical quality that won’t affect the place, why should it be banned or become subject to differentiation?”.
“In a parallel example, if someone would go to a dermatologist’s clinic which is privately owned, won’t they be receiving the services or treatments they pay for regardless of what they are wearing or looking like?”, Hisham asked in clarification of why the private ownership should not represent an acceptable excuse for differentiation or imposing racist rules as long as the provided services are for the public.
Hisham added that beaches are privately owned, yet they are public places. “Private ownership, here, means that I should pay for a membership or entrance fee in order to get to this place but not that I should lose the right granted to the public”.
Hisham: Dress code doesn't interfere in the length and whether they are revealing or not
“Everyone should respect the dress code of any place they go to”, Hisham clarified. Including dress code as part of the debate since a dress code would specify the type of clothes to be worn for certain events whether it be formal, casual, or anything else but would not have a thing to do with the length of these clothes, their color, revealing or not.
Hisham: Whether it was against bikini or burkini, it is descrimination
Asking someone to wear something or not should never be acceptable under any circumstances whether this was a bikini or burkini, as on both sides it would be labelled as discriminatory and oppressive, Hisham said.
“I didn’t file any complaint against the private club since laws are not in my favor”, Hisham said in reference to the fact that the incident she was subject to happened in a private club not hotel so the laws of the ministry of tourism would not be applicable on it.