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France ‘Burkini’ Ban Fought By Wealthy French Man Who Pays Fines Of Veiled Woman – Both Insist They Are Protecting Muslim Women After Nice Attacks

By Patrick Frye
Published on: 08:17 PST, Aug 25, 2016

A wealthy French man is undermining France’s “Burkini Ban” by paying off fines of Muslim women who were ticketed for wearing the modified burka on the country’s beaches. Women who choose to wear the burkini are being increasingly targeted and fined by the numerous towns in France under the recently enacted ban. Interestingly, both the parties insist they are protecting the Muslim women.

Muslim women wearing the head-covering burka at the beach are being increasingly fined in the various French towns that have chosen to penalize women for wearing the traditional veil. Ever since the burkini ban, France has drawn international criticism as well as support from all across the world for the controversial legislature.

While the country insists the law was formulated to protect Muslim women, Rachid Nekkaz, a wealthy French-born entrepreneur with Algerian parents, has been voluntarily paying off the fines, and counter-claims that he too, is doing the same thing. Nekkaz adds that he is merely trying to defend human rights and has chosen a legally valid route to protest against the rules.

So far Nekkaz has paid off fines of five different women who were ticketed since the ban went into effect in 26 French beach towns last month. He claims the women who have been fined can approach him, and assures them that the financial penalties will be dealt with. Interestingly, Nekkaz even attempted to notify the towns and their respective authorities, including the mayors, that they should send the tickets directly to him.

“Banning women from wearing burkinis in public goes against democracy and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in every way. It’s deplorable.

“Paying the fines is my way of neutralizing the law while still respecting it. I want to de-dramatize the situation. There’s no choice but to pay these fines. But these women are suffering and France’s spirit of vivre ensemble [the concept of living together harmoniously] suffers too.

“I contacted every local police department and the national police, who is tracking the fines, but none wanted to meet.”

The ban on wearing the modified version of the burka, or burkini, designed for the beach, has sparked an intense national and international debate. While those who defend the ban insist eliminating the burka ensures the Muslim women aren’t harassed or targeted in hate crimes, critics have openly denounced the ban, claiming it takes away a woman’s right to choose what to wear and how to dress in public.

France is convinced the burkini ban is meant for the protection of Muslim women. The government has strongly defended the ban, insisting they were specifically formulated to ensure the safety of the women. Prime Minister Manuel Valls even went on to say the traditional attire was contributing to the “enslavement of women.”

Many regional experts claim France is needlessly politicizing the burkini ban. The country is just eight months shy of the presidential elections. With the backdrop of barbaric terrorist attacks, ethnic hatred is at an all-time high, and both the right and the left are trying to gain leverage by keeping all the aspects of Islam at the center of any possible controversy.

Nekkaz claims that French police have a “problem” with Muslim women and the Muslim community in general. He speculates the law enforcement secretly wants to completely ban Islam within the country. To counter the legal and financial burden imposed by the French government on women wearing the burka or the burkini, Nekkaz had put aside 1 million Euros in 2010. Till date, he claims to have settled a total of 1,165 fines in France, Switzerland, and Belgium. The fines amounted to $200,000.

Surprisingly, despite defending the right to wear the burka or the burkini, Nekkaz shared he is against the practice. He notes his actions merely defend human rights.

[Photo by Justin Tallis/Getty Images]

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