A burqa-clad woman passes a British soldier of the International Security Assistance Force
© AFP/file Shah Marai Sydney, Nov 27: A mix of burqa and bikni, i.e. burqini has been designed for Muslim women lifeguards!
It would be worn for the first time by the members of one of Australia’s most distinguished institutions -- The Volunteer Lifesavers.
According to the Sunday Telegraph, the idea of developing the modesty-saving swimsuit came almost 12 months after violent clashes between young white Australian men and Muslim teenagers on Sydney’s Cronulla beach.
"Surf Life Saving Australia", usually associated with strapping, bronzed - and bared - physiques, and sun-streaked hair beneath trademark yellow and red caps, is seeking to update its image by recruiting from ethnic communities, notably Muslims, said the report.
For women who wear traditional Muslim dress, it is unthinkable to sport a skin-tight swimming costume on a public beach. The solution first came from Aheda Zanetti, a Lebanese-born mother of four from Sydney, who designed a two-piece, lightweight swimsuit, nicknamed the "burqini", as an alternative for lifesavers who prefer more modest attire. (ANI)