The decision marks the first time Syrian authorities have issued guidelines related to what women can wear since Bashar al-Assad was toppled after more than 13 years of civil war [GETTY]
Syria’s government has stated that women should wear burkinis or other swimwear that covers the body on public beaches, although an official denied that there was a ban on Western beachwear and said the decision was misunderstood.
The decision marks the first time Syrian authorities have issued guidelines related to what women can wear since Bashar al-Assad was toppled after more than 13 years of civil war.
While interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has promised to protect freedoms in the new Syria, an interim constitution guarantees women’s rights; however, any move to enforce dress codes would be seen as a shift towards more conservative rule.
The tourism ministry decree, dated 9 June, said that visitors to public pools and beaches should wear “appropriate swimwear that respects public decency and the feelings of different segments of society”.
It calls for “more modest swimsuits” and specifies “the burkini or swimming clothes that cover the body more”.
It offered an exception for hotels classed as four-star or above, and for private beaches, pools and clubs, saying “normal Western swimwear” was generally permitted, “with adherence to public morals and within the limits of public taste”.
Ghiath al-Farrah, assistant minister for tourism, said the decision had not banned Western beachwear from public beaches.
“Those who want to enter wearing Western clothing are allowed, but we allowed the burkini to cater to a large segment of society,” he told Reuters, adding that the burkini had previously been banned in some places.
“The word ‘prohibited’ is not mentioned in the decision at all,” he said, adding that it was not a presidential decree and could be amended at the end of the season.
The government’s decision, signed by the tourism minister, said that at public beaches women should wear a cover or a loose robe over their swimwear when moving between the beach and other areas.
Men should wear a shirt when not swimming, and are not allowed to appear bare-chested “in the public areas outside the swimming areas, hotel lobbies or…restaurants”, it said.
The head of the ministry’s media department, Abdullah Hallaq said that the decision was implemented after “studying a number of models” from Turkey, Qatar, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
He said that the regulations were “aimed at preserving public morals… and avoiding indecent activities on public beaches”.
He also said that there would be “no negative impact” on tourism, with designated spaces for “conservative families” and foreign tourists.
Hallaq described the move as helping to maintain “visual safety” for public beachgoers, saying that women’s bikinis produced “visual impurities”, according to Enab Baladi.
He commented that the ban was not considered a “violation” of personal freedoms, but rather, “a way to allow everyone to easily access these places, and relax”. He said that the measure was designed to protect children, “who should see examples of how to behave”.
“There must be public morals that are in keeping with Syrian society,” the outlet quoted him as saying.
Mahmoud Toron, an analyst close to the government, criticised the decision, saying he would have left swimming pools and beaches alone. “We are not lacking controversial issues amidst these turbulent storms,” he wrote on X.
The guidelines were part of a wider decree that included public safety guidelines ahead of the summer season, such as not spending too long in the sun and avoiding jellyfish.
(Reuters)
