'Burqini' Bringing Aussie Muslims To The Beach

In an age where things only seem to get smaller, a cover-all swimming costume is bringing more Muslim women on to Australian beaches.

The two-piece "burqini", which is said to be popular in the Middle East, is proving important in reshaping Australian beaches.

"I am Australian so I always have the Australian life style, but now with the burqini it just allowed me to participate in it more. We used to always go to the beach, but now that I have the burqini I can actually swim", 22 year-old Mecca Laalaa says.

Laalaa is one of 24 young Australians of Arab heritage who recently signed up to a 10-week lifeguard training course aimed at widening the racial mix on beaches.

Laalaa, whose ethnic background is Lebanese-Australian, is relying on a home-grown burqini, which is a compromise between a burqa and a bikini, to keep her covered at the beach.

Laalaa says the full-length suit with head-covering is not too figure hugging to embarrass, but is tight enough to swim freely.

"We are surrounded by water all over Australia, swimming is totally encouraged for us from all the schools, no matter what school you go to", burqini manufacturer Aheda Zanetti says.

"So when these girls decide and choose to wear the veil, they decide to stop doing that. We didn't want to do that".

Zanetti sells burqinis for up to $130, and hopes to widen the garment's appeal beyond Muslim women at the beach.

"We are also encouraged in Australia to cover up not due to modesty but for sun protection, so this is not just a modesty aspect swimming suit, it is also a protection against the sun, surf and sand", she says.

 � Copyright 2004-2015 The News Vault. All rights reserved.