DAMASCUS: Syria’s Islamist-led government has decreed that women should wear burkinis or other swimwear that covers the body at public beaches and swimming pools, while permitting Western-style beachwear at private clubs and luxury hotels. The tourism ministry decision issued this week marks the first time the Damascus authorities have issued guidelines related to what women can wear since Bashar Assad was toppled in December.

The order drew concerns among some Syrians about their personal freedoms under the country’s new Islamist authorities.

Le ministère du tourisme souligne qu’il est nécessaire de porter dans les lieux publics « des vêtements amples et de couvrir les épaules et les genoux ».