令人啼笑皆非的法國布基尼禁令

It would be hard to find swimwear skimpy enough to cause offence on the French Riviera.

在法國黃金海岸(Riviera)，很難發現有人穿的泳衣太過暴露以至於冒犯他人。

It turns out that people are more easily shocked by the idea of covering up.

結果，人們更容易被遮蓋身體的想法嚇到。

With emotions still running high after the attacks on Bastille Day crowds in Nice and on a Normandy church, the mayor of Cannes instituted a ban on swimming at the city’s beaches in dress that could be held incompatible with morality, secularism, hygiene or safety — as well as anyone wading in fully clothed.

在尼斯海濱的國慶日人羣以及諾曼底一座教堂遭遇恐襲後的羣情激昂期間，戛納市長頒佈了一條禁令：禁止穿着有違道德、世俗主義、衛生或安全的服飾在海灘游泳，禁止任何人穿着日常衣服下水。

No one was in any doubt of what he had in mind: the full-length, hooded two-piece for Muslim women, known as the burkini.

人們對他的矛頭指向毫無疑問：穆斯林婦女穿着的全身、連帽兩件式泳衣——也被稱爲布基尼。

Other local mayors followed suit, sparking fierce debate and legal challenges that have yet to be resolved by France’s supreme court.

其他一些城市的市長紛紛效仿，這引起了激烈辯論和法律訴訟（最近法國最高行政法院叫停了維勒納夫-盧貝(Villeneuve-Loubet)的布基尼禁令——譯者注）。

The controversy may seem frivolous but it encapsulates the difficulties French society is grappling with as it confronts the threat of jihadism.

這場爭論或許看似無聊，但是它概括了法國社會在面臨聖戰主義威脅時正在應對的各種困難。

In a country that bans the veil from schools and the full-face version from public spaces, there is a widespread discomfort with visible expressions of faith.

在這個國家，學校禁止佩戴面紗，公共場所禁止佩戴頭巾，人們對從外觀上表露信仰存在普遍的不適感受。

But this should not lead people to conflate strong religious conviction with violent extremism.

但是，這不應該導致人們把強烈的宗教信念與暴力極端主義混爲一談。

It can be hard for those outside France to see the subversive side of a swimsuit.

身處法國以外的人很難看出泳裝會有什麼顛覆性。

There is no consensus on the issue within France, or among French Muslims.

法國國內對該問題沒有達成普遍共識，就連法國穆斯林羣體也沒有一致意見。

But dislike of the burkini crosses party lines. Jean-François Copé, a rightwing politician seeking to run for the presidency, whipped up opposition to a private burkini event (later cancelled) with the cry: No to Salafist holidays! Manuel Valls, socialist prime minister, has denounced the burkini as the in-strument of an archaic concept of Islam, and of a political project founded on the enslavement of women.

但是對布基尼的厭惡跨越了政黨的界限，尋求競選總統的右翼政客讓-弗朗索瓦•高備(Jean-François Copé)煽動人們反對一個私人的布基尼活動（隨後取消），高呼：不要薩拉菲派(Salafist)的假日！法國總理、社會黨成員曼努埃爾•瓦爾斯(Manuel Valls)公開抨擊布基尼是展示伊斯蘭教陳舊概念的工具，建立在奴役女性之上的政治項目。

Whatever one thinks of the burkini, it is hard to see any way in which legislating against it could be helpful.

無論人們怎麼看待布基尼，都很難發現從法律上禁止布基尼會有任何幫助。

Feminist arguments are unlikely to cut much ice with young Muslim wom-en who have no doubt of their own autonomy and choose to cover up.

女權主義觀點不太可能對年輕的穆斯林女性起到太大影響，後者對自己的自主性深信不疑，並選擇遮蓋住自己的身體。

And for anyone who is indeed subject to family or cultural pressure, the alternative could be staying at home.

同時，對於那些的確受制於家庭或文化壓力的人，替代選擇可能是呆在家裏。

Some mayors are merely engaging in gesture politics.

部分市長只是在進行政治表態。

But others are acting on genuine concerns about disorder.

但其他人的行爲是出於對混亂的真切擔憂。

There has been a brawl on a beach in Corsica between Muslim families and other loc-als, followed by a more serious disturbance.

在科西嘉島(Corsica)的海灘，穆斯林家庭和當地人之間曾爆發過一次爭吵，隨後發生了更嚴重的騷亂。

Flaunting one’s Muslim identity is a provocation in the current climate, the argument runs (this is a view shared by some Muslims, wary of inviting racist aggression).

有觀點認爲，在當前環境下，炫耀個人的穆斯林身份是一種挑釁。該觀點也得到了一些穆斯林的認可，他們對挑起種族主義攻擊十分警惕。

But this is the logic that blames victims of sexual assault for wearing provocative clothing.

但這正是責怪性侵受害者穿着挑逗的邏輯。

If there is a danger of such a reaction, politicians should not be legitimising it.

激起這種反應的危險並不意味着政治人士應該立法禁止人們的正當自由。

Rather than invoking the secular constitution and lashing out at symbols of Muslim identity, France needs an honest discussion of what secularism means and whether it is preventing some Muslims finding their place within French society.

法國需要坦誠地討論世俗主義的意義以及它是否阻止了一些穆斯林在法國社會中立足，而不是訴諸世俗憲法，抨擊穆斯林身份的象徵。

Laicité is not a static concept.

世俗主義不是靜態的概念。

Attitudes have hardened in recent years, with a majority advocating not just separation of church and state, but the avoidance of religious display in all public spaces.

近年來人們對世俗主義的態度變得強硬起來，多數人主張的不僅僅是政教分離，而是避免宗教符號在所有公共場所出現。

First-generation immigrants often ac-quiesced in such discretion as the price of acceptance in French society.

第一代移民往往默許這種審慎作爲被法國社會接納的代價。

But for younger Muslims, especially those angry at discrimination, religion is increasingly a badge of identity.

但是對於較年輕的穆斯林來說，特別是那些對歧視感到憤怒的人，宗教逐漸成爲一種身份認同的標記。

So when Jean-Pierre Chevènement, a senior socialist politician likely to head the new Foundation for French Islam — intended to aid integration — said this week that Muslims would do well to show discretion, social media offered a swift and sarcastic response.

因此，當可能執掌新的法國伊斯蘭基金會(Foundation for French Islam)——旨在推動團結——的社會黨高級官員讓-皮埃爾•舍韋內芒(Jean-Pierre Chevènement)稱，穆斯林最好展現出審慎時，社交媒體迅速回以譏諷。

Some suggested passing off a headscarf as a way to avoid frizzy hair; others posted Harry Potter donning an invisibility cloak.

一些人建議謊稱戴頭巾是爲了遮蓋頭髮毛躁；其他人貼出了哈利•波特(Harry Potter)披着隱形斗篷的照片。

The message many young Muslims draw from the polemic over burkinis is that the French state would prefer them to be invisible.

很多年輕的穆斯林從這場圍繞布基尼的辯論得到的信息是，法國寧願看不見他們。

Thank goodness most of them are still able to laugh it off.

幸虧他們多數人仍能對此一笑置之。