令人啼笑皆非的法国布基尼禁令

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

在法国黄金海岸(Riviera)，很难发现有人穿的泳衣太过暴露以至于冒犯他人。

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

结果，人们更容易被遮盖身体的想法吓到。

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.

在尼斯海滨的国庆日人群以及诺曼底一座教堂遭遇恐袭后的群情激昂期间，戛纳市长颁布了一条禁令：禁止穿着有违道德、世俗主义、卫生或安全的服饰在海滩游泳，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.

人们对他的矛头指向毫无疑问：穆斯林妇女穿着的全身、连帽两件式泳衣——也被称为布基尼。

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

其他一些城市的市长纷纷效仿，这引起了激烈辩论和法律诉讼（最近法国最高行政法院叫停了维勒纳夫-卢贝(Villeneuve-Loubet)的布基尼禁令——译者注）。

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

这场争论或许看似无聊，但是它概括了法国社会在面临圣战主义威胁时正在应对的各种困难。

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.

在这个国家，学校禁止佩戴面纱，公共场所禁止佩戴头巾，人们对从外观上表露信仰存在普遍的不适感受。

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

但是，这不应该导致人们把强烈的宗教信念与暴力极端主义混为一谈。

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

身处法国以外的人很难看出泳装会有什么颠覆性。

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

法国国内对该问题没有达成普遍共识，就连法国穆斯林群体也没有一致意见。

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.

但是对布基尼的厌恶跨越了政党的界限，寻求竞选总统的右翼政客让-弗朗索瓦•高备(Jean-François Copé)煽动人们反对一个私人的布基尼活动（随后取消），高呼：不要萨拉菲派(Salafist)的假日！法国总理、社会党成员曼努埃尔•瓦尔斯(Manuel Valls)公开抨击布基尼是展示伊斯兰教陈旧概念的工具，建立在奴役女性之上的政治项目。

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

无论人们怎么看待布基尼，都很难发现从法律上禁止布基尼会有任何帮助。

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.

女权主义观点不太可能对年轻的穆斯林女性起到太大影响，后者对自己的自主性深信不疑，并选择遮盖住自己的身体。

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

同时，对于那些的确受制于家庭或文化压力的人，替代选择可能是呆在家里。

Some mayors are merely engaging in gesture politics.

部分市长只是在进行政治表态。

But others are acting on genuine concerns about disorder.

但其他人的行为是出于对混乱的真切担忧。

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

在科西嘉岛(Corsica)的海滩，穆斯林家庭和当地人之间曾爆发过一次争吵，随后发生了更严重的骚乱。

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).

有观点认为，在当前环境下，炫耀个人的穆斯林身份是一种挑衅。该观点也得到了一些穆斯林的认可，他们对挑起种族主义攻击十分警惕。

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

但这正是责怪性侵受害者穿着挑逗的逻辑。

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

激起这种反应的危险并不意味着政治人士应该立法禁止人们的正当自由。

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.

法国需要坦诚地讨论世俗主义的意义以及它是否阻止了一些穆斯林在法国社会中立足，而不是诉诸世俗宪法，抨击穆斯林身份的象征。

Laicité is not a static concept.

世俗主义不是静态的概念。

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.

近年来人们对世俗主义的态度变得强硬起来，多数人主张的不仅仅是政教分离，而是避免宗教符号在所有公共场所出现。

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

第一代移民往往默许这种审慎作为被法国社会接纳的代价。

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

但是对于较年轻的穆斯林来说，特别是那些对歧视感到愤怒的人，宗教逐渐成为一种身份认同的标记。

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，当可能执掌新的法国伊斯兰基金会(Foundation for French Islam)——旨在推动团结——的社会党高级官员让-皮埃尔•舍韦内芒(Jean-Pierre Chevènement)称，穆斯林最好展现出审慎时，社交媒体迅速回以讥讽。

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

一些人建议谎称戴头巾是为了遮盖头发毛躁；其他人贴出了哈利•波特(Harry Potter)披着隐形斗篷的照片。

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

很多年轻的穆斯林从这场围绕布基尼的辩论得到的信息是，法国宁愿看不见他们。

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

幸亏他们多数人仍能对此一笑置之。