Prague Waterpark Receives Complaints about Burkini-Clad Customers

But a social media flare-up yesterday suggests that not everyone is welcome, at least according to the group of irate commenters who reacted to photos of two Muslim women swimming there with their children over the weekend, clad in burkinis.

“Burkinis are the symbol of Islam…Islam is the worst ideology and plague of the world…every Islamist is a Muslim,” one angry woman posted on the Aquapalace page.

Another commenter expressed outright disgust:

“Ugh, I [will] never set foot in there, it makes me sick! They should respect our culture and our customs!”

Numerous comments, however, expressed tolerance, applauding Aquapalace for this official statement, posted to its Facebook page yesterday:

“All visitors must obey the same rules of hygiene. A particular point, however, [regarding] bathing or burkini shirts, a bathing suit shrouding the greater part of the body…The clothing is made of material suitable for swimming. This is a worldwide trend, with which we do not only encounter in Aquapalace Praha. In this case, the customer does not violate any rules.”

Burkinis are full-body swimsuits covering everything but the hands and feet and face. They fulfill the requirements of a hijab and are deemed acceptable from a religious perspective.