Kuwait bans women's nudity in public, no bikinis on beach

DUBAI: A parliamentary committee in Kuwait has endorsed a proposal to ban women's "nudity" in public places and hotel corridors, which could lead to banning of women's bathing suits in the country. MP Hamdan Al Azemi, the head of the antisocial behaviour committee, said that women's bathing suits were "alien to the Kuwaiti culture and could not be accepted or tolerated," Gulf News reported. The lawmaker told local daily Al Rai that there was no need for a specific definition of "nudity".

Beach decency has gained great attention recently in Kuwait, as conservative lawmakers and officials have bee stressing the need for all residents to "respect th character of the Kuwaiti society and avoid what amounted to acts of provocation." They insisted that "wearing a bikini is not a personal choice or a matter of personal freedom," but rather "an assault on local values and sense of decency and modesty." The decision by the committee will have to be approved by the parliament before it is referred to the government. If it is accepted by the ministers, it is enacted as a binding legal text. In 2011, a parliamentary committee in Kuwait rejected a motion to ban bikinis, saying that it was unconstitutional.

Recently, a Qatari campaign urging tourists and foreign residents to respect the country's strict dress code recently sparked controversy and sent jitters among its majority expatriate population. "Both men and women should also avoid walking around in their swimming suits away from beaches or swimming pools," according to the campaign.