Casablanca - Amid the controversy following the ban of the Burkini in the French cities of Cannes and Corsica and calls to outlaw it in Belgium, social media users shared photos of nuns wearing similar garments.

Casablanca – Amid the controversy following the ban of the Burkini in the French cities of Cannes and Corsica and calls to outlaw it in Belgium, social media users shared photos of nuns wearing similar garments.

The photos were originally shared by Azeddin Ez-zair, the imam of the Italian city of Florence, on his Facebook page. They show eight nuns dressed in Christian garments that look almost identical to the Burkini.

Although the photos in the Imam’s post had no caption, they clearly allude to the double standard when dealing with issues related to the Muslim minority in Europe.

According to Alarabia, the picture of the nuns frolicking on the beach was reposted 2000 times yesterday alone. However, the imam’s page was blocked, as some social users reported it in response to the picture.

When the imam regained control his page hours later, he explained that he intended to share the photos with no comment because they alone are capable of debunking the claim that “the Western values differ from [the Islamic] dress style and covering of the body.”

The imam, who holds the position of the head of the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Italy, said in an interview with SKY TG 24 that the purpose of sharing the photos emanates from his desire to stir a “healthy debate” and that he received positive feedback from “many Christians.”

“I wanted to say that some Western values originate from Christianity, and the roots of Christianity come from people who covered their bodies almost entirely,” the imam told SKY TG 24.