Rabat - Many Moroccan hotels, including the Mazagan resort in the city of El Jadida have reportedly banned women from wearing burkinis, also known as halal swim-suits, El Jadida Scoop reported.
According to the same source, several hotels and resorts have banned the burkini in their private pools, with many citing "hygiene reasons".
This comes just one year after Ibis Hotel in the coastal city of El Jadida banned a woman from swimming in the hotel's pool while wearing the swimsuit that covers a woman's entire body.
In August 10th, 2014, the woman, who was accompanied by her family, was banned from the hotel's swimming pool for wearing a burkini.
The incident prompted Abdelaziz Aftati, an MP of the ruling Islamist Justice and Development Party, to send a complaint to Tourism Minister Lahcen Haddad.
The MP deemed as "rudeness of the new colonization" the hotel's decision, saying that it is unacceptable to restrict people's freedom and their beliefs.
Speaking to Huffpost Maroc, Khadija El Idrissi, Communication and Public Relations Director at Mazagan Beach and Gold Resort, denied the accusation that the five-star resort banned women from wearing burkinis in its swimming pools, saying that since its opening the resort has been accepting burkinis despite the discontentment of some clients.
"We are in a Muslim country," El Idrissi added.
The burkini is allowed in many European countries but still sparks controversy in places like France. In 2009, a French convert to Islam was evicted from a public pool for wearing a burkini.
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