COPENHAGEN — An Iranian-born designer has made more than a fashion statement by showcasing models wearing burqas and dressed as police officers at a show in Denmark days after a law banning the full-face coverings worn by some Muslim women took effect in the country.
Reza Etamadi said of his MUF10 brand’s Copenhagen Fashion Week show on Wednesday: “I have a duty to support all women’s freedom of speech and freedom of thought.”
Denmark’s much-debated “Burqa Ban” has prohibited burqas and niqab — Muslim dress which only shows the eyes — in public places since Aug. 1. Both are rare in Denmark.
Etamadi says that by enforcing the ban, authorities are violating women’s rights and “the free choice we in the Western world are known for and proud to have.”