Exclusive, "Akhbar al-Yawm" agency

A law from the french mandate era talks about bathing suits...

Commenting on the move carried out by activists at the entrance of the popular swimming pool in Sidon in objection to the municipality's request to comply with a set of conditions, including modest dress, and the uproar raised about the issue for more than a week, Constitutional expert Dr. Jihad Ismail, in an interview with the "Akhbar Al-Yawm" agency, pointed out that "personal freedom, according to Article 8 of the Constitution, is inviolable, and in the protection of the law, but the scope of this protection is determined by the laws in force, as public freedoms are called to be exercised in a social environment based on material, moral and ethical foundations, therefore, any threat to the integrity of these pillars is a threat to society and the freedoms exercised within it, in accordance with considerations of Public Order and public morals, but individuals, under the cover of exercising their freedom of worship or faith, are not allowed to reach the point of threatening individuals and the state at the same time, which destroys what remains of the rule of law in Lebanon".

Ismail said: "Law No. 99/1941 issued during the French Mandate era, in Article 3 thereof, prohibits men and women from using bathing suits except on the beach itself or inside bathtubs, and it is also not permissible, according to the same law, to enter in bathing suits to restaurants, cafes and public places, even those located on the beach, which is a prohibition established by law under penalty of a fine by the competent authorities, not by the general public, and through repressive means that change the identity and privacy of Lebanon".