(ANSA) - ROME, DEC 31 - The Bangladeshi authorities have bowed to the grievances of the most intransigent Muslims and canceled the decision taken only 24 hours before opening a beach for women only. The BBC reports it.
The 150-meter beach section of Cox's Bazar, a port city and tourist destination on the Bay of Bengal, reserved for women and children, was only open for a few hours.
"It was the women who asked for a section dedicated to them on the beach because they felt intimidated and insecure in a crowded place," said Abu Sufian, a senior official at Cox's Bazar. A request certainly influenced by the news of a group rape of a woman in Cox's Bazar last week.
The backward step of the authorities, however, has sparked an argument on social media. Accusations poured into the government for consenting to the more extremist followers of Islam who recently held massive demonstrations calling for gender segregation in workplaces and factories.
One commentator described the segregation of beaches as "Talibistan", referring to the Taliban Islamist group that has curbed women's rights in Afghanistan in recent months.
Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh is the longest natural beach in the world and a popular tourist destination in the country.
Hundreds of thousands of people visit the area during public holidays and the tourism sector has grown in recent years.
Bangladesh is a predominantly Muslim and largely conservative country.
(HANDLE).