Sports Illustrated announced that they’ll be featuring a model wearing a hijab and burkini in this years swimsuit issue. I imagine that most liberal minded people like myself see this as generally progressive and not shocking or contradictory. I assume that SI is trying to capture headlines and maybe more of a liberal demographic, which may increase marketshare, and also perhaps making a bit of a political statement. More generously, SI may be attempting to cast Muslim women in a positive aesthetic light in oder to possibly counteract recent escalation of anti-muslim sentiment in the country.

The curious part of the story is the conservative reaction, at least in the conservative news media, who find it horrifying, an unresolvable contradiction, and another example of liberal identity politics.

Dr. Zuhdi Jasser (R), president of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, described Sports Illustrated‘s featuring of a model wearing a burkini and hijab as left-wing “insanity” that glorifies an Islamist “honor culture.”

Jasser determined, “Our pop culture seems to be completely backwards in its principles. If this is about women’s freedom and equality, this is not the way to get there.”

“It proves that their attention to Muslim issues is simply them being the victims,” deduced Jasser of left-wing interest in Muslims. “It’s simply them trying to absolve themselves of the guilt that the know they have, which is a guilt of bigotry of low expectations, of exploitation of Muslims for their own sort of identity politics, and you see them do this with every minority group that they claim to take under their wing. They ignore what’s happening internally.”

Probably a compelling narrative for those inclined to adopt it. My take on it is simply that those conditioned to view Muslims as the enemy are unable to see this in an aesthetic light.