The burka and burkini have been getting a bad rap in Europe these last few weeks, so when a small town mayor posted a joke photo of a cucumber that looked like it was wearing a burka, she wasn’t expecting such a large backlash.
Simone Stein-Luecke, who is the mayor of the German district of Bad Godesberg, thought her ‘Gurka’ pic would make others laugh, but in reality she became inundated with criticism. The picture was seen as poking fun at the religious clothing, with some even calling her a racist.
While most politicians would retreat and apologize, Stein-Luecke’s response was quite the opposite. She did say that while she respects all religions, “I have always stressed that I am opposed to a full-face veil.”
Not long before posting the picture to Facebook, it was announced that the King Fahd Academy, a Saudi funded school in her district, would be closing after being linked with jihadists ideology, so tension was already elevated locally.
The picture is probably on the tamer side of the other anti-burka gestures hitting the news, but she does admit that the timing could’ve been better.
‘It was a humorous post, no more, no less,” Stein-Luecke said. “Perhaps the timing of the post yesterday was unfortunate. But I still find it amusing.”
Sounds like something Leslie Knope would say… and oddly enough, she looks a bit like Amy Poehler. Yes, this is ending on a tangent, but with a story like this, why not?
