There’s a bit of a flap brewing in Paris over the proper attire for a public swimming pool.

On August 1, a Muslim woman was turned away from her local pool because she was wearing a head-to-toe “burqini.”

She’s claiming discrimination. But Daniel Guillaume, a regional official in charge of swimming pools, is backing the decision.

“These clothes are used in public, so they can contain molecules, viruses, et cetera, which will go in the water and could be transmitted to other bathers,” Guillaume said in a telephone interview.

Yes, you read that right. Mr. Guillaume is concerned about hygiene at a molecular level. My, how times have changed.

I applaud France’s concern for human rights, as well as their vocal support of a woman’s right to dress she pleases. I agree with the French government that it’s not right to tell a woman that she must wear a burqa. But it’s equally wrong to tell her that she can’t.