Fury at Turkish Ban on Bikini Ads

The bikini has become the latest item to offend the Islamic-oriented authorities in Turkey. After a bungled attempt to outlaw alcohol, municipal officials in Istanbul have set their sights on billboard advertisements of the skimpy swimsuit. The ban, revealed last week despite efforts by the mayor to play down the furore, has triggered outrage among swimsuit manufacturers.

Lambasting the move as more in tune with Iran than a country bent on joining the EU, appalled secularists said it proved that the ruling Justice and Development (AK) party had a hidden Islamist agenda.

"We've never had to get permission before and when we applied for it they told us we were hanging up immoral pictures," said Moris Eskenazi, who jointly owns one of four firms reportedly stopped from placing the adverts. "Istanbul's urban planning department said the photographs were not up to EU standards and could cause car accidents."

In recent weeks millions of Turks have taken to the streets to protest at the government's perceived determination to raise the role of religion in daily life.

"The ruling party first want to remove women wearing swimsuits from billboards and then they want to remove them from the beach," said Gulsun Bilgehan, a member of the Republican People's party (CHP) who vowed to take the issue to the Council of Europe, of which Turkey is a member.