Muslim swimmers asked to leave public pool because of their clothing

WILMINGTON, Delaware -- A municipal swimming pool in Delaware is under scrutiny after Muslim children were asked to stay out of the water because of their clothing.

Tahsiyn Ismaa'eel runs a summer Arabic enrichment program, and sometimes takes campers to the Foster Brown public pool in Wilmington.

For the first time this year, Ismaa'eel says some of her campers have been asked to leave the pool because they were wearing cotton shirts, shorts and headscarves.

Isma'eel tells The News Journal that the rule against wearing cotton in the pools is not published anywhere and is being enforced in a discriminatory way against her kids.

An official in the mayor's office says cotton poses a safety risk because it becomes heavy when wet and because it strains the pool's filtration system.