Yes, the horror of seeing a beautiful woman.

(AFP) — On a barren hill in Sharm el-Sheikh, not far from the famous beach resorts with their bikini-clad patrons, Islamist activist Ahmed Saber ponders the fate of revealing swimwear if his party comes to power.

The swimsuit has been at the centre of a growing debate over the Islamists’ plans for tourism, one of Egypt’s key currency earners.

Speaking at a voting station, Saber seeks to present a liberal outline of his party’s position on the bikini. “You’re free to do as you please as long as you don’t harm me,” he says.

The Sharm el-Sheikh tour guide then goes on to explain that: “Some sights might harm me. For example, women wearing bikinis on the street. There are special places for bikinis”.

After decades of repression by a secular police state, the Muslim Brotherhood grouping finds itself fending off questions about its plans for beach resort mainstays like bikinis and alcohol — considered unIslamic by some.

With ultra-conservatives poised to play a big role in parliament during an economic crisis, the Islamists’ thoughts on what tourists may wear or drink are being scrutinised amid fears they will harm the country’s vital tourism industry.