I find the burkha/niqab rather scary. I wonder what’s going through the woman’s mind which makes her feel it’s the right thing to do. I wonder if she is judging other Moslem women as not being quite Moslem enough – and I am being judged for not being a Moslem at all and possibly for being an under-dressed slut – as undoubtedly some Moslem men would consider – remember that ‘preacher’ on Jon Ronson’s programme (I think) who said Western men must ‘control their women’ and make them cover up. My sister was in Green Street with her husband, wearing a long summer dress (my sister, not her husband), and she overheard a comment directed towards her in Arabic (which she was learning at the time) about her being ‘a whore’. Nice! Having said that, I heard a similar comment in Mexico 16 years ago directed to me and two friends, and as for UK men, well they’re not always perfect gentlemen either!

I don’t believe most UK women have been forced to wear face covering by their families, if I listen to their conversations they usually sound British so they’ve been brought up here and have been exposed to ‘Western values’ but have studied the Koran and decided to cover up more and more. Often their mothers wear traditional Pakistani dress (salwar kameez & simple cloth over head) but their daughters take up the Saudi look of a hijab, then take it further. This is probably an expression of solidarity, of wanting to be defined and identified as a Moslem, and the further we go, in the West, in isolating and alienating the Moslem population, the more entrenched these feelings will become. Like someone else here said, if you seek to ban something, be it long hair or a niqab, the more some will want to do it.
My friend who works with domestic violence victims, says that many women take up the burkha/niqab and feel safer that way, their families who are threatening them won’t know them if they pass them on the street. I have my doubts about the effectiveness of this, but I wouldn’t want to prevent them being able to go about the streets in (relative) safety. Yes, I know they should be able to wear whatever they want and go wherever they want, but life’s not like that at the moment.

You didn’t read my post properly did you, or do you have a habit of misinterpreting what people write?

I said most women in Western countries who wear the Burqah, do it out of their own free will. Not once did I mention the plight of women in other Muslim countries, seeing as we’re discussing the prospect of the Burqah being banned here and NOT in Muslim states.

And as far as I know, Ayaan Hirsi Ali is not a Muslim (any more) and has never worn or been forced to wear, a Burqah – Bad Example.