Unveiling the truth

Submitted by Rebecca Moulds (United States), Aug 4, 2010 at 07:58

I have yet to see a completely veiled "person" boarding a flight in Chicago, although last time I flew to London in June, there were several women in head scarves. Like Mr. Flynn, if there was one or several women wearing the niqab or anything covering the face, I would not keep my mouth shut---I would prefer to outrage the other passengers, and risk either embarrassment or even the possibility of not being allowed to fly, simply on the principal that I believe all faces must be shown, matched to their passports, before boarding a plane. The real outrage is the covering up of these faces---how can we know who is underneath?

While in Cairo this summer, we were dining at a Japanese restaurant, and in sauntered an obviously Gulf family, consisting of the husband in Bermuda shorts, tee-shirt and sandals, his son and daughter in Western clothes, and then the wife, walking behind several steps, covered head to toe in black, what is commonly known as a "Ninja". There was no way to tell this was a woman and to these Western eyes, this was such an assault to the senses and sensibilities.

As Dr. Pipes wrote, how can we know if it is a man or woman underneath? There have been several cases of men dressed in niqabs who have committed crimes. If political correctness dictates that we cannot allow the faces of these people to be shown, then for sure we have to eradicate political correctness for the sake of our safety. I am sorely tempted to try an experiment: don a niqab at my next flight and see what happens.

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