Carol, I have heard a great deal about the importance of preserving the choice of women who want to wear the burka from a number of perspectives, 'feminist' 'liberal' etc

However, in any community, the choices of some people have a definite impact on the lives of others for example the 'freedom' to smoke in public places

Many Muslim woman do not wear the burka or even the ḥijâb but have voiced their concern that the constant reference in liberal media to those women who choose to wear it has made it increasingly difficult for countless Muslim women to express their discomfort with it as outright criticism of the garment has been portrayed as an intolerant attack on Islam as well as the Muslim women who do wear it.

In some societies the burka is a part of a range of laws and policies designed to suppress women and they are punished severely for not wearing it

The argument is that for those in the west who choose to wear the veil, the garment is a choice, not a tool of suppression.

This argument obscures the fact that there is pervasive, sexist propaganda in many communities, even in the West, and many women are vulnerable to this propaganda and their so-called 'choice' to wear a burka may not be the result of independent, informed decision-making.

Even this independent informed decision making choice however is not carried out in a social vacumn; many women, who are seldom considered in these kind of discussions, may be trying to resist pressures from their relatives, religious extremists in their community or governments and this is undermined when the burka becomes increasingly common in public places

In any discussion of a ban, an important consideration IMO must be the impact of the ban on ALL women - including the Muslim women who want to resist cultural or 'moral' compulsion to wear the 'coffin-like' burka