I've never heard "hanky-head." In these parts, there are relatively few Muslim women, but a lot of expats from Ukraine (there is an especially large community of charismatic Christian Ukranians in the Seattle-Tacoma region; I don't know why). So the scarf-wearing women are far more likely to be Christians than Muslims.

To demonstrate that "put your money where your mouth is" attitude, I went on my lunch break and bought a potted chrysanthemum, and placed it on the steps of the local mosque, then had a very pleasant chat with the owner of the halal grocery store just down the block from same. A splendid fellow, as the Brits say. He left Afghanistan 21 years ago, and holds the Taliban and bin Laden in the same contempt as any other American does. He says the leaders in places like Afghanistan use religion to whip up the people into hatred; it's a tool to them like any other political tool. In the end we shook hands and parted with kind words. I'm glad I went!

As I keep saying, people are just so very doggone much like folks it's amazing.

alex