This is not an easy question but and interesting one. Basically people should be allowed to wear what they want, within reason. The thing is we have a big problem today with terrorism (largely our own fault, I would add) and the enemy now is a faith-based one. Muslim dress is being adopted by some, I think, as a symbol of resistance to the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan and Western domination of the Muslim world in general and/or as some kind of resistance to the success of Western values in creating much more dynamic societies and economies but undermining traditional values. I can sympathise with all this to some degree; but in Europe we have succeeded in creating thriving liberal, enlightened and secular societies that interpret outward signs of religious adherence or belief as backward, unenlightened, superstitious and simply out of place in our modern, tolerant and free societies that have succeeded in creating equality under law and in thought for both sexes, sexual orientations, freedom of political views, free press, free thinking etc; nothing is beyond scrutiny nor is anything accepted on authoritarian grounds (religious, political or whatever else). Modern Europe does not appreciate all this hard won achievement (it is now very much our culture) being undermined or challenged by a minority who seem to want to live in something resembling the Dark Ages or medieval Europe.
This is not an easy question but and interesting one. Basically people should be allowed to wear what they want, within reason. The thing is we have a big problem today with terrorism (largely our own fault, I would add) and the enemy now is a faith-based one. Muslim dress is being adopted by some, I think, as a symbol of resistance to the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan and Western domination of the Muslim world in general and/or as some kind of resistance to the success of Western values in creating much more dynamic societies and economies but undermining traditional values. I can sympathise with all this to some degree; but in Europe we have succeeded in creating thriving liberal, enlightened and secular societies that interpret outward signs of religious adherence or belief as backward, unenlightened, superstitious and simply out of place in our modern, tolerant and free societies that have succeeded in creating equality under law and in thought for both sexes, sexual orientations, freedom of political views, free press, free thinking etc; nothing is beyond scrutiny nor is anything accepted on authoritarian grounds (religious, political or whatever else). Modern Europe does not appreciate all this hard won achievement (it is now very much our culture) being undermined or challenged by a minority who seem to want to live in something resembling the Dark Ages or medieval Europe.