First, an report suggests that a considerable majority of Americans oppose the Dutch government's attempts to introduce a (or any other form of face covering):
Many adults in the United States are against a proposal developed by the Dutch government that seeks to ban Islamic veils, according to a six-country poll by Harris Interactive published in the Financial Times. 59 per cent of Americans believe Islamic women should have the right to wear the garments if they wish to do so.
Support is significantly lower in the five European nations surveyed, with Spain at 39 per cent, Italy at 34 per cent, Germany at 33 per cent, Britain at 23 per cent, and France at 23 per cent.
In October, British Labour party parliamentarian and former foreign secretary Jack Straw revealed that he asked female constituents who came to see him to remove their veils. According to the 2001 census, Muslims represent 2.7 per cent of the British population.
On Nov. 10, Dutch immigration minister Rita Verdonk discussed the possibility of specific regulations for the way Muslims dress, saying, "The cabinet is not in favour of Islamic women wearing a burka, but cannot impose a ban on the garment at this time. However, there are already regulations and restrictions imposed on the wearing of clothing that hides a person’s face in education and public transport."
In February 2004, the French government implemented a ban on religious symbols in schools as a measure to reaffirm the country’s secular identity. Former government minister Bernard Stasi headed the panel, which concluded that some garments—such as Islamic scarves, Jewish kippas and crosses—represent a "conspicuous" sign of spiritual affiliation that should not be allowed in the classroom.
Secnodly, reports that al-Qai'da's 'media arm' (how very post/modern and Western of them) is now claiming that a woman wearing a veil in Europe is a 'soldier' in their battle against the 'Zionist-Crusaders':
AL-QAEDA'S deputy leader said yesterday that any Muslim woman who wears the veil in Western countries is a supporter in what he described as a fight between Islam and "Zionist Crusaders".
[...]
The authenticity of the tape could not be verified, but it was posted on websites used by al-Qaeda and other insurgent groups in Iraq and the voice of speaker sounded like Zawahri's. The statement - said to have been issued by al-Qaeda's "media arm" al-Sahab - praised Muslim women who insist on wearing the Islamic veil despite pressures not to in some Western lands.
He described anyone doing that as "a soldier in the battle of Islam against the Zionist-Crusader attack".
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