Since the earliest days of Islam, the Niqaab (face veil) has been prevalent in almost all Muslim societies. Even browsing documentary footage from as late as the 1940's show that a large proportion of Muslim women ventured out of their house with their face covered.

It was partially the Niqaab and the entire system of Purdah that made Muslim women inaccessible to Western colonialists - and hence a source of mystery and wonder. However, over the past century there has been a concerted effort from within and outside Muslim societies to present covering as a throw back to the dark ages. This has met with varying degrees of success.

Despite there not being a common consensus amongst Muslim scholars about whether it was an obligation to cover the face or not, there was no doubt that doing so was not outside the boundaries of Islam - until recently. Now, Muslim and Non-Muslims pontificate on the Niqab and what it means to be "different" in the modern world.

The war to "liberate" Muslim women from the shackles of their Islamic clothing & sense of modesty has opened up a new front - the face veil. Across the world, governments who cannot agree on what to do about the economic meltdown,  rampant injustice or global warming have discovered that the way Muslim women choose to cover themselves  is something far more deserving of their attention - a phantom menace is born. In todays Empire, being "different" marks you out as a rebel - and it seems they intend for the rebels to be crushed at all costs.