The link of veiling as exclusively the preserve of women was proved wrong.

However, most Western observers fail to realise that veiling, which has a long and complex history, has been embraced by many Arab women as both an affirmation of cultural identity and a strident feminist statement.

However, this movement did not reach the masses, many of whom preferred to retain their practice of veiling. The Iranian revolution of 1979 and the rise of a stricter interpretation of Islam saw a revival of veils.

In a statement, the New Woman Foundation demanded that plans be put in motion to end forced veiling in schools.

(8.) Annelies Moors, Face Veiling in the Netherlands: Public Debates and Women's Narratives, in The Experience of Face Veil Wearers in Europe and the Law, supra note 1, at 19,26.

In our attempt to show the particularities of veiling among young Romanian Muslim women, we take into account the context, the meanings and values that these women attach to wearing the hijab and the consequences that such a practice has for their lives in the community and in the Romanian society at large.

Only a few Muslim women wear full-face veils, and most Muslims and non-Muslims alike do not approve of face-covering veiling. However, as this paper will be show, burqa bans spread in some European countries and provoked heated debates about the nature of democracy, European identity, the rights of non-Christian immigrants and immigrant women in particular.

In Amer's able hands, the often feminist, anti-colonist nature of veiling is brought to light.

The European movement against face veiling is now widespread, with calls to implement a ban, or a ban being in place, in France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, and Germany.

In each of her five open letters, Lazreg presents different veiling or reveiling experiences, interprets them and takes issue with their justification, pointing out that the custom of "covering" should be always regarded in its historical, political, and socio-cultural context, as long as "the veil is never innocent," (p.125) it is both a discourse and a practice.

Yet feminist responses to veiling not only address these conflicts but also invoke debates within feminism itself about agency and victimization, as well as about racism and cultural imperialism in feminist history.

The latest trend is the birdcage veil, a cap-like hat that features Russian dotted veiling, jewels and even feathers.

Surely, when forced, only then veiling becomes repression.

Presenting conclusions after six months of hearings, the panel also suggested barring foreign women from obtaining French visas or citizenship if they insisted on veiling their faces.