Westerners associate the covered face with threatening figures:
bank robbers, muggers, the hangman/executioner, the grim reaper, nights in armour (and the modern day equivalent of the SAS soldier dressed all in black), rioters, samurai, ninja, the masked highwayman, burglars, Darth Vader, the scalpel wieding surgeon, the hoodie and yes the rag head terrorist.
These are all examples of images that stimulate fear in our minds.
In Western culture people who cover their face are perceived as having something to hide, are a threat and mean harm.
Therefore the Burqa/niqab will always provoke fear on Western streets and it is fear that determines our reaction to them.
As a result of this cultural incompatibility it is generally considered rude and offensive in Western society to hide ones face in public.
Unfortunately there is no law against being rude to people and the previous link to the Lebanese Hoons vid is a good example of this.
Although I personally am offended by the veil I accept it and try to draw something positive from it.
I have always felt that the best people to teach us manners are those that lack them and there is much to be learned from these silly Muslim women in these ridiculous outfits.
In short, those that choose to hide their faces from society deserve to be ignored, and that is how they should be treated.
dd
