"To remind, both garments are designed for the modesty of Muslim females;
the niqab covers all but the eyes and the burqa covers the entire face."

Continued...

President Obama said: "One of those values is the freedom to practice your religion -- a right that is enshrined in the First Amendment of the Constitution.  Nashala Hearn, who joins us from Muskogee, Oklahoma, took a stand for that right at an early age.  When her school district told her that she couldn't wear the hijab, she protested that it was a part of her religion.  The Department of Justice stood behind her, and she won her right to practice her faith.  She even traveled to Washington to testify before Congress.  Her words spoke to a tolerance that is far greater than mistrust -- when she first wore her headscarf to school, she said, "I received compliments from the other kids." (The White House - Press Office - Remarks by the President at Iftar Dinner).

Comments by Daniel Pipes: 

I wrote... in a blog for National Review Online, that the niqab and burqa should both be banned on security grounds, "as one cannot have faceless persons walking the streets, driving cars, or otherwise entering public spaces."

Although a problem with historic roots (Iraqi irregulars disguised themselves in the Palestinian town of Deir Yassin in 1948), this... will document the current dangers, especially in the West, of the burqa and niqab as a disguise. (Read more: Niqabs and Burqas as Security Threats :: Daniel Pipes).

What's new on the niqab and burqa front? 

In "Ban the Burqa – and the Niqab Too," two years ago, I documented how these two items pose criminal and terrorist dangers. Is that still the case? (Read more: Niqabs and Burqas - The Veiled Threat Continues :: Daniel Pipes).