France bans the burkha and niqab. My reflex was to object, but then I thought how eerie it would feel to have all kinds of people walking around with masks on, I thought how it could affect our sense of safety and openness in our daily lives. This isn't about modesty. This is a different society, one where covering your face is a suggestion that you're up to no good. Only robbers and terrorists wear masks here.

Saying that this is about modesty goes way beyond the mark and is an insult to women as well as a way of maintaining them as second-class citizens. Modesty is not about hiding your identity.