In other countries, where there is more choice in the matter, the reasons for veiling are more complex.

ECONOMIST: Headgear in Muslim lands: Beyond the burqa | The

Mr Barak is still aloof and authoritarian, scarcely veiling his contempt for politics in general and for his own party in particular.

ECONOMIST: Long accouchement, broad baby

European citizens are asking their governments to set limits on Islamic encroachment-the minaret construction freeze voted in a Swiss referendum-and the will of the people sometimes reaches the ears of their elected representatives- forthcoming law against full facial veiling in France, cancellation of permit for a mega-mosque at London's 2012 Olympic site.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Nidra Poller on the Geert Wilders Trial