Not completely relevant, but: There's this wild misconception that the niqabs, burqas and hijabs in general are religious garments. They aren't. They're cultural.
Islam does not force women to wear veils--certain Islamic cultures do. The Qur'an only demands modesty of its followers, not these full body/face coverings. It's similar to how some Christians feel the bible requires people to wear long sleeves, long pants, hats, veils and so forth, only there are far larger and more powerful sects of Islam that buy into that than there are Christians at this time.
In my view, the male-dominated Islamic cultures of many of the nations that require the wearing of the veil or burqa force these things on women as a way of keeping them submissive. It is no different from the formerly male-dominated Christian cultures of the world demanding similar things.
Anyway, my point is that this is a cultural, not religious issue. It isn't France saying, "your religion is unacceptable", it's them saying, "your culture is unacceptable." If you're going to say that's not their right as a nation of people, where are you going to draw the line? And why aren't you similarly "outraged" by an Islamic country that demands women wear hijabs? Or maybe you are, and you think all countries should abide by America's cultural position, which is that everyone ought to be free to wear what they want in public (as long as they're wearing something over their privates)?
Anyway, I've always ascribed to the idea that it's not my place to tell others their culture is wrong, whether they're French or Moroccan. It doesn't mean I agree with their culture, but it comes with an understanding that if I go into their country, I abide by their cultural rules, and similarly, if they come to my country, they abide by mine.
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