The geographical and historical diversity of Islam is substantial. The veil that Muslim women wear is an instrument of cultural and religious identity and has no extreme connotation within Islam.

PARIS -- The world's first ban on Islamic face veils took effect Monday in France, meaning that women may bare their breasts in Cannes but not cover their faces on the Champs-Elysees. Two veiled women ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. In much of the media outside Iran, female protesters not wearing the headscarf have been highlighted as symbols of defiance. AP ...

French President Nicolas Sarkozy ordered legislation that would ban women from wearing Islamic veils that hide the face in the street and other public places. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get ...

BRUSSELS -- Since she started wearing a full Islamic veil six weeks ago, Selma said, she has been stared at, frowned at, muttered to, mocked as a "ghost" and forced by a policeman to lift her veil to ...

Nicolas Sarkozy wants to ban women from wearing face veils in public. Under the policy proposed by the French President, Muslim women would not be permitted to wear the niqab, which reveals only the ...

DAMASCUS, Syria — Syria has forbidden the country's students and teachers from wearing the niqab — the full Islamic veil that reveals only a woman's eyes — taking aim at a garment many see as ...

LONDON (Reuters) - A British judge ruled on Monday that a Muslim woman could not give evidence at her trial wearing a full-face veil, sparking debate about whether Britain should follow other European ...

BEIJING (Reuters) - The capital of China's far western Xinjiang has banned the wearing of Islamic veils in public, the regional government said on Thursday, in a move experts worry could spark more ...

Europe’s traditions of secular tolerance appear to be haunted by the Islamic veil. Every week seems to bring new headlines announcing moves to crack down on the wearing of what critics appear to deem ...

See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. In 2010, France banned covering one's face in public space, directly ...

Prime Minister Tony Blair said Tuesday that Islamic head scarves are a sign of separation and Britain’s Muslims should be encouraged to integrate with mainstream society in order to improve the ...