New veils cover too much

A Muslim cleric in Saudi Arabia has called on women to wear a full veil, or niqab, that reveals only one eye. Sheikh Muhammad al-Habadan said showing both eyes encouraged women to use eye make-up to look seductive. That is a stupid argument, even without taking into account the fact that I don't use eye make-up. One-eyed veils may be of use to some blind or partially-sighted women, but the Koran does not specifically require the niqab, or any head-scarves, in the first place. In fact, the clearest verse on the topic goes like so: "And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their khimar over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husband, their fathers, their husband's fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their women, or the slaves whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex; and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments." And speaking of ornaments, a lawn ornament and tools were stolen in Port Hope, Ontario last weekend. Police officers responded to three separate reports of thefts. A Sullivan Street resident reported two concrete urns were taken from their lawn, a Black and Decker drill was reported stolen from a truck parked at a Strachan Street home, and a Sherbourne Street resident reported a decorative wooden bear was taken from their property. The two urns were recovered by police a short time later, but the wooden bear and drill are still missing.