“The veil is not only Islamic; we find in the history of Judaism and Christianity, in particular, references to women who cover their heads for reasons of modesty. Various Church Fathers asserted that women should cover their heads when praying. The veil is widespread in the Muslim world, where it takes the most diverse forms: scarf, turban, chador, niqab (full veil covering the face, leaving only the eyes visible), burqa (full veil covering the entire head with a grid in front of the eyes). The wearing of veils varies enormously from one country to another and has never been universal in Islam: already in the fourteenth century … Ibn Battuta relates that in some places women wear a full veil, while in others they go bareheaded (and even topless, for Maldivian women). The styles, shapes, and colors of the veils have varied enormously. The twentieth and twenty-first centuries have seen two trends: the abandonment of the traditional veil in many countries, then a return of the veil in several countries, including among Muslim women in Europe and North America.”