Source: Newsday

http://www.newsday.com/news/opinion/ny-vpshi013354583jul01,0,6151114.story

On July 1, 2003 Newsday published an editorial by Faegheh Shirazi stating that "many American Muslims cringed when they heard about Sultaana Freeman, a woman from Florida who maintained that removing her veil for a driver's license photo violated her religious beliefs. For most non-Muslims, veiling has become synonymous with Islam. So, although the Muslim convert last month lost her lawsuit against the state in an Orlando court, the controversy promises to contribute negatively to the atmosphere of misunderstanding that already permeates our society... The institution of veiling is complicated and diverse, and the tradition has meant different things to different people at different times in history. "Hijab," or veiling, is a reference to a modest form of clothing for Muslim women. The standard use of the term is in reference to covering the entire body, but not the face and hands... Contrary to popular belief, covering the face is not a common form of veiling in the Muslim world. In fact, Muhammad Sayid Tantawy, the highest cleric in the theology school of the University of Al-Azhar in Egypt, the oldest and most respected Islamic seminary in the world, states that the covering of a woman's face with a veil is not a requirement of Islam."