SomeHuman Rights Courts see things differently:

"The Court was ... able to understand the view that individuals might not wish to see, in places open to all, practices or attitudes which would fundamentally call into question the possibility of open interpersonal relationships, which, by virtue of an established consensus, formed an indispensable element of community life within the society in question. The Court was therefore able to accept that the barrier raised against others by a veil concealing the face was perceived by the respondent State as breaching the right of others to live in a space of socialisation which made living together easier.»

European Court of Human Rights decision on 
French ban on the wearing in public of clothing designed to conceal one’s face does not breach the Convention 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/01_07_14_grandchamber.pdf