This is a win for the symbolic politics of Muslim-bashing.  I have no affection for the niqab, and I think the women who wear it do themselves a disservice, but there are *a lot* of things people wear that I don't like and I don't approve of... I do not take it upon myself to tell private citizens what they should wear.

The next time I'm in Montreal in the winter I shall make *a point* of wearing a balaclava when I get on the bus.  Mysteriously, the public display of balaclavas has never been considered a problem.  I wonder why.