"Niqabi women, frequently discussed yet seldom consulted,"

I just watched a Muslim woman on Power and Politics defending the right to wear a niqab. She only wore a hijab. Why did they not invite a niqabi to defend it? Maybe because they can't get one to go on TV?

That is the issue: they may be studying Sanskrit or Chinese, but are deliberately making themselves invisible, i.e. "ghosts", "the Unknown", then complaining about it.