On Niqab

I was never a fan of facebook.com though I use it for some professional purposes, but recently, I was involved in a debate over niqab, or Muslim face veil. the following is a quickly written article I posted about niqab at a group on facebook created by some people calling for a ban on niqab. I may discuss the whole issue here on my blog, but not in the time being because I have had enough with it now.

"Always think in whatever you write or do. This is the message I want to drive home this time, and I hope the moderators of this group will get it this time. While the description of the group bears the provocative motto "No Penguins" followed by a witless outcry to ban niqab for irrelevant reasons, people here continue their oft-repeated phrase that they stand for moderation. The strange thing is that they contradict themselves by calling for moderation while demanding at the same time to ban a religious symbol that continued to exist in Egypt and other parts of the world for long time on the basis of subjective beliefs rather than well founded grounds.
While my two other posts focused on individual freedom and the freedom to a creed with all its manifestation, I will not focus here on that point as it also proved irrelevant to the people supporting a ban on something only because they don't like it, not because it contradicts to a social or religious norm, which should be the reason to think in calling to bring a ban on a certain thing, let alone a religious symbol.
Of all the posts here, no one of those supporting a ban on niqab provided a solid evidence of what they think the reason to take such a stand, except the only apparently reasonable reason put by a lady here who claims that Islam did not say that women should put it on and stating also that those who said it is fard or mandatory had no proof at all. She made her argument that niqab is ordered only for the Prophet's wives (Mothers of the believers as we are ordered to call them) and that it is not applicable to other Muslim women, wrongfully supporting such a claim by a verse which is taken out of the context and certainly not understood correctly. I refer her to these two links: http://islamweb.net/ver2/Library/BooksCategory.php?flag=1&bk_no=37&ID=123
http://www.shiaweb.org/books/zawjat_alnabi/pa4.html
If for some reasons you can not understand Arabic I promise I will translate the whole pages for you if you asked for.
While some Muslim scholars differed among themselves whether niqab is fard(mandatory) or not, no one ever broke the consensus that it is good and a virtue for women. Still think the need to call for such a ban in a Muslim society?
The reason I discussed the issue from a religious point of view is that those supporting the ban on niqab used it in their argument and I used that very argument to refute them.
To link niqab to extremism and radicalism is as hideous as linking Islam to terrorism which has nothing to do with the truth. I really feel sorry for my whole generation to defend such a Muslim symbol from an attack launched in the main by people counted as Muslims.
Moderation is not what we think is moderation; rather, it is what is established by religious and social norms to be so.
Should I speak to liberal minded, secular, or religious people? I really can't figure out what types of minds do people supporting such a ban and clamoring for moderation have.
Will there be some one who has the courage to admit that it was wrong to call for such a ban? Do you have the courage to admit openly you were wrong? And even if you don't think you are wrong, do you ever read opinions other than those you adhere to?
Read carefully before you post an answer please."