I see plenty of Islamic women in the US wearing the hijab. They have the right to do so, or to refuse to do so, in this country. (I will say that I haven't seen a woman in public in a burkha in the midwest US, though I would concede that one might see this in WashDC or NYC). What the US hears about the burkha is that if a woman doesn't wear one in certain countries, she is likely to be beaten by the morals police - hardly a free choice of religious conscience. And even if she does wear the burkha, she might get beaten if she dares to appear in public without her husband, father, or brother. No, the burkha isn't the Pakistani or Afghani woman's main problem - merely a concrete form of one more regulation imposed only upon women by men. When women are allowed to wear what they themselves see as appropriate for their religious expression, without fear of being beaten by family or strangers, hijab and modest but practical shalwar kameez seems to be the popular mode. Therefore, US non-Muslims might be forgiven for assuming that burkha is more of a cultural practice than a religious practice. Of course there are Muslim feminists in woman-at-great-risk countries who aim for the big stuff (voting right, education right, marriage right, travel right, safety against honor killings and dowry killings), and consider complying with local non-religious dress codes to be tactically wise. Makes sense to me!

If you want the burkha to be seen as a freely assumed religious symbol, then Muslims in countries with freedom of religion (and no morals police) have to be willing to wear it and explain why.

Yes, the t-shirt is over the top. Our woman-abuse is sporadic and not tightly systematized in this country. We are still allowed to drive, read, etc. And we are allowed to protest.