Riverbend explains cousins and veils

This is the follow-up to the "sheikhs and tribes" post in Baghdad Burning from Monday. It really should be called "veils and hijabs" rather than "cousins and veils" because the main point is a) that male cousins do not force Middle Eastern women to wear veils and b) Westerners often call a hijab a "veil" even though they don't look at all alike. And they conflate veils, burqas and other garments that are not even "Islamic" but simply the traditional modest dress of a particular culture. Read this blog, so you won't be in danger of making ignorant, culture-bound mistakes. I did, and I am a better person for it.