[LaBelleDameSansMerci]

It is targeted toward a group of people that have a common belief that is much stronger than a type of music and accompanying fashion choice, but I believe it comes from the same basic thing: they see a threat coming from "Islam," and believe that if they make Islam invisible, it will cease to be a threat, despite the fact that it's fanaticism that is the threat, not Islam itself.
School principals believe that if they can prevent people from dressing like goths, they will be safe from school shooters, despite the fact that it's deep-seated psychological issues that give rise to school shooters, not clothes.

The Islam thing is bigger, and affects more people, and I am not saying that not being able to wear fishnets and stompy boots to school comes close to being as important as not being able to wear one's religious symbol anywhere but in the home.

States banning niqabs and burkas is not the way to go about solving oppression of women (I am not blind to the fact that it IS often used to that end). Changing the attitudes of why a woman should choose to wear a niqab or burka (or a hijab), and convincing people that pressuring someone into wearing one for whatever reason is not going to make anyone happy. If a woman chooses to wear a veil or scarf of any sort, it should be her choice alone.

I do have to say that burkas are something of a safety hazard, what with being difficult to see out of.
They have to be used with common sense. Show your face when you need to be identified, make sure you can see properly when you're crossing the street, etc, but banning garments is not the way to go about it.

Edit: it would almost be interesting to take a month and wear a niqab - see how difficult it is, how people look at you, etc. Take notes and write about it.
I'd do it, but my boyfriend would probably not support it.