thats all fine and good, but if i were a woman and i could choose to live in any country in the world, it would be in north america or europe. its just a reality that in many (not all) muslim countries women have virtually no soical or political clout. the more religious the country is, the more true that is. the forced covering of women is due to shame, not for "protection" as you note. it is a sign of a person who is less than a full citizen.