Interestingly if you look at 20-30 year old photos of crowds in Islamic countries - almost all women are not veiled.

The Koran suggests that men and women dress modestly and "cover all that isn't apparent". The current fashion for complete veiling is relatively recent. It is neither islamic in origin, nor is it that traditional. But hey - this is the org - we don't care about understanding things - we just want a place to knee-jerk.

Pictures of Nasser's funeral:



Left, a Woman in Saudi Arab dress of Royal Family and
Right, a Woman in Palestine dress from Bethlehem: