The reason for the ban on wearing and selling the full face veil in Morocco seems to be based on security concerns. Although not formally announced but reported in local newspapers, the ban is due to fears that religious militants may use the full face veil to avoid detection while carrying out their activities. If legitimate security imperatives underlie the reason of this ban, then it should not be used as an opportunity to charge the debate with perceived violations of freedom of religion and association. After all, the full face veil has its roots more in the cultural practice of keeping women out of the sight of the public rather than any specific religious injunction ordaining so. And if this cultural practice needs to be done away with for very real and concrete security concerns, then it is a trade-off worth going for. However, there would always be those who would try to conflate the ban in Morocco with the banning of the headscarf in France and Belgium and turn this into a clash of ideologies, arguing that western ideas are making inroads into Muslim countries and endangering the Muslim ‘way of life.’ Unfortunate as the bans in France and Belgium are, even antithetical to the ideas of liberty and equality that they are designed to purportedly uphold, they too have a history behind them. And while that history does not in any way justify their enforcement, it does point to the fact that the bans are based on reasons specific to those countries alone. Security may be a part of those reasons, but it is not the only nor the primary one. Hence, to argue for an overarching conspiracy or movement to marginalise Islam by shadowy western forces is only pandering to easy and emotionally loaded rhetoric that does not find any justification in reality. On the contrary the real threat to Islam is the ugly face of terrorism, which manifests itself in many different forms throughout the world. It is terrorism that is continually providing fuel to those who want to use the actions of the few to incriminate the many. And in a world in which Muslims are increasingly being viewed with suspicion, it is more important than ever to disassociate the diverse Muslim community from the virulence and toxicity of religious extremism. The fact that it is Muslim countries that are hardest hit by extremism must be emphasised and those measures that they take in order to combat it must be appreciated. Of course, human rights concerns must always be at the forefront and they must be defended in all circumstances. But Morocco is not violating any human rights by banning the full face veil. It is just trying to ensure the safe and security of its citizens by doing so. And for that the move by the Moroccan government must be supported. *