[Rook]

Nat,
thanks for asking..
Not many do bother with asking and 99% of the time consider it Oppressive.
In a lot of cases, it could be.
But, they're well within the Minority.
I was raised a Muslim, I chose for myself when to Wear my Abaya/Niqab, using the Following verse

O Prophet, tell your wives and daughters, and the women of the faithful, to draw their wraps over them. They will thus be recognised and no harm will come to them. God is forgiving and kind.33:59

I say I chose , because I've yet to menstruate, so my Muslim Relatives were rather Lenient, despite being Salafi.
That and the fact I chose to wear an Abaya/Niqab, should say a lot about where I stand with both the Veils & Feminism.
Depending on the "School of Thought" the womyn was raised in or converted to etc., is the type of Veil you'll see in the Islamic world/community.
I no longer Veil though, I'll explain why in a moment..
But when I did, yes, there's a Huge Huge "Mystery".."What color's the hair", "Pink lips or deep red?".."Pimples?".."Fugly or knockout?"
The only ones who could answer all those were my Immediate Blood Relatives, whomever I dated {yeah, from time to time even my girl asked, if she wasn't a Muslim, being satisfied with my answer, they didnt care after}, and of course the women within the Segregated Mosques I attended.
After much..hmm..soulsearching, I stopped mostly because of the Imams stance on Lesbianism, I figured "If I'm going to hell, might as well have fun on the way"{Despite there being Zero mention of Lesbian in the Qu'ran}.
It never oppressed me, it actually felt Liberating, Protected out in Public, gave me a Unique sense of Privacy..
I did realize though, ever since Sept. 11, if you're wearing a Burqah/Chador/Abaya/Niqab, you're actually bringing much More attention to your presence.
The purpose of the Veiling is Modesty, not to attract attention and let yourself be known as Devout.
After 9/11, that went out the window in the U.S.{And Puerto Rico}.
Sad, but true.
However, every time I see a Full Niqaabi, I do feel a twang of Envy, and sincere Admiration.{Not to mention, some are cute when they unveil in the Mosque}

On the other subject..
I do agree, it's slightly Hypocritical to be Feminist and dictate another womyn's choice to Veil, Islamic or not, full face, or Partial covering.
I've yet to hear any Devoted catholic criticize Nuns {They don't cover their Face, but Many nuns, not only Veil, but very seldom are allowed out of their Cloister ...Feel free to look up Purdah}
As well as Haredi women and their own Coverings...
Or Protestants demand Amish/Mennonite womyn be given choice to wear pants and straw hats rather than their Bonnet and plain Dresses...
The issue in France chafes my ass, often...
Along with Switzerland, and their banning of Minarets {They should look into their Cathedrals also, Bells make Horrendous Noises sometimes.}

The more Liberal the Muslim's "School" is, the more is allowed..
Whereas, the more Conservative, the more Covered.
I've seen Niqaabi's help in the Mosque Kitchen side by side with a partially Veiled friend.
Some veiling are Cultural rather than Religious, but those, if you got a trained eye, U can distinguish quickly.

Besides, it can't be all that bad...From an Outsiders view, who knows..
You{in general} might be dissing a veiled Butch