For those wishing to inform themselves specifically about Salafi women and why they don the
niqab over here, Anabel Inge's research and ethnographic study is well worth a look.
Although Boris actually did not wish to prevent Salafi women dressing in the manner of the above woman , his
modus operandi in writing that article, in my view, was to pick an easy target (as Salafis of the quietist variety are apolitical) and write about them in a manner that plays well with types who twirl their batons and shake their pom poms in support of characters like Tommy Robinson.
I used to enjoy reading the Salafi feminist's blog on stuff like this. Sadly it's now defunct.
Just as a point of interest, there are Muslim men who occasionally wear women's dress. Dating back to the 14th Century, the bissu are Muslim men in South Sulawesi who wear women's clothing in religious rituals.
There are also Muslim transvestites called 'waria', a combination of the Indonesian word 'juanita' for woman and 'pria' for man. Waria cover their heads but consider themselves to be feminine men rather than women.
Prophet Muhammad was reported as veiling, for example as a sign of respect when he appeared before his father-in-law. And among the Berber Muslim Tuareg tribe, it is the men rather than the women that veil.
Meanwhile, Azerbaijan, Albania, and Uzbekistan all ban religious clothing in universities, and Tajikistan bans the headscarf in public and Islamic schools and universities.
Personally, I like this lot's stage gear:
