They are banned in France, mandated in Saudi Arabia and a fashion statement in Indonesia. Veils for Muslim women come in all sizes, shapes and colors — and with terminology that can mean different thing. The Quran is oblique in its references to “hijab,” which is described not as an article of clothing but something akin to a curtain or “separation” that allows for privacy. Here’s a guide to how that looks around the Muslim world. What’s That You’re Wearing? A Guide to Muslim Veils, By Russell Goldman, NYT, May 3, 2016

This is in the NYT today:Here's the NYT's helpful image:

The NYT tells you more than you actually need to know about Muslim women's wear, but also less, since it contains no reference to the abuse of women who fail to wear these things. It also refers to these things as veils. Here's what I wrote about that in 2010, also with pictures.

In referring to the Burqa bans contemplated or actually in place in Europe, USA Today includes this picture and uses the phrase "face veil".

Another term used for these things is "headscarf."

Let's define some terms here—this is a headscarf, as worn by the Queen of England, in an informal outdoor setting.

This is a veil, as worn by Ethel Kennedy at the funeral of her husband, Robert Kennedy, who had been shot by an Arab immigrant:

What the modern Islamic woman is wearing is more like a Ninja mask. Not a veil, not a headscarf, a mask.

As such, the burqa has frequently been used for purposes of terror and armed robbery, frequently by men. So if we don't ban burqas, we may need more veils.