In his June speech in Cairo, U. S. President Barack Obama said that Westerners should "avoid dictating what clothes a Muslim woman should wear." On the other hand, French President Nicolas Sarkozy says that burkas and niqabs, both of which cover the face, are a "debasement" of women and shouldn't be permitted in France.

So who's right?

Sarkozy, of course. France has done a lot of dumb things vis-a-vis the Arab world, but on the "cover" issue, which has nothing to do with women's choices in clothing and everything to do with Islamist aggression, France got it right when it banned the wearing of hi-jabs in schools in 2004.

Post columnist Jonathan Kay took Obama's side in the debate, arguing on June 23 that it is "part of the liberal tradition to wear what you want, pray...