I just read that in Norway a law has been passed that allows school administration to ban the use of veils through which girls hide their face.

In the above verse Allah orders muslim women that when they go out they should cover themselves in such a way that they are recognized and thus won't be annoyed by on-lookers.

Due to this verse I consider hiding one's face a sin until and unless there is a need. Here is why.

If you study Islamic history, you will find that the Arabs in the time of holy prophet Muhammad(pbuh) were divided into tribes. And each tribe protected its people regardless of their believes. If someone was attacked, the whole tribe was willing to take revenge and these even grew into wars for years. Due to this people were very cautious when it came to intertribe relations. And same goes for the people of the same tribe.

Now the above verse says that women should be recognised and 'so' not annoyed. Those who believe that it means women should hide their faces, say that it means women should be recognised as muslims.

The non-muslims in that time wanted to annoy and hurt muslims whenever they can. Do you think it matters to them if the muslim women hides her face or not. In either case they would want to annoy the muslims.

But if history is to be taken into account with logic, this verse teaches us something else. That by not hiding their faces, the women will be recognised as a mother, wife, sister or daughter of a particular muslim man belonging to a particular tribe or family. Wouldn't that stop the men from other tribes from annoying the women of a known man.

If the face would have been hidden, couldn't the culprits could have easily said and gotten away that they didn't knew who she was?