As I read the article, I noted a cultural distinction. Being male and coming from a society where religious authority usually knows its limits has allowed me, even in my most secular anti-religious phases, to rarely feel particularly queasy about the overtly pious, nor perturbed by their outward badges, even if hypocritical. Further, having known and been raised, befriended, and educated by religious people of many faiths, including experiencing the requisite humiliation from a nun or two, I find that although accurate presumptions of viewpoint can frequently be made based on the outward uniforms of religiosity, one can never be too sure. (It is a safe assumption that a nun in a habit (that's a Catholic hijab) is anti-abortion, for example, but don't assume it's a sure bet; nor is a Jewish man with a yarmulke and a beard necessarily going to be a champion of Israeli maximalist nationalism, even if it is statistically probable that he is more likely to be so than others.) Hence I am less patient, and I believe others should be as well, with presumptions regarding attitudes.

Still it is worthy to note from Mona Eltahawy's engaging recollection that the "profiling" of those who wear the badges of piety is not restricted to French schoolgirl headgear policymakers, or to British airline passengers, or to our American um, well Americans, but also profiling is done by those who are themselves from the same or similar society, and may even harbor their own deep sense of faith in the same religion as the bearded ones.

This social stress inside Muslim societies is part of contemporary reality, the helpful outcome of which, by the way, is not likely to be moved forward by people like Irshad Manji (who was at the same Copenhagen conference) or Wafa Sultan. (Manji writes that "for the first time in my life, I heard the message that in Islam, unity isn't uniformity." She grew up in, where, Canada? Didn't get out much, I guess, must be the cold.)

I note ironically that I recently had a conversation with someone who reacts to the bearded ones with the same kinds of presumptions Mona Eltahawy writes of. It was interesting that the same person was also significantly annoyed that a Middle East Muslim background led to being subjected to inane profiling questions when flying to the USA not too long ago. All the more reason for reserving final judgment until all the facts are in.

Trust me folks, profiling is not totally stupid, nor even inherently abusive, but when it comes to making a final determination on an individual, it barely makes it as a crude tool, if that.

And as a side matter: I do wish journalists would stop making overly copious references to the beards and other clothing on such people. The facial hair is usually pretty clear from their photos, and irrelevant otherwise. You know, comments along the lines of "The bearded Hizbollah leader reiterated his opposition to total disarmament" -- which is almost never followed by "while the clean-shaven Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert promised further vigilance. In other news, the white-hatted Pope called for peace in honor of the late head-veiled Mother Teresa and praised the probably bearded Jesus as a model peacemaker, while the mustachioed Syrian Prime Minister accused Israel of new war crimes. Where stands the turbaned Ayatollah Sistani is unknown, and the moderately bearded Iranian President commented only on uranium sourcing. The willfully bald Dalai Lama nonetheless added his own voice for a cease-fire."

Such things tell more about the reporter's presumptions than the incidents being related.