OK have come late to this and have not trawled through entire thread so forgive me.
Firstly, I am not intending to offend anyone, this is merely my view on the subject having observed for quite a few years, and having lived in both western and islamic countries.
20-odd years ago, in DH country almost no women wore the veil.
Nowadays the pressure for women to cover, initially with a veil is immense, it is now not a choice, it is an expectation.
Everyday there are more and more Niqabs, and this is a dress that is NOT islamic, it is not required, it comes from Saudi Tribal customs.
You see young girls, 8 and 9yo with veils, and the mothers covered from head to foot.
It is however being encouraged more and more by imams. If you want to be a good person, you have to be a good muslim, your wife has to cover. Or directly to the women, if you want to be seen as a good person, get married (which in DH country is hard, the competition is intense) you have to cover.
We have a devout neighbour in our building in DH land, his wife wears the niqab, the gloves etc etc. The neighbour recently tried to insist the building's porter to force his wife to cover up. They try to shame others into taking it up. One thing for a woman to decide, another for her DH to tell her, quite another for a neighbour to tell her DH and for him to insist.
As I understand it, the porter refused, and the neighbour is trying to garner support to get rid of the porter.
I also have known of many women in the west, who have converted/reverted call it what you will, and have searched and found themselves muslim husbands.
Some of them, for many years, as single or independent women, have worn the veil, observed all fasts, preyed etc and lived good western muslim lives. Once the husband comes over, he bans her from eating her breakfast in pretty much every place she's ever eaten because there happens to be alcohol on the premises. Or that the restaurant serves pork. Cuts her off from other friends and her life becomes limited to his small and alienated existence. Many times in circumstances such as these, the husband turns more and more inward and this is where stronger and more fundamental beliefs can sprout.
Alcohol and all drugs are to be avoided and kept away from at all times, but Pork is now being vilified more and more, treated in the same vein as booze, but in the Koran it is only 'not to be eaten' and avoided unless absolutely a matter for life or death. Men wearing Gold and silk etc is fast becoming actively discouraged, more and more you will hear men being told by their muslim peers to stop wearing it, or as is most usual, to be gossiped or talked about for wearing it, until he desists.
Living in the UK, as many muslims will tell you, is a rich and accepting society. Living here grants you the freedom to live as you wish to, to accept the choices and lifestyles of those around you, to learn and appreciate the differences. You can get absolutely fabulous halal meat and foods here, you can prey, you can dress in whatever you fancy in the name of your religion.
You can NOT live as you wish in islamic countries, I am not a muslim, DH is. He would tell me to cover the back of my neck, in 40C temperatures, no-one else did this, but he was suffering from culture shock and reverting to what he thought was the right way.
The niqab is viewed as intimidating to almost everyone, even to those living in open muslim society. In DH country, anyone wearing the niqab or a fully bearded man in his flowing robes (sorry don't recall name) can find it hard to enter certain public buildings, clubs etc. They have been banned from wearing the niqab as nurses.
Most muslims in the west happily live alongside non-muslims, but there are a few - which give the others a bad name - that do not.
There are some that will do what they can to influence others and to try to bend them to a more devout belief. They start on their own first, the wives, the daughters,t he sisters but then it finds a way spreads to the wider society.
Modern Islam can have a place in an open and tolerant society, but an Islam that is mistrusting of the West, and one that tries to force, cajole or pressure into living exactly as the most devout of them is not going to be a positive addition to society at large.
The fights I have had with fellow expats on fora in DH country have been monumental... but I will always object to converts discussing how to shove kaffers off the path, to not greet them, or to wish them 'happy ' , or indeed to cut themselves off from all their old friends and family.
I used to remind them that if someone were to treat their own grandmother/mother or sister like that, mostly they would be very upset. My personal theory on these particular women, was that it was some kind of guilt driving them, to force them to be extra devout to make up for not being muslim for as long as everyone else around them.
Any strong form of religion will be intolerant of Gay rights for example, many that hold these strong beliefs are strongly anti other creeds, kinds and genders too.
Islam needs to define the niqab as a non islamic dress, and to be honest about it's origins. Followers need to be more informed about what they are wearing and why.
IMHO a full faced veil does not have a positive role to play in western society. I do find it intimidating, and feel that if it is not limited to the countries it actually belongs to, it will increase, as will the pressure on women and society to conform to an islam that will not be beneficial to an open and tolerant society.