SACRAMENTO BEE -- Manfred Wolf is a retired English professor from San Francisco State University and author of “Survival in Paradise: Sketches from a Refugee Life in Curacao.” He wrote an op-ed piece about perceived contradictions in society regarding masked men, riot police helmets and burkas.
“So, one of the things to have appeared on the scene that we never saw before is the fully masked man. At one time a feature of burglars and bank robbers, it’s now routine apparel of French and German anti-terror police. Other law-enforcement officials in many countries also sport this garb. My hunch is that it originated with Palestinian militants who, wanting to remain anonymous, wrapped their faces in their scarves. Wherever it came from, it’s here to stay for a while.”