Cairo resident Gamma al Banna is a prolific author on the subject of Islam. The 90-year-old man is also the younger brother of Hassan al Banna, the late founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, so he is not unconnected on the subject of political Islam.

One subject on which Gamma al Banna differs with the Brotherhood is the sacking of women because, he says, "There is nothing in Islam or the Koran that says a woman must cover her hair." He thinks Muslims residing in Europe should abide by its customs, not go out of their way to emphasize difference.

A 1959 photo of Cairo University students shows no women wearing the hijab, but by 2004 90 percent cover their hair.

Al Gamma further opines, "The Muslim mind is rusty. It has done nothing the last thousand years. A thousand years ago the innovation ended."