Recently, Roqaya Al-Gassra from Bahrain competed in the Beijing Olympics wearing a head scarf and a full-length suit. I was surprised that her running gear did not occasion more comment. But if wearing a modest track suit allows her to compete in a sport that she wouldn't otherwise feel comfortable competing in, I think that's wonderful. I've already seen posts from several Muslim women cheering her on for solidarity's sake, and I empathize. But I'm left feeling vaguely troubled, because in all the discussions about Muslim head-scarves, I frequently see a gaping black hole.

And that is the question of whether head-covering is required in the first place. Although Muslims rightly celebrate al-Gassra's demonstration that adherence to religious dress is not an obstacle to Olympic dreams, they assume that al-Gassra's head-covering is an Islamic requirement. How wonderful, they say, that Islamic dress did not prevent al-Gassra from being a world-class runner!

But what's Islamic dress? And is a head-covering required? Both Muslims and non-Muslims in recent years assume that it's a clear edict. Add to that Iran's and Saudi Arabia's state-enforced requirement of the head-covering, and the issue transforms from a personal question of faith to a politically charged one.

When I grew up in Southern California, the "mosque" I attended was simply a group of families gathering in someone's garage to teach their kids some rudimentary aspects of religion. Gradually, as more families joined, we rented a community center. Eventually, we bought our own building, complete with parking lot. The women who came to our mosque were nearly all immigrants of various nationalities. But very few covered their hair. Those who didn't would have told you that Islam didn't require it and that head-covering was a personal choice.

I myself do not cover my hair, except -- as all Muslim women do -- when I pray. However, even custom is not as absolute as we are taught to think; some scholars cite evidence showing that in very early Islam, women even prayed with their heads uncovered.

Recently, when I enrolled my kids in classes at the local mosque, I was told that my daughter and I both had to cover our hair (indeed, that only our faces and hands and feet could show) just so she could attend the classes. When I objected that head-covering was not unanimously required in Islam, and certainly not required for 8-year-old girls, I was unequivocally told that yes it was, it was perfectly clearly required: neither I nor my daughter could come to Sunday School without covering my hair. We didn't last very long at that mosque.

What has happened in the intervening years?

Starting in the late 1970s, Saudi-style Islam -- called Wahabi or Salafi -- began to purposefully influence Muslims world-wide by funding mosques with Wahabi imams and granting stipends to those who promoted their brand of Islam. Wahabism, founded in the 18th century, has always been considered extreme in its theology, and was rejected by mainstream Islamic scholars throughout the years. It has never qualified as one of the Islamic schools of thought that mutually recognize one another as valid.

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