Is there an "epidemic of burqa-enabled felonies" in Europe? Then why all the fuss?

Recently Steven Chapman wrote an opinion piece on Belgium's ban on the burqah and the niqab (the body and face coverings worn by some Muslim women).  My favorite line in his essay is:

absent compelling evidence of an epidemic of burqa-enabled felonies, we shouldn't ban veils

I concur.

Mr. Chapman draws a useful parallel between the wearing of burqas and niqabs to the chosen attire of Amish women in America.  I like the comparison.  We see Amish women dressed in their traditional closing all the time in downtown Chicago.  They definitely stand out in the crowd (especially as the layers of winter clothing give way to the more revealing summer attire worn by most non-Amish women) but no one seems bothered by it.

If you are Amish and accustomed to seeing women only in long-sleeve, floor-length dresses with bonnets covering their hair, it must be uncomfortable to visit a non-Amish town and confront women in miniskirts, girls in tank tops, and females of every size and shape in form-fitting garments cut down to here and up to there.

But that's life in a free society. Any Amish who object to provocatively dressed females have the option of staying away or averting their gaze. Any non-Amish who are annoyed by the sight of "Little House on the Prairie" fashions can do likewise.

This is reasonable.  So why do some Europeans have such a hard time seeing it this way?  Mr. Chapman suggests that we live and let live.  Again, I concur.