As a child I was a keen reader of history so decades ago in Pakistan I read about the story when Indian Soldiers (both Muslims & Hindus) mutinied against the British Officers because new “Pattern 1853 Enfield Rifle” required the soldier to bite the cartridge open (to remove the greased paper) and then loading the gun and firing it.
The greased paper was there to protect the ammunition from rust and excessive moisture.
Rumour spread that the grease actually came from PIG and COW both sacred to Muslims and Hindus respectively, therefore Soldiers in the Indian Army rebelled and killed some British Officers.
Interestingly, the same Soldiers had helped the British invading forces KILL hundreds of their countrymen (both Muslims and Hindus) without discrimination and remorse but biting the PIG or the COW got their “religious fervour” going and propelled them to take a stance.
British changed the design and the “Indian” Soldiers went on to kill other “Indians” for nearly a century and no other mutiny occurred again.
1) In other words killing fellow Muslims or Hindus was trivial compared to touching the components of a PIG or a COW.
2) Serving Kuffar and assisting them in destroying the Islamic Rule (in India) was trivial compared to touching the components of a PIG or a COW.
Muslims of Indian Sub-continent are at the cross-roads again and this time it’s Niqab.
Yes its Wajib (obligatory) for a women to cover her face just like it was Haram to touch/consume Pork, back then.
BUT the bigger issues are being neglected YET again:
a) FACT ONE: Non-Muslims are at War with Islam and actively engaged in destroying Islam and killing Muslims
b) FACT TWO: The life of a Muslim who wants to follow the commandments of Allah (SWT) and Sunnah of Rasul-ullah (SAllah o Alaihe Wassalam) is simply incompatible with the ethos, underpinnings and culture of the West (i.e. Non-Muslims).
c) FACT THERE: We don’t belong here! Never been in the history of Islam have so many Muslims lived in such close proximity (actually direct rule, control and subjugation) of Non-Muslims.
Let me now ask the critical question.
British changed the rifle and ammunition design and Muslims went back to the task of serving their “British Masters” and killing their fellow Brothers & Sisters in Islam.
If the British don’t ban the Burqa and allow our wives, daughters & Sisters to cover their faces will we continue to go about our lives, as normal? Are we satisfied with our lives here as long as the faces of our women-folks are covered regardless of how many of our Brothers are killed and how many of our Sisters are raped???
“When” the Niqab is banned then technically since an individual will be FORCED to expose their face, then there may be some dispensation in the matter e.g. we buy Insurance for the car because it is FORCED upon us although we know that its Haram. What then? Take the dispensation and carry on oblivious of the facts given above?
Mubarak to those who have found a new found interest in the subject of “Hijrah” and may Allah (SWT) make you firm in your aims and objectives BUT your trigger shouldn’t have been Niqab, your trigger (for Hijrah) CAME long ago, STILL HERE and unlikely to go away!
The issue of Niqab hasn’t just occurred, it has been created to create a rift/divide because many Muslims consider this issue trivial. There will be those who will take a stance and get labelled “Extremists” and there will be those who will simply think what the fuss is all about thus get labelled “Moderates or Secularists”.
Let it be known that if a stance is not taken on Niqab today, YOU WILL BE FORCED to concede on something else and then something else UNTIL you are stripped of your religion and your identity and there will be difference of less than a paper between YOU and the NON-MUSLIMS, width of the same paper which your forefathers refused to bite because they thought it had PORK GREASE on it!
THINK before you are forced to consider the issue of the greasy paper again!
We are not here (in this world) to LIVE IT LARGE, we are here to obey Allah (SWT) & His Rasool (SAllah o Alaihe Wassallam).
Abu Hurayra (RA) reported that the Messenger of Allah (SAllah o Alaihe Wassallam), said, "This world is the prison of the believer and the paradise of the unbeliever." [Muslim]
Lastly, there are many who engage in the technical debate and like to weigh the two opinions:

a) Is Hijrah Wajib?
b) Is Hijrah Praiseworthy (in our circumstances)?

To me it doesn’t really matter because due to the fast pace of changing circumstances, practically both opinions will become an inevitability.