Syria has banned the face-covering Islamic veil

The following is from an AP report.
"DAMASCUS, Syria – Syria has banned the face-covering Islamic veil from the country's
universities to prevent what it sees as a threat to its secular identity, as similar moves in Europe spark cries of discrimination against Muslims.
The Education Ministry issued the ban Sunday, according to a government official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak publicly.
The ban, which affects public and private universities, is only against the niqab — a full Islamic veil that reveals only a woman's eyes — not headscarves, which are far more commonly worn by Syrian women.
The billowing black robe known as a niqab is not widespread in Syria, although it has become more common recently — a move that has not gone unnoticed in a country governed by a secular, authoritarian regime."
If a Muslim country is capable of realizing there is a problem with this outfit, why are Western countries so slow to recognize the problem too?
And don't talk about how we believe in freedom where Syria doesn't. If we really believed in freedom, women and men could wear these outfits if they wanted or they could go totally nude any time or place too.