Kenza Drider was one of the first to be arrested for appearing in public in a traditional Muslim robe that covers everything but her eyes and hands — and she’s running for president of France. The a mother of four wears a niqab — which is only slightly different than a burqa. Both are Islamic full-body veils — and wearing them is now illegal in…

A radio station run by Somalia’s al-Shabab Islamist group has awarded AK-47 assault rifles to children as young as 10 who won a Koran-reciting and general knowledge contest. Andulus radio, based near the Somali capital of Mogadishu, gave students who won top honors in the Ramadan competition their own rifles and the equivalent of $700 in Somali cash, according to Jeffrey Gettleman…

As many as 90 percent of Palestinians in some areas have close genetic ties to Jews, according to researchers. Ariella Oppenheim Ph.D., a researcher at Hebrew University and the Hadassah Medical School labs, has published the result of DNA studies which show that both the Palestinians and Jews are descended from the Kurds of Iraq…

The Netherlands appears about to join France and Belgium in banning the public wearing of full-body veils. Violators wearing the Muslim burqa or niqab will be fined U.S. $500 if proposed legislation is approved by the Dutch cabinet. The need for the ban has been questioned since fewer than 100 women are thought to wear the…

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