Terrorism in France; Al Qaeda May Have Downed Airliner in Retaliation

Beginning of article

Byline: Walid Phares, SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON TIMES

When President Jacques Chirac delivered his televised speech about the hijab (female Muslim scarf) in France, I believed there would be an immediate Jihad against France. I anticipated a wide array of jihadist offensives against Paris. My primary analytical reason was the strategic importance of the scarf to Islamic fundamentalists worldwide.

According to religious radicals, the long scarf - which is supposed to cover the hair, and in some cases, the faces of Muslim women - is not just a tradition, but a religious duty called fard dinee. Per fundamentalist clerics, women have to cover. And by way of extension, …