AL-QAEDA TERROR GROUP CALLS FOR RETALIATION AGAINST FRANCE FOR BURKA STANCE

Reports that emerged on 30 June 2009 indicate that the al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) terrorist group has issued a threat calling for attacks against France for the country's stance toward the burka. In an address to the French Parliament on 22 June, French President Nicolas Sarkozy described the burka as a "debasement" of women that "will not be welcome" in the country. A statement by AQIM called for retaliation against France for the country's "hostility" toward Islam