http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1393380/posts
"Muslim Group in France Is Fertile Soil for Militancy"
The New York Times ^ | April 28, 2005 | Craig S. Smith
Posted on 04/28/2005 9:43:15 PM PDT by quidnunc
ARTICLE SNIPPET: "St.-Denis, France – Raouf Ben Halima, 39, sleeps on his side, never on his stomach. He enters the bathroom leading with his left foot but puts his pants on leading with his right. Instead of using a fork when he eats, he uses his index finger, middle finger and thumb.
Mr. Halima is a member of the Tablighi Jamaat, or Preaching Party, a global army of Muslim missionaries helping to expand their religion and reinforce their faith. They believe that emulating the habits of the Prophet Muhammad is the surest way to restore Islam to its intended path.
So Mr. Halima and his associates shave their upper lips but let their beards grow. They wear their pants or robes above the ankle because the prophet said letting clothes drag on the ground is a sign of arrogance.
"Halfway between the knee and the ankle is best," Mr. Halima explains, sitting amid stacks of religious tracts in his small home."