Free Republic

An Islamist militant suicide bomber disguised as a woman blew himself up outside a Shi'ite mosque in eastern Saudi Arabia on Friday, killing himself and three other people, the second attack of its kind in the world's top oil exporter in one week. The bombing, which was claimed by Islamic State, could further escalate sectarian strife in the kingdom, where anti-Shi'ite sentiment has been stoked by a military campaign against Iranian-allied Houthi militias in neighboring Yemen since March. The Interior Ministry said a suicide bomber disguised in women's clothes blew himself up outside the al-Anoud mosque's entrance in the city...

State Department officials on Monday confirmed Feisal Abdul Rauf, the Imam of the so-called Ground Zero Mosque, will soon be going on a trip of the Middle East and the U.S. government will be picking up the tab. The planned construction of a mosque near Ground Zero in New York City has set off a contentious national debate over religious freedom in the U.S., drawing impassioned opposition from some families of 9/11 victims. Rauf has emerged as a controversial figure because of his refusal to acknowledge Hamas as a terrorist organization, which is how the U.S. government classifies the group....