TIMBUKTU, Mali — A leaflet listing the regulations for women under Islamist rule now lies in dirt here at the tribunal in Timbuktu. Rule No. 1: The veil should cover the entire body. Rule No. 4: The veil cannot be colored. And Rule No. 8: The woman should not perfume herself after putting on the all-enveloping fabric.
Several days after French special forces parachuted in and liberated this storied city, there is a growing sense of freedom. Though in houses immediately facing the Islamist tribunal, many 8- and 9-year-old girls are still wearing the head covering.
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The French will be there forever, because Islam will never give up.