"Whether you take a Christian village in the north of Lebanon or a Muslim village in the south, the DNA make-up of its residents is likely to be identical, " says Dr Zalloua.

BBC: Divided Lebanon's common genes

"It's a very dangerous situation because in some cases the whole village becomes Muslim, " he says.

NPR: PORTRAITS: New Numerology Of Hate Grows In Myanmar

Two of the attackers were also fatally shot Saturday night, escalating tensions in eastern Sabah state, where Malaysia's biggest security crisis in recent years began after about 200 members of a Philippine Muslim royal clan occupied a village last month to claim the territory as their own.

NPR: 5 Police, 2 Assailants Killed Amid Malaysian Siege

Nearly 200 members of a Philippine Muslim clan took over an entire Malaysian village to lay claim to a sprawling Borneo state they insist is theirs by royal birthright.

NPR: Filipino Gunmen Seek Ceasefire In Malaysia Borneo

One of these, al-Destour, a weekly, reported a case where residents of one Delta village captured three hired NDP thugs, videotaped their confessions, then traded them for five Muslim Brothers held by the police.

ECONOMIST: Not yet a democracy