Origins of Hutu, Tutsi and Twa phenotype, genotype, cultural memory of inhabitants of Rwanda, archeology, and linguistics. Most Tutsis and Hutus carry the E1b1a paternal haplogroup, which is common among Bantu populations. More recent studies have de-emphasized physical appearance, such as height and nose width, in favor of examining blood factors, the presence of the sickle cell trait, lactose intolerance in adults, and other genotype expressions. Excoffier et al. (1987) found that the Tutsi and Hima, despite being surrounded by Bantu populations, are "closer genetically to Cushites and Ethiosemites". Another study concluded that, while the sickle cell trait among the Rwandan Hutu was comparable to that
Islam in Rwanda against the soldiers and militia of the "Interahamwe". Only once the soldiers attacked with machine gun fire were the "Interahamwe" able to enter the mosque and kill the refugees. The number of Rwandan Muslims increased after the 1994 genocide due to large numbers of conversions. Many Muslims had sheltered refugees, both Hutu and Tutsi. Some converts state that they converted to Islam because of the role that some Catholic and Protestant leaders played in the genocide. Human-rights groups have documented both incidents in which Christian clerics permitted Tutsis to seek refuge in churches, then surrendered them to Hutu death-squads, as