The Islamic Army in Iraq, a militant group that last week claimed responsibility for the death of Italian journalist Enzo Baldoni, let it be known Monday in a new videotape released by Aljazeera TV that the French government has an additional 24 hours to rescind its headscarf ban or the group will kill two French journalists it currently holds hostage. On the latest tape the two journalists call for the ban to be revoked, indicating "We might die at any moment if this law is not repealed." Reacting to the growing influence of Islamist activists and tensions between Muslim and Jewish youths in France, the French government passed the law last March which bans conspicuous religious items in schools. It is scheduled to go into effect with the re-opening of French schools this week. The French government has declared it will not give in to the demands, but is working with many groups in the Middle East seeking support for release of the hostages. BBC News has more. Radio France International has background [in French] on the story and the two hostages, Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot.