Islam

AMSTERDAM - The Dutch are marking the fifth anniversary of the murder of filmmaker Theo van Gogh by a Muslim fanatic, a brutal killing that continues to shape politics in the Netherlands.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Much of the world knows Petra, the ancient ruin in modern-day Jordan that is celebrated in poetry as "the rose-red city, 'half as old as time,'" and which provided the climactic backdrop for "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade." But far fewer know Madain Saleh, a similarly spectacular treasure built by the same civilization, the Nabateans.

LOS ANGELES - Dr. Tohme Tohme vividly remembers the first time he met with Michael Jackson to discuss the pop star's finances.

CAIRO - A Bahraini royal mourned him publicly, young Lebanese held a candlelight tribute, Egyptian musicians hailed him as an inspiration.

CAIRO - Muslim shopkeepers, students and even radical groups such as Hamas praised President Barack Obama's address Thursday as a positive shift in U.S.