Vandals desecrated at least 500 tombs of Muslim soldiers in northern France on Monday - an act President Nicolas Sarkozy denounced as "repugnant racism." ...more

December 9, 2008

When Hala al-Masaad invited her girlfriends over to celebrate her 18th birthday with cake and juice, the high school student was stepping into an unusual public debate. Is celebrating birthdays un-Islamic? ...more

September 5, 2008

Hundreds of mourners visited the tomb of Saddam Hussein on Sunday to light candles and recite the Quran in memory of the ousted dictator who was hanged a year ago. ...more

December 31, 2007

As the faithful marked Christmas Day, political and religious leaders called for peace and reconciliation amid flickers of hope in places long plagued by conflict. ...more

December 26, 2007

A suicide bomber edged his way into a crowd of Iraqi officials and U.S. forces gathered for a meeting north of Baghdad on Thursday, killing as many as 12 people, including an American soldier. ...more

December 21, 2007

Iraqi legislators suspended parliamentary sessions Thursday until the end of the month because of the Muslim religious season - the end of much-delayed efforts to pass U.S.-backed legislation aimed at achieving national reconciliation this year. ...more

December 7, 2007