PHOENIX, Ariz. -- In the light of the Orme Lewis Gallery in Phoenix Art Museum, the brilliantly illustrated pages of the 18th century Chinese Quran seem to glimmer, saturated and gilded. It is a far cry from the stark white glow of the text’s utilitarian counterpart, a free, online version hosted as part of a faith-based movement to connect believers with what is still an impactful, powerful, and influential text on the lives of millions today as it was three centuries ago.

New York, NY - Reflecting the public gesture of the Egyptian blogger Aliaa Magda Elmahdy, who posted naked pictures of herself late last year on her blog by way of a protest "against a society of violence, racism, sexism, sexual harassment and hypocrisy", a young Iranian actress now living in France, Golshifteh Farahani, has recently created a sensation in and out of her homeland, especially in the social networking cyber society, by posing half naked for Madame Le Figaro, and also appearing topless in a short black-and-white video clip. It's called "Corps et Ame/Bodies and Souls" and is produced by the prominent French fashion photographer and music video director Jean-Baptiste Mondino.

Arriving at a Guangzhou construction site on assignment for a Chinese newspaper in the summer of 2010, I was surprised to find a ruby-red mosque that looked more like a palatial Buddhist pagoda than anything I'd seen in the Middle East. Islam has deep roots in Chinese history, and is believed to have arrived in China with Saad ibn Abi Waqqas, the Prophet Mohamed's uncle, whom locals say was entombed in 664 AD in a dimly lit, musky hut not far from the newly constructed Chinese mosque.

The word “Burqini”, used to describe the full-length swimming costume for Muslim women invented and developed by Sydney designer Aheda Zanetti, is the favourite to be named Australia’s Word of the Year 2011 by Macquarie Dictionary.

Dutch Queen Beatrix took on the fiery leader of her country's anti-Muslim party today by dismissing as 'nonsense' his criticism of her decision to wear a headscarf during a recent visit to a mosque.

Nakheel, Dubai’s biggest developer, plans to start its first new project on the Palm Jumeirah artificial island since the company received a government bailout in 2009.

The Pointe at Palm Jumeirah [photos] will include shops, computer- controlled fountains, a marina and a public walk on the tip of the palm-shaped island, Chairman Ali Rashed Lootah said at a press conference today. Nakheel is in talks with banks to raise at least AED300m ($82m) for the project, which will be operated by the company when it’s completed.

CLEARWATER: The latest recipient of Habitat for Humanity's efforts got blessings from three different faiths Sunday afternoon before she was handed the keys to her new home.

The past year should not be taken lightly by women, since it was the year when female empowerment movements began to show the fruits of their respective struggles.

For global politics, 2011 was marked by regime changes, global protests and examples that authoritarian regimes do not last forever. Not a single case of these events passed without female participation.