Pakistani officials say the foreign ministers of seven predominantly Muslim countries will meet in Islamabad Sunday to discuss a joint strategy for ending the turmoil in the Middle East.

A trial has opened in France brought by Muslim groups against a satirical weekly magazine that published cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.

The Gallup polling organization has found that, while Muslims say they admire democratic values, they also believe Islamic laws and democracy can exist side-by-side. Basing its findings on a survey of 10 mostly Muslim countries, Gallup said world leaders should support democracy in those countries despite the peoples' strong feeling about religion. VOA's Stephanie Ho reports from Washington.

A new study says politics - rather than religion - is at the heart of a growing divide between the West and the Muslim world. The yearlong study was carried out by the "Alliance of Civilizations", a group made up of leading political and religious figures. The findings are due to be discussed at a high-level summit in Rio de Janeiro next year. The initiative, spearheaded by Spain and Turkey, was launched at the United Nations in 2004, with the aim of countering radical Islam.