U.S. diplomats arrived in Israel to jump-start peace talks during September's High Holy Days-The Jewish New Year followed by 10 days of repentance and culminating in Yom Kippur-the one day of the year when radio and TV broadcasts are silenced, planes are grounded, and streets are virtually empty as observant Jews fast and seek forgiveness for transgressions.

Given that the Jewish High Holy Days coincide this year with Ramadan, a month-long Islamic fast ending mid-October, it's easy to see why diplomats might smell peace and reconciliation in the air.

When the Arab world was in a state of war with Israel, Egypt signed a peace treaty with the fledgling nation. When Islamic extremism began to take root in Egypt several decades ago, the state fought back against the terrorists within its borders. And Egypt's 6 million to 11 million Copts-the oldest and largest community of Christians in the Middle East-have been relatively accepted in their homeland compared to their brothers and sisters in neighboring countries.

RAPID CITY, S.D.- As dusk settled on the four stalwart faces of Mt. Rushmore, the crowd of 20,000 awaited the famed fireworks celebration at the national monument. Soon a fifth face, animated, loomed into view: Rosebud Sioux Tribal member Robert Moore, 44, clothed in his native dress, began to sing "God Bless America." It was both solemn and energizing, sending the crowd of visitors for the July 4th performance to its feet. Moore ended with the "Lakota Flag Song." A B-1 bomber made its pass over the presidents, and for a moment the worlds of native and Anglo-Saxon America intertwined.

Life in Gaza has never been easy, and Abu Nada weathered the storms despite hostile gunfire and threatening text messages sent to his phone courtesy of Hamas. But when the militant group took over the coastal territory on June 14 and seized the Fatah-controlled television station where Nada was general manager, he had seen enough.

When Osama bin Laden aired his grievances in a taped speech after 9/11, he confused many by his reference to an 80-year-old catastrophe. Historians knew he was talking about the end of the Muslim Ottoman Empire's reign and the beginning of Western dominance. It also marked the birth of the only Muslim nation in history with a secular government: Turkey.

The streets of Saudi Arabia are replete with the influence of the nation's official religion: Movies and most books are strictly prohibited, women are not allowed to drive, and apostates are publicly prosecuted.

This Islamic radicalism is so extreme that it doesn't hesitate to condemn its own as infidels and seek their destruction. That is precisely the predicament engulfing the Saudi royal family, whose past attempts to buy al-Qaeda's approval and solidify their power base turned out to be a deal with the devil.

The day began like any other. On his way out the door, 35-year-old Turkish native Necati Aydin, a pastor and father of two, kissed his wife goodbye and departed for a morning Bible study. In another part of Malatya, Turkey-known for its apricots-46-year-old German missionary and father of three Tilman Geske said his morning farewells. Ugur Uksel, a 32-year-old Muslim convert to Christianity like Aydin, was the third man joining the group for the study at the church office, which doubled as a Christian publishing company.