THE REFORMATION ROLLS ON:

For the first time, Christians in Qatar worship in church (Caryle Murphy, 2/09/09, The Christian Science Monitor )

The decision to permit church building is widely seen as part of an effort by Qatar's leader, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, to modernize the tiny emirate, made wealthy by its natural-gas reserves, and demonstrate traditional Islam's flexibility and tolerance.

"It's showing the world they are open to new ideas, and I guess it's part of growing up as a nation," said Veneracion.