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Muslim artist works on gift for Pope

A Muslim calligrapher has dedicated the past two months to Christian art, writing the Gospel of Luke in ornate Arabic script to be presented to Pope Benedict XVI when the Roman Catholic leader visits the Holy Land next month.

Yasser Abu Saymeh never read a New Testament text before he was picked for the assignment by Bethlehem's Christian mayor. He said he has since come to appreciate the shared strands of the two faiths.