Quid Pro Quo?

The Quid:

Report: Pop star Michael Jackson converts to Islam
By Haaretz Service
The American singer Michael Jackson has converted to Islam, the Sun newspaper reported over the weekend. The 50-year-old pop star, who changed his name to Mikaeel, pledged allegiance to the Koran at a friend's house in Los Angeles. An Imam was summoned from a nearby mosque to hold the shahada, the declaration of belief in Allah and Mohammed's prophecy.

An associate said that Jackson chose his new name, which is the name of one of Allah's angels, after rejecting another Muslim name, Mustafa, which means "the chosen one."


The Quo:

Michael Jackson, Bahrain Prince Settle Dispute Over Advance Fee

By James Lumley and Caroline Byrne

Nov. 24 (Bloomberg) -- Pop star Michael Jackson settled a U.K. lawsuit filed by a Bahraini prince and avoided having to testify in the dispute.

Jackson, 50, known as the “King of Pop” for hits including “Beat It” and “Thriller,” was scheduled to take the stand in London today. Bahrain’s Prince Abdulla Bin Hamad Bin Isa Al- Khalifa had sued Jackson claiming he reneged on a deal to use Bahrain as a recording venue and kept a $7 million advance.

“An amicable settlement has been reached on confidential terms,” the prince’s lawyer Bankim Thanki, told Justice Nigel Sweeney at a hearing today at the High Court in London. Sweeney halted the hearing to let lawyers prepare documents related to the accord.