Like many jazz musicians, South African pianist and composer Abdullah Ibrahim grew up listening to gospel music.

NPR: Abdullah Ibrahim Stays Rooted to His Homeland

Seeking peace and ritual he hadn't found in church, he converted to Islam in 1968, and changed his name to Abdullah Ibrahim.

NPR: Abdullah Ibrahim Stays Rooted to His Homeland

Mr Cook had said much the same a few days earlier in meetings with Malaysia's foreign minister, Abdullah Badawi, and the deputy prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim.

ECONOMIST: Myanmar and ASEAN

They included not just Anwar Ibrahim, jailed and beaten up, but his actual successor, Abdullah Badawi, against whom he railed in his blog, having the satisfaction of seeing him unseated last year.

ECONOMIST: Mahathir Mohamad