A Saudi prince is donating $20 million to Georgetown University “to expand the study of Islam and the Muslim world.”

We are deeply honored by Prince Alwaleed’s generosity,” said university president John J. DeGioia, who met Alwaleed Nov. 7 in a Paris hotel to sign the documents formalizing the donation.

“This gift will deepen Georgetown’s ability to advance education in the fields of Islamic civilization and Muslim-Christian understanding and strengthen its presence as a world leader in facilitating cross-cultural and inter-religious dialogue,” DeGioia’s statement added.

Hey, I wonder what Georgetown would charge to study Catholicism.

Purple Finger for Freedom is encouraging all supporters of the fledgling democracy in Iraq to dye their right index fingers purple from Dec. 12 through the 15th in support of the parliamentary elections there.

I think it’s a nice gesture, though I can’t think of a good reason to do it for four days straight. (Besides, there is an election here in Oklahoma tomorrow, and I wouldn’t want the poll captains to misinterpret my symbolism as an indication that I had voted already.) I will be sporting a purple finger on the 15th. And I’ll e-mail my retouched Michelangelo to the Purple people, in case they want to put it on their website. Anyone else who wants to use it, feel free. (I have a higher-resolution pic here.)

More blogosphere-wide coverage of the campaign at Michelle Malkin. (HT: I first heard of this idea 10 days ago from IrishWalsh.)