The Middle East can let out a collective sigh of relief: it seems that Britney Spears will not marry a Muslim and convert to Islam after all. (Like we needed more image problems!)

It was announced today that Britney has split with her paparazzo boyfriend Adnan Ghalib, a man who became a minor celebrity even here in the Middle East. "Spears dating an Arab! Will convert to Islam soon!" the Arabic-language tabloids screamed.

First off, Ghalib is reportedly Afghan-British, not Arab at all. And whatever his background, he sounds like quite the creep: entertainment Web sites are reporting that Ghalib is already selling his story to the highest bidder. His photo agency is hawking stills of Britney's mushy text messages to Ghalib.

The break-up ends long, borderline racist debates on the Internet over Ghalib's ethnicity and religion. The unwritten message in many online comments was, "Britney has sunk so low that she's settling for a Muslim."

On one site, a commenter joined the fray with an unusually frank question: "what do you really dislike about britneys new bf, the fact that hes middle eastern or the fact that he could be a muslim, or both?"

Farewell, Adnan. And fear not, tabloid readers, because there's still an Arab connection to keep the Middle Eastern celeb-watchers hooked on Britney. It seems that Osama Lutfi, Britney's shadowy "manager" and frequent escort to industry events, is back in the picture. After initial hysteria and headlines such as "Terror Alert: Britney parties with Osama," most American celeb magazines have diplomatically shortened his name to "Sam."

Not so in the Arab press. They are still proudly publishing, "Osama." So are a few of the most irreverent celebrity-focused blogs. One blogger, for example, ponders whether Osama Lutfi is "planning on waging jihad against our nation by pilfering Britney Spears' bank accounts and holding the pop singer hostage."

Photo from Hollywoodgossip.com