Source: Xinhuanet

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-06/02/content_1504671.htm

On June 2, 2004 Xinhuanet reported, "The Hui Autonomous Prefecture of Linxia in northwest China's Gansu Province is known as the 'little Mecca' in China for the existence in peace and harmony of residents of different ethnic groups and different faiths. The prefecture has a population of 1.92 million. People of Hui ethnicity constitute 56 percent of the total population....

Source: Daily Southtown

http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/yrtwn/south/021syt4.htm

On June 2, 2004 the Daily Southtown reported, "Opponents of a planned Orland Park mosque want village trustees to delay a final decision until after a non-binding referendum on the issue in November. An organized petition drive for a referendum has not yet begun, but mosque foes contend that trustees have not heeded the concerns of many residents who have attended two...

Source: Americans United for Separation of Church and State

Source: The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7952-2004Jun1.html?referrer=email

On June 2, 2004 The Washington Post reported, "More than 1,600 religious leaders and social workers from across the country converged on the Hilton yesterday for the first White House National Conference on Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. It followed 12 regional conferences that drew more than 15,000 people. Bush spoke to the...

Source: The Detroit News

http://www.detnews.com/2004/religion/0406/04/a07-171264.htm

On June 2, 2004 The Detroit News reported, "The 30-year-old, minimum-security state penitentiary in Lawtey, Florida is the nation’s first entirely 'faith-based' prison, where every inmate has signed up for intensive religious instruction. Enthusiastic state officials believe this novel arrangement will reduce recidivism and save taxpayers’ money. But some civil...

Source: TIME Europe

http://www.time.com/time/europe/magazine/article/0,13005,901040531-641105,00.html

On June 1, 2004 TIME Europe ran a feature article examining the roots of conflict between Christians and Muslims in Nigeria: "Many Nigerians argue that the real reason for the violence is not ethnic or religious division — most Nigerians have peacefully coexisted for centuries — but the scramble for scarce resources and political clout....

Source: Presbyterian News Service

http://www.pcusa.org/pcnews/2004/04258.htm

On June 1, 2004 the Presbyterian News Service reported, "How Presbyterians should relate to people of other faiths — Jews in particular — is a fractious issue before the General Assembly this year. Commissioners will be asked to address the question: Should the Presbyterian Church (USA) engage in dialogue with people of other faiths — or evangelize them? The issue moved to the front burner last year...

Source: GOPUSA

http://www.gopusa.com/commentary/guest/2004/cm_0531.shtml

On May 31, 2004 GOPUSA, a conservative political website, published an editorial noting: "'The American Civil Liberties Union is demanding the removal of a tiny cross that is among historic symbols on Los Angeles County's official seal,' reports Fox News. 'The seal 'prominently depicts a Latin cross, a sectarian religious symbol that represents the beliefs of one segment of the county's...

Source: The Kansas City Star

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascitystar/living/religion/8786037.htm

On May 31, 2004 The Kansas City Star published an interview with a Buddhist leader and a Baptist Pastor on whether or not religion is vital to leading a good life. Lama Chuck Stanford of the Rime Buddhist Center...

Source: The Honolulu Advertiser

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2004/May/31/il/il01a.html

On May 31, 2004 The Honolulu Advertiser reported, "Nanette Napoleon has seen the strangest things left as graveyard memorabilia, or what she calls 'visitation goods.' We're not talking about people bringing lei, flowers or photos to their family's graves. We're not even talking oranges or tangerines, cans of beer, bottles of soda, incense, cups of tea,...

Source: Zenit

http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=54552

On May 31, 2004 Zenit released the text of the address John Paul II gave on Thursday, May 27, when he met Suriname's new ambassador to the Holy See, Edgard Stephanus Ragoenath Amanh. In his speech, the Pope addressed Suriname's religious diversity as follows: "in situations of cultural and religious pluralism, it is increasingly apparent that mutual understanding and respect for differences play a...

Source: The Straits Times

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/singapore/story/0,4386,253706,00.html

On May 31, 2004 The Straits Times reported, "Being a Muslim in a Catholic school gave Ms. Iva Aminuddin the chance to talk about Islam at length to curious friends. 'It made me more aware of my own religion,' said Ms. Iva, 25, a civil servant and member of Mendaki Club. She was one of four speakers at a forum on dealing with religious diversity held...

Source: The New Yorker

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/content/?040607ta_talk_hertzberg

On May 31, 2004 The New Yorker reported, "It isn’t every day that the Presidential nominee of the Democratic Party is a junior senator from Massachusetts who was educated at an élite boarding school and an Ivy League college and whose political career was founded on his war heroism as a young Naval officer in command of a small boat and who has family money and a thick...

Source: First Amendment Center

http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/commentary.aspx?id=13434

On May 30, 2004 the First Amendment Center reported, "It’s been a strange and scary week for religious liberty in the great state of Texas. In September 2003, the office of Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn denied tax exemption to the Unitarian Universalist Church in Denison, Texas. This fact was not revealed until last week, when the Fort Worth Star-Telegram...

Source: The Boston Globe

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/05/30/divine_ties_that_bind/

On May 30, 2004 The Boston Globe reported, "As Ari Lipman strode to the pulpit at Temple Salem Seventh-day Adventist Church two weeks ago, he looked completely out of place -- yet seemed entirely at home. And both with good reason. As the only white face in a Dorchester church filled with Haitian congregants, the young...