Source: The Associated Press

http://www.fac.org/rel_liberty/publiclife/news.aspx?id=12368

On December 18, 2003 The Associated Press reported, "Two women are seeking a federal court order to overrule a town's refusal to allow a Nativity scene to be displayed alongside a Christmas tree and menorah in a town park. Maureen Donnell and Fern deNarvaez filed a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in West Palm Beach, arguing the town's policy violates their rights to...

Source: Akron Leader

http://www.akron.com/20031218/FPAGE/spread.htm

On December 18, 2003 the Akron Leader reported on the Akron Area Interfaith Council (AAIC), an organization of leaders and lay people representing 20 houses of worship that promotes understanding and religious tolerance.Christians from Unitarian Universalist, Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Episcopalian and Baptist churches are represented, as are members of Islamic, Jewish and Buddhist houses...

Source: The Brampton Guardian

http://www.thebramptonguardian.com/br/news/story/1569699p-1843317c.html

On December 17, 2003 The Brampton Guardian reported, "Local public schools are being encouraged to recognize Christmas and other religious holidays without fear of being politically incorrect. In a recent letter to all principals, Peel District School Board Education Director Jim Grieve gave the board's blessing to recognize and celebrate the...

Source: Yahoo! News

Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Inc.

http://www.rferl.org/nca/features/2003/12/16122003165720.asp

On December 16, 2003 Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Inc. reported, "In Kosovo this year, thousands of Muslim Kosovar Albanians will again be attending midnight Mass along with their Christian neighbors...[Dom Nosh Gjolaj, a priest at St. Ndou Roman Catholic Church] says he does not know how or precisely when the custom of interfaith visitation began in...

Source: Zenit News Agency

http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=46236

On December 15, 2003 Zenit News Agency reported, "John Paul II urged Sudan's bishops and Catholic faithful to make their contribution and respond to their country's urgent social needs. The Pope encouraged the Church's growth in the war-torn country when he received the Sudanese Catholic bishops in audience today, at the end of their five-yearly visit to Rome...'A tentative opening on...

Source: Beliefnet

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/136/story_13673_1.html

On December 15, 2003 Beliefnet published an editorial by Jerry Falwell on the "December Dilemma" that plagues educators and organizations deciding on how to legally celebrate the holiday season in a pluralistic society. Falwell writes that Christmas has become "a dirty word" for groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for Separation of Church and State, who "...

Source: Cleveland Jewish News

http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/articles/2003/12/22/news/israel/rparty1215.txt

On December 14, 2003 Cleveland Jewish News reported, "Thousands of Jews and Arabs fill the winding stone alleyways of a Haifa neighborhood sampling latkes, roasted chestnuts and pastries dripping in honey at a coexistence festival to mark the holidays of Chanukah, Christmas and Ramadan...Now in its 10th year, The Festival of...

Source: Zenit News Agency

http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=46168

On December 14, 2003 Zenit News Agency released the text of an address Pope John Paul II delivered to Walter Woon, the new ambassador of Singapore, on the occasion of Woon's visit to the Vatican: "The time I spent in Singapore allowed me the opportunity to experience at first hand a culture shaped by the influence of so many different ethnic and religious groups, which have for years...

Source: The Times of India

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/xml/uncomp/articleshow?msid=357370

On December 14, 2003 The Times of India reported, "Perhaps for the first time, Christmas will be celebrated inside a temple and that too with bhajans, kirtans and sufi songs. It may not be Yuletide spirit exactly, but the message of peace and joy will come alive at Maatrimandir, near Deshapriya Park in south Kolkata on Sunday. This unique...

Source: New Straits Times

http://www.mmail.com.my/Current_News/NST/Saturday/Columns/20031213081425/Article/

On December 13, 2003 the New Straits Times ran a column by Rizal Andalas, arguing that the proposed ban of "conspicious" religious symbols in France's public schools constitutes a violation of freedom of religion. Andalas writes, "[T]he proposed ban, while largely understandable when seen through the prism of French...

Source: The Minnesota Daily

http://www.daily.umn.edu/articles/2003/12/12/7872

On December 12, 2003 The Minnesota Daily reported on the diverse ways Minnesota students will spend the holiday season. While Christian students prepare for Christmas, Hindus, Jews, pagans and students of other religions will also take part in activities during the holidays. Hindu students will celebrate Sankranti, a festival that traditionally marks the end of southern Asia’s harvest. 40...

Source: The Herald

http://www.heraldonline.com/local/story/3124008p-2828730c.html

On December 12, 2003 The Herald reported, "Gov. Mark Sanford has bestowed the state's official blessings on Parrotheads, the martial arts, poultry and former President Ronald Reagan, so his refusal to issue a proclamation celebrating the state's religious diversity mystified a University of South Carolina professor. At a public forum earlier this week, Dr. Carl Evans, chairman...

Source: The Telegraph

Source: The Boston Globe

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2003/12/01/in_lawmaker_poll_few_back_limiting_marriage/

On December 12, 2003 The Boston Globe reported, "The state Senate president and the House majority leader, responding to a Globe survey of Massachusetts legislators, say they would vote against a proposed constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage and civil...