Source: The Beacon-Journal

http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/7195534.htm

On November 6, 2003 The Beacon-Journal reported that in Akron, Ohio last week The Chapel, a highly regarded nondenominational church, found itself at the center of controversy when they distributed fliers, advertising that a class on Islam would instruct Christians on "'how to be more effective in our spiritual battle for the hearts and souls of our Muslim neighbors.' Practically speaking,...

Source: Duluth News Tribune

http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/news/7195881.htm

On November 6, 2003 Duluth News Tribune reported that "the Minnesota Civil Liberties Union wants the Ten Commandments monument removed from the front lawn of Duluth City Hall. The organization mailed letters in September to its Duluth membership, seeking plaintiffs to help pressure the city to remove the 7-foot stone or perhaps to seek a court order for its...

Source: The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A50600-2003Nov1.html

On November 4, 2003 The Washington Post reported on Priscilla Martinez, a Muslim who is turning to Christian resources in order to home school her children. "Martinez, of Sterling, joined the Christian-based Homeschool Legal Defense Association, which helped her with the paperwork for a religious exemption allowing her to teach her youngsters, ages 4 and 5, at...

Source: The Associated Press

http://www.fac.org/rel_liberty/publiclife/news.aspx?id=12139

On October 31, 2003 The Associated Press reported that "the City Council decided yesterday to move a controversial Ten Commandments monument out of a park and into a plaza that will honor a variety of historic documents. The 5-4 vote followed a unanimous rejection of an offer by the Rev. Fred Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan.,to place his own monument...

Source: Lodi News-Sentinel

http://www.lodinews.com/articles/2003/10/30/news/01_halloween_031030.txt

On October 31, 2003, the Lodi News-Sentinel reported that "the evolution of Halloween over hundreds of years has local religious leaders disagreeing whether Halloween violates the teachings of both Jesus Christ and the Bible. Pastor Loren Stacy of Lodi's Church of God (Seventh-day) says that Halloween violates Scripture. So does William Van Amber...

Source: The National Council of Churches

http://www.wfn.org/2003/10/msg00299.html

On October 29, 2003 The National Council of Churches released a statement responding to the decision by Reuters Corporation refusing to sell space to the United Methodist Church on Reuters' electronic billboard in New York's Times Square. Their decision was solely on the basis of a policy not to accept any religious advertising, regardless of content. The statement by the NCC declares that "To imply...

Source: National Council of Churches

http://www.ncccusa.org/news/03reutersbillboard2.html

On October 29, 2003 National Council of Churches reported that "international media giant Reuters has reversed its earlier refusal to carry United Methodist 'open hearts, open minds, open doors' advertising on its Times Square headquarters building. In an Oct. 28 letter to the Rev. Larry Hollon, top executive of the denomination's communications agency, Reuters chief executive...

Source: Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/la-na-boykin29oct29,1,1664504.story

On October 29, 2003 the Los Angeles Times reported that "with hundreds of supportive calls coming into the Pentagon and Bush facing a reelection campaign in which he'll seek the help of Christian conservatives, it might be out of the question for the administration to fire Boykin. 'Gen. Boykin is kind of the living embodiment of a key Republican electoral constituency. So forcing...

Source: The Scotsman

http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/scotland.cfm?id=1192452003

On October 29, 2003 The Scotsman reported that "a Nobel prize-winner, who is credited with helping to transform education in the developing world, has criticised the Scottish Executive’s stance on denominational schools, claiming single-faith establishments damage educational attainment. Amartya Sen, an economist from India, made his comments yesterday in a keynote speech to the...

Source: Reuters

Source: BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3219551.stm

On October 28, 2003 the BBC News reported that "a radical Muslim leader has won a court battle to remove the crucifix from a state school where his children attend - a decision which has shocked political and public opinion and caused deep concern within Italy's Muslim community.

The symbol of the crucifix is not just in every Italian church, it still looks down on pupils from classroom walls in every...

Source: Post-Gazette

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/03300/234525.stm

On October 27, 2003 Post-Gazette reported that many children of conservative Christian, Jewish or Muslim religious traditions will opt out of Halloween parties this year because they view Halloween as a day that commemorates the devil or encourages pagan worship. "'There is a cultural war over Halloween,' said Charles Haynes, a senior scholar at the First Amendment Center who has become a national expert...

Source: The Daily Review

http://www.dailyreviewonline.com/Stories/0,1413,88~10975~1724744,00.html

On October 26, 2003 The Daily Review told the story of how Sikhs and Christians in Hayward have transformed dialogue into an opportunity to live, literally, side by side. Ranjit Singh Sabharwal, a founder of the Sikh Temple of Hayward, said that "the property on which the Sikh Temple stands could very easily have been bulldozed and sold to the highest...

Source: Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/features/religion/la-me-hancock26oct26,1,3825451.story?coll=la-news-religion

On October 26, 2003 the Los Angeles Times reported that "Orthodox Jews use of a residentially zoned house in upscale Hancock Park as a synagogue, and their plan to build another nearby, have prompted area residents to file suit... A long-running legal battle continues over Etz Chaim's right to...

Source: The Dallas Morning News

http://www.dallasnews.com/religion/stories/102503dnrelhispanicmuslims.66

On October 24, 2003 The Dallas Morning News reported that "a growing number of Hispanics are leaving Catholicism for Islam, for Protestant churches, for other faith traditions – or are dropping out of any religious practice. Exact numbers are impossible to come by, but some national Latino Muslim associations claim 'reverts,' their term for...