Source: The Weekly Standard

On April 22, 2003 The Weekly Standard printed an editorial by Terry Eastland questioning "why... has New York state, in treating the religious activities of Muslim inmates within its prisons, favored one Islamic sect over another--namely, Sunni Islam over Shia Islam?" He stated, "that question is at the heart of a lawsuit filed against the state by four Shia Muslim prisoners at Fishkill Correctional Facility. The lawsuit challenges current policy under which the New York State Department of Correctional Services accommodates, as...

Source: Pakistan Link

http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=57e63a9660ab4e863c81fe2679cf89db

On April 22, 2003 the Pakistan Link reported on "the Al Momineen Sunday School at the Downtown [Sacramento, CA] Mosque in full session as the group of about 20 members of the Woodland Presbyterian Church arrived to a reception committee comprising the Mosque President Bashir Chaudhry, Imam Mumtaz Qasmi, Mr. Shahid...

Source: Star Tribune

On April 20, 2003 the Star Tribune reported on "the Northfield Buddhist Meditation Center -- a plain, handsome room above a jewelry store on the main street in town... There, about two dozen people gather every Sunday to meditate, to reflect on the direction of their life, to focus on injustice in the world and to be silent, peaceful. They sit or kneel on black cushions in a stark white room... Two private colleges in this town of 17,000 people, about 45 minutes south of the Twin Cities...

Source: Los Angeles Times

On April 19, 2003 the Los Angeles Times reported that "the United Methodist Church in Garden Grove [CA]... and two other Garden Grove churches held an ecumenical observance of Good Friday -- the day, according to the Bible, that Jesus was crucified... The services began at noon in St. Anselm of Canterbury Episcopal Church, where a procession formed afterward behind the 8-foot cross and wound its way through 2 1/2 miles of streets, stopping at three other churches... At each, the 'stations' of Jesus' journey from condemnation to...

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

On April 18, 2003 The Columbus Dispatch reported that "last weekend, members of a small East Side congregation blended Jewish and Christian practices into a Holy Week/Passover worship ceremony that ended with a feast -- a springtime tradition of both faiths... The Church of God and Saints of Christ began with evening worship on Palm Sunday, followed by a Passover Seder, or festive meal... Celebrations in many other faiths are festivals rich in food, but not just at springtime... Bahais hold communal meetings every 19 days....

Source: The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48427-2003Apr17.html

On April 18, 2003 The Washington Post printed an letter to the editor by Stephen Goldberg stating that "the Pentagon's refusal to rescind its invitation to the Rev. Franklin Graham to deliver the Good Friday homily at the Defense Department, despite his labeling of Islam as an evil religion, demonstrates that the Bush administration's call for outreach to...

Source: The Baltimore Sun

On April 18, 2003 The Baltimore Sun reported that "as images and news about the war in Iraq have loomed in recent weeks, Howard County religious leaders have been focusing on messages of peace... Members of many area churches and synagogues have been straddling the fine line between support for U.S. troops overseas and discussing whether the war is just. Whether their members have supported the war or opposed military action, many congregations simply prayed for a peaceful and just resolution... Bon Secours Spiritual Center in...

Source: The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48427-2003Apr17.html

On April 18, 2003 The Washington Post printed an letter to the editor by Robert Kramer stating that "regarding the April 15 editorial 'Evangelize Elsewhere' and the news story of the same day 'Graham Invitation Irks Muslims at Pentagon': Somebody is missing the point... Why is the Pentagon hosting a Good Friday service to begin with? Are America's leaders so...

Source: Sightings

On April 17, 2003 Sightings printed an editorial by James L. Evans stating that "I admit to being a bit offended by the U.S. military's use of the words shock and awe to describe the bombing campaign which began the war with Iraq. Not shock so much, since obviously the stunning effect of explosives is part of the process of defeating an enemy. The ones who are not killed by the blast are demoralized by its shocking force... But awe is something else. Awe is basically a religious term. It combines feelings of reverence with affection or...

Source: The Star Press

http://www.thestarpress.com/tsp/news/local/03/apr/0413duelingprayers.php

On April 17, 2003 The Star Press reported that "the plan had been to unite the community in a moment of prayer. But organizers of Muncie's [IN] observance of the National Day of Prayer said they just couldn't imagine Jewish and Muslim prayers being offered at the May 1 ceremony at Muncie City Hall... 'We're praying in the name of the Father Creator, Jesus...

Source: News Observer

http://newsobserver.com/news/story/2443400p-2272463c.html

On April 16, 2003 the News Observer printed an interview with Warren A. Nord, director of the humanities program at UNC-Chapel Hill, relative to U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige's recent remarks. Nord stated, "it's extremely important to get into a discussion of Christian values. But people are worried that Christian values will be taught in a privileged way. Many of the values...

Source: The Miami Herald

http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/religion/animal-sacrifice.htm

On April 16, 2003 The Miami Herald reported that "when Miami-Dade County police were called to a home in South Miami-Dade, they found people slicing up chunks of goat meat and plucking...

Source: The Arizona Republic

Source: Democrat and Chronicle

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/news/0416story4_news.shtml

On April 16, 2003 the Democrat and Chronicle reported that "sprinkled among Rochester’s [NY] numerous Christian churches and Jewish synagogues are signs of Rochester’s growing religious diversity -- Tibetan, Laotian and Vietnamese Buddhist temples, a Sikh Gurdwara and a handful of botanicas, or shops, catering to, among others, followers of voodoo and...

Source: The Associated Press