Source: The Associated Press

On October 24, 2002 The Associated Press reported that "an attorney seeking to remove a Ten Commandments monument from Alabama's Judicial Building told a federal judge yesterday that the state's chief justice installed it to promote his own religious beliefs... But lawyers for Chief Justice Roy Moore, a conservative Christian who says the commandments are the moral foundation of American law, argued that the monument is simply an acknowledgment of God and does not force anyone to follow Moore's religious beliefs... There have...

Source: The  Associated Press

On October 23, 2002 The  Associated Press reported that "the Interfaith Alliance, a national religious group, on Wednesday criticized  conservative churches for handing out voter guides to their congregants, saying  the practice manipulates religion for political gain. The Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, executive director of the Interfaith Alliance,  said the pamphlets are part of what he considers the religious right's improper  'influence on Minnesota state politics.' The Minnesota Family Council, a conservative group that...

Source: The Associated Press

http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/business/1002/22muslim.html

On October 22, 2002 The Associated Press reported that "a Muslim from Houston has filed a lawsuit saying Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A's corporate purpose to glorify God discriminates against its non-Christian employees. Aziz Latif, 25, says he was fired a day after he refused to pray to Jesus Christ during a training session in November 2000."

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

On October 22, 2002 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that "the Waukesha School Board [WI] president is pushing a requirement for all students to study different religions in high school. In a memo to School Board members, William Domina said he wanted every student in the district to graduate with a basic knowledge of religions including Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism. 'Without this basic understanding, I am concerned that we have not provided our children with a full and complete education and that...

Source: Newsday

On October 21, 2002 Newsday reported on the "thousands of newcomers who live or worship in this spectacularly polyglot stretch of Flushing, which boasts Hindu and Buddhist temples, mosques, synagogues, Sikh gurdwaras as well as historic Catholic and Protestant churches dating, in a few cases, to the 17th century. In many ways, Bowne Street is a microcosm of the changing spiritual landscape of New York, which is being reordered by the powerful engines of immigration and globalization. If not quite a new Mecca or a Jerusalem, the New...

Source: Los Angeles Times

On October 20, 2002 the Los Angeles Times reported that "more than 1,500 Somali refugees [arrived] in this fading industrial city about 30 miles north of Portland. The large influx of families -- most of them Muslim -- from East Africa came swiftly, in just 18 months. For longtime residents and newcomers alike, the sudden population shift has brought a sense of mutual culture shock. At Frenchy's Barber Shop, a one-chair establishment... 'Frenchy' Langlois said he was 15 when he hopped a train in French-speaking Canada 48...

Source: The Times-Picayune

On October 19, 2002 The Times-Picayune reported that "Bruce Feiler, [author of Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths], is urging followers of the three major mono-theistic faiths to... [talk] to one another. 'Abraham is a potential unifier because he stands before the creation of the three major religions,' Feiler said during a recent talk held at Temple Shalom in Colorado Springs, which houses a joint Conservative-Reform Jewish congregation."

Source: The Washington Post

On October 19, 2002 The Washington Post reported that "two recent meetings in Washington -- one hosted by Muslims and the other by a Jewish congregation -- illustrate the heightened interest in exploring theological issues generated by the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001. The gathering was the first of 100 interfaith 'Abraham Summits' planned for Nov. 8 to 24 in communities across the country in connection with [Bruce Feiler's new book, Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths]. The book examines the man revered...

Source: The Advocate

On October 18, 2002 The Advocate reported that "Soon visitors to public schools in East Baton Rouge Parish will see the national motto, 'In God We Trust,' emblazoned on framed posters at the entrances. With no discussion, the School Board agreed Thursday to put up the 'In God We Trust' posters in schools. The posters will be supplied by the East Baton Rouge Republican Women, a local chapter of the Louisiana and National Federation of Republican Women. Afterward, state Rep. A.G. Crowe said that the national motto on the poster is a...

Source: The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

On October 18, 2002 The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported that "about 150 civic leaders, architects and the charity's employees gathered on weedy industrial land on the eastern edge of Little Rock. Their heads bowed, they prayed Jewish, Muslim and Christian prayers and blessed the roughly 27 acres that bulldozers will begin transforming next year... For Heifer International, a Little Rock-based world relief organization, the blessing marked the first time the organization publicly acknowledged that its...

Source: The Associated Press

On October 18, 2002 The Associated Press reported that "a health agency is seeking to force six Amish families to install septic systems, something they say violates their religious beliefs. Meanwhile, a one-room Mennonite schoolhouse in Elkton, Ky., was ordered closed after school officials there refused to install running water and a septic system for outhouse toilets. The regional Central Michigan District Health Department in Mount Pleasant wants to bring the Amish families' properties in line with health codes."

Source: The Press Enterprise

On October 18, 2002 The Press Enterprise reported that "Lake Elsinore's City Council [CA] recently decreed that all mention of religious figures, including Jesus Christ and Allah, be deleted from their meeting's opening invocation. The prayers may acknowledge a supreme being, but not by name. On the other side of the debate are the cities of San Bernardino and Temecula [CA], which also invite local clergy to open their meetings. Neither city is willing to tell a pastor how to pray."

Source: The Houston Chronicle

On October 17, 2002 The Houston Chronicle reported that "dozens of volunteers from a variety of faiths gathered Sunday at a West Houston mosque to sew lap quilts for the elderly. Hunched over sewing machines, or cutting and pinning fabric, Muslims labored alongside Jews and Christians as part of a two-day, citywide effort by Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston to break down religious barriers by engaging in simple acts of charity and finding a common thread of humanity."

Source: The Buffalo News

On October 17, 2002 The Buffalo News reported that "in a gesture of good will and outreach to the Yemeni community, the Lackawanna School Board held its regular monthly meeting Wednesday night at the Yemenite Benevolent Association, drawing both compliments and questions from Yemeni parents. The meeting... was attended by the usual participants and observers at School Board meetings, as well by as about three dozen men, women and children from the local Muslim community. In a statement that drew great applause, Jim Tatko, a...

Source: The Washington Post

On October 15, 2002 The Washington Post reported that "a recent series of disparaging remarks about Islam by the Rev. Jerry Falwell and other evangelical Christian leaders have sparked riots in India, helped religious parties win elections in Pakistan and undermined public sympathy in Islamic countries for the U.S. war on terrorism, experts said yesterday. 'Jerry Falwell makes a statement, he pleases his constituents, then he says he's sorry and apparently thinks that's the end of it,' said Akbar Ahmed, chairman of Islamic...