Source: The Plain Dealer

On November 6, 2002 The Plain Dealer reported that "in eighth grade, [Meghan O'Connor] walked to her neighborhood Catholic school, St. Wenceslas, in a plaid uniform skirt. At 20, she was a party girl and single mother. Today, she covers her hair with the hijab, the traditional scarf that signifies modesty for Muslim women. 'The women's issue was huge for me,' O'Connor said. 'I found that all the pressure to look thin and the lines fed to us - equal opportunity to expose our bodies - weren't good for me. As I studied, Islam...

Source: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

On November 6, 2002 The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported that "Mexicans in metro Atlanta commemorated Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), a celebration rooted in both their indigenous traditions and their adopted Christianity. Several hundred people viewed 13 homemade altars at a celebration in Forest Park sponsored by the city and the Mexican consul general's office Saturday. The celebration... shares its philosophy with that of other cultures such as those in Asia and Africa in which ancestor...

Source: USA Today

On November 5, 2002 USA Today reported that "as the fastest-growing segment of the music industry, Christian music has advertiser appeal. But Chevrolet's sponsorship of a music-and-worship tour [Chevrolet Presents: Come Together and Worship] has some observers wondering whether a line has been crossed. Although Chevy has sponsored events such as gospel's Stellar Awards, this sponsorship's blending of the sacred and the commercial has raised hackles inside and outside the Christian community. [However,] Rubel Shelly, minister at the...

Source: The Salt Lake Tribune

http://www.sltrib.com/2002/nov/11052002/utah/13588.htm

On November 5, 2002 The Salt Lake Tribune reported that "rather than shy away from discussing religion and the tensions that sometimes rise between people of different faiths, some Utah educators are teaching students to engage in a respectful religious debate. That is why four schools are among the 11 in the nation selected to participate in a pilot project to transform how schools...

Source: Star Tribune

On November 4, 2002 the Star Tribune reported that "Gethsemane had become the first Catholic cemetery in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis to devote a special section to a nationality... an overflow crowd of 250 Vietnamese parishioners celebrated mass and walked along a wind-whipped path to a four-acre parcel of land set aside for Vietnamese Catholics. 'Before we had this land, our people [in the Twin Cities] were buried in whatever land they could get their hands on,' said Binh Nguyencong, a trustee of St. Joseph Hien,...

Source: The Times-Picayune

On November 2, 2002 The Times-Picayune reported that "when the New Orleans Hornets brought professional basketball back to town Wednesday with an opening-night win over the Utah Jazz in the New Orleans Arena, buried in the package was an unusual practice in modern professional sport: a public, pre-game prayer offered on behalf of thousands of diverse fans. Jews, Muslims and Buddhists are likely to be part of the mix, along with Christians of many denominations, said the Rev. David Arceneaux, the Hornets' unpaid team chaplain...

Source: The Herald

http://www.sharonherald.com/localnews/recentnews/0211/ln110202f.html

On November 2, 2002 The Herald reported that "women of various faiths united in Sharon [PA] Friday in the hopes of promoting peace in the world. Local members of Church Women United, a national ecumenical interfaith organization, hosted a service for about 60 Christian, Jewish and Muslim women at Oakland Avenue United Methodist Church. The program, 'Daughters of...

Source: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

On November 2, 2002 The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported that "since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, members of each religious community have worried over what they see as increasing intolerance around Georgia and the United States, especially for Muslims. [A] 10-day trip to Turkey, a secular Middle Eastern country with a rich tradition in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, was meant to highlight common ground instead of conflict, according to the organizer, the Rev. Wayne Smith. This summer, they...

Source: The Commercial Appeal

On November 2, 2002 The Commercial Appeal reported that "gubernatorial candidate Phil Bredesen blasted a recent Republican mailing as 'a blatant appeal to religious bigotry and hatred' because it questions teaching about world religions in Nashville schools. Bredesen, speaking to the Nashville Downtown Kiwanis Club Friday, said he was 'disgusted' by the mailer... A spokesman for Bredesen's Republican opponent, Van Hilleary, denied a role in sending the mailing. The direct-mail ad pictures a statue of Buddha and says that '...

Source: The Idaho Statesman

http://www.idahostatesman.com/News/story.asp?ID=24468

On November 2, 2002 The Idaho Statesman reported that "an interfaith service will be held at 6 p.m. today... in Boise. The service includes prayers for peace from leaders of several churches in the Treasure Valley. Rev. Jon Brown of the First United Methodist Church said the gathering was motivated by the U.S.�s threat of war against Iraq. Representatives from the following faiths and...

Source: St. Petersburg Times

On November 2, 2002 the St. Petersburg Times reported that "as general secretary for the National Council of Churches, [Robert] Edgar is a leader in the increasingly broad religious opposition to war on Iraq. Some are calling the movement the biggest show of solidarity against war since Vietnam. Some faiths have been silent on the war. Jewish organizations have remained mostly mum on the issue. Some of them fear that support for the war would be interpreted as pro-Israeli or anti-Palestinian. Imam Muhammad Musri, president...

Source: Chicago Tribune

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Source: Times of India

Source: Star Tribune

On October 31, 2002 the Star Tribune reported that "Halloween is having a tough time hanging on in some Twin Cities schools as parents contend that the scary holiday conflicts with their families' religious beliefs. In religious traditions ranging from conservative Christian to Jewish to Muslim, Halloween is looked down upon among some adherents as a pagan observance or a celebration of evil spirits. Other parents say the real point of Halloween is the candy and the chance for children to pretend they are someone else. Some of the...

Source: Tulsa World

On October 31, 2002 Tulsa World reported that "an interfaith service written by three Tulsa women will be presented Friday in hundreds of cities nationwide. 'It's very unusual to have Tulsa people write the national service,' said Harriet Larsen, the leader of a Tulsa Church Women United group. The 'Daughters of Abraham' service on World Community Day, sponsored by Church Women United, was written by Mickey Simpson, who is on the CWU national board; Sheryl Siddiqui, representing the Tulsa Muslim community; and Jeanne Jacobs,...