Source: The Houston Chronicle

On July 19, 2002 The Houston Chronicle reported that "an effort by evangelical Christians to commemorate the tragedy of 9/11 in The Woodlands has split the religious community and led to accusations of intolerance in this suburban area north of Houston, [Texas]... Critics of the memorial service on the anniversary date accuse its organizers of implicitly stigmatizing the Muslim community... and of monopolizing the logical venue for a commemoration that would embrace all faiths... Rabbi James Brandt of the Congregation...

Source: CNSNews.com

http://www.CNSNEWS.com/ViewCulture.asp?Page=\Culture\archive\200207\CUL20020716a.html

On July 16, 2002 CNSNews.com reported that "support for President Bush's Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Act remains 'lukewarm' among Protestant clergy across the nation, a new study reveals... The Bush administration so far has not been successful in creating greater acceptance of its faith-based agenda among the Protestant...

Source: Dayton Daily News

On July 14, 2002 Dayton Daily News reported that "prayers from... a variety of Christian denominations routinely open governmental meetings in the Miami Valley [in Ohio]... [But] a Xenia councilwoman is inviting Muslims, Hindus and representatives from other faiths to do the same... 'This is America' Patricia Felton said. 'We need to make that opportunity available to anyone who wants to speak'... Likewise in Columbus, the majority of those who lead the prayers for state legislators are Christians, but in recent years several...

Source: The Dallas Morning News

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dallas/tsw/stories/071402dntextdcreligion.32e5c.html

On July 14, 2002 The Dallas Morning News reported that "at first glance, prisons may seem an unlikely place to find religion... But as inmates grapple with the despair and monotony of prison life, some find religion... In all, nearly 140 denominations are represented in the Texas Department of Criminal...

Source: The New York Post

http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/45304.htm

On July 12, 2002, The New York Post reported that the "Lutheran minister suspended for taking part in an interfaith prayer service for families of Sept. 11 victims said yesterday that he had no regrets... 'I feel that I've acted with integrity,' said the Rev. David Benke, pastor of Brooklyn's St....

Source: Chapel Hill Herald

On July 12, 2002 the Chapel Hill Herald reported that a "Christian advocacy group hopes to sue UNC on the grounds the book on Islam the university chose for its required summer reading program is a religious text and is therefore unconstitutional... � But university officials are defending the choice, strongly objecting to any implication that UNC is pushing Islam on its students...� The book is 'Approaching The Qur'an,' a collection of 35 translated passages from the holy work along with written commentaries on each. All new...

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

On July 12, 2002 The Columbus Dispatch reported that "the Interfaith Association of Central Ohio... and the Religious Experience Advisory Council of the Ohio Bicentennial Commission are planning [a new] book, Religion in Ohio: Over 200 Years of Experiences... As the state approaches 200, Christian and Jewish bodies remain prominent, but now they have plenty of company. [The] book for Ohio's bicentennial in 2003 also will discuss the beliefs of American Indians, Baha'is, Buddhists, Hindus, Jains, Muslims, Sikhs and...

Source: The Orlando Sentinel

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-locrelschools12071202jul12.story?coll=orl%2Dhome%2Dheadlines

On July 12, 2002 The Orlando Sentinel reported that "religious leaders from a spectrum of faiths met Thursday night in a Winter Park [Florida] church to grapple with the contentious issue of religious faith and public education... Panelists agreed that teaching about...

Source: The New York Times

On July 7, 2002 The New York Times reported that at Chatham, New Jersey's Quaker meetinghouse "for seven years, Quakers here have shared their space with Jews, allowing the practice of two distinct religions under one roof... 'The Quakers are an incredibly generous group,' said Deborah Fineman, president of Congregation Beth Hatikvah, which meets on Fridays and Saturdays before vacating for Quaker worship on Sunday. 'They've allowed us to make a home.'"

Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune

On July 6, 2002, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that "a Christian law firm is suing a San Francisco Bay Area school district, alleging it violated the Constitution with its way of teaching the Islamic religion to students. At issue is a world history lesson conducted at Excelsior School in the Byron Union School District... in October 2001. In a seventh-grade class, students reportedly were required to participate in various exercise simulations including selecting a Muslim name, wearing traditional Muslim...

Source: The San Francisco Chronicle

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2002/07/06/MN157497.DTL

On July 6, 2002, The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Rev. David Benke, "a high-ranking Lutheran pastor, has been suspended from his duties and ordered to apologize to all Christians for participating with Muslims, Jews, Sikhs and Hindus in an interfaith prayer service in New York's Yankee Stadium after Sept. 11......

Source: The Providence Journal

http://www.projo.com/opinion/contributors/content/projo_20020706_cthicks6.835aa.html

On July 6, 2002, The Providence Journal featured an editorial by Prof. Douglas Hicks of the University of Richmond entitled "Let's Pledge to Respect Differing Beliefs." The piece emphasizes that "'One nation under God' means different things to different Americans... Both critics and supporters of the...

Source: Newsday

On July 5, 2002 Newsday reported that due to immigration, more Muslim students are attending Jericho High School in a predominantly Jewish area of Long Island, NY. "Hoping to learn more about a religion that for many Long Islanders remains steeped in mystery, and sometimes outright suspicion,... about a dozen Jericho social studies teachers spent two days this week attending a 15-hour seminar on Islam at the high school... The seminar, which included sections on Islamic phrases, the role of women, the history shared by Jews, Christians...

Source: The Boston Globe

On July 4, 2002 The Boston Globe reported that "literature espousing views that are racist and anti-Semitic was tossed on lawns and driveways by unknown people" in five Massachusetts towns north of Boston. "The literature, which included a pamphlet and a booklet, carried the name of the World Church of the Creator, a white supremacist group based in Illinois... Bedford police... Chief James Hicks said... "A lot of it was picked up by officers and thrown in dumpsters. [But,] I'm sure there is more out there.'"

Source: Los Angeles Times

On July 3, 2002, the Los Angeles Times reported that last week's two U.S. court rulings concerning religion in the public square demonstrate the strong "disagreements over the relationship between God and public life in America... First, a federal appeals court ruled that religion could not be part of a daily ritual of public school life... The next day, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that religious schools could receive public school dollars... The Rev. C. Welton Gaddy, executive director of the Washington-based Interfaith...