Christianity

Washington Mosque Invites Neighbors for Celebration of Thanks

August 12, 2002

Source: The Seattle Times

On August 12, 2002 The Seattle Times reported in the Northgate area of Seattle, Washington, the "Idriss Mosque received an outpouring of support after it was vandalized shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks. Now, some neighbors have become friends...    Yesterday, the mosque held a barbecue to say thanks to those who supported it after the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks, when Muslims - and the mosque itself - became targets of violence... Dozens of neighbors and mosque worshipers mingled in the breezy shade behind...

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American Muslims Plan 'National Day of Unity and Peace' for September 11

August 9, 2002

Source: CAIR

On August 9, 2002, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) reported on their release of a web site "designed to allow local mosques, churches, synagogues, and other religious institutions to register their participation in a September 11th national 'Day of Unity and Prayer' commemorating the one-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon."
SEE: http://www.cair-net.org/dayofunity/

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Increases in Law Suits over Posting Ten Commandments in Public Places

August 8, 2002

Source: Los Angeles Times

On August 8, 2002 the Los Angeles Times reported that "two years ago, about a dozen legal cases were working their way through the courts regarding the posting of the Ten Commandments on public property - schools and parks, even city halls. Now the number has risen to about 20, legal experts say... 'It may be that both sides are getting more aggressive about litigation,' said Douglas Laycock, a law professor at the University of Texas in Austin. 'You're not going to get a national consensus on this.'"

Rev. Franklin Graham Continues Pattern of Publicly Defaming Islam

August 8, 2002

Source: The Washington Times

http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20020808-13967463.htm

On August 8, 2002 The Washington Times featured an article on the continuing anti-Muslim public statements of Rev. Franklin Graham. "The 50-year-old evangelist - the fourth child of the Rev. Billy Graham... is making his dislike of certain Islamic practices known far and wide. The other night on Fox News' 'Hannity and Colmes,' he said the Koran preaches violence... After...

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Controversy over Required Reading on Islam at University of North Carolina

August 7, 2002

Source: The Washington Post

On August 7, 2002, The Washington Post reported that the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill "is asking all 3,500 incoming freshmen to read a book about Islam and [now] finds itself besieged in federal court and across the airwaves by Christian evangelists and other conservatives... The university chose 'Approaching the Qur'an: The Early Revelations'... because of intense interest in Islam since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks...   To the university's faculty and some students, the dispute is about upholding UNC's...

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Controversy over Required Reading on Islam at University of North Carolina

August 7, 2002

Source: The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A57379-2002Aug7.html

On August 7, 2002, The Washington Post featured an editorial by Prof. Michael Sells. "The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, is being sued for assigning my book, Approaching the Qur'an: The Early Revelations, as required summer reading for first-year students... The plaintiffs charge that UNC indoctrinates students with deceptive claims about the...

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Editorial Addresses Criticisms of Interfaith Events and an Alternative

August 4, 2002

Source: The Providence Journal-Bulletin

On August 4, 2002 The Providence Journal-Bulletin featured an editorial response by Charles Haynes, of the First Amendment Center, to recent criticisms of Interfaith events. "In the long shadow of Sept. 11, Americans are rediscovering what most of the world has never forgotten: religious differences matter... In reality, for most Jews, Christians, Muslims and others, it does matter what you believe... Ignoring religious differences doesn't work... [The] alternative is for Americans to address religious differences...

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Interfaith Group Builds Houses in Atlanta

August 3, 2002

Source: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

On August 3, 2002 The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported that "for the next seven Sundays, an interfaith group of 400 Baha'i, Baptist, Episcopal, Jewish, Methodist, Muslim, Seventh-day Adventist and Unitarian congregation members will build a house on behalf of Atlanta Habitat for Humanity... They also are getting to know each other... Habitat started building interfaith houses a couple of years ago, but nothing as inclusive as this project, said Larrie Martin, executive director for Atlanta Habitat...

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National Council of Churches Joins Muslim Groups in Call for Interfaith Memorials

August 2, 2002

Source: The Patriot News

On August 2, 2002 The Patriot News reported that "both the National Council of Churches and a coalition of American Muslim groups are calling for interfaith observances on Sept. 11... The council of churches, representing primarily mainline Protestant and Orthodox denominations, urged [its members] to 'commemorate the tragic terrorist events of last fall in a constructive way that would broaden interfaith understanding, and to return the hospitality many mosques offered Christians after last fall's attacks.'"

Appeals Court Rules "Under God" in Pledge of Allegiance Unconstitutional

July 31, 2002

Source: The Associated Press

http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=16657

On July 31, 2002, The Associated Press reported that "Attorneys general from 48 states and two territories are calling on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to reconsider its decision that declared the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional... In a letter to the Court of Appeals, the attorneys general said the decision is legally flawed and the matter...

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California City Brings Together Leaders of Diverse Faiths to Dedicate National Motto

July 29, 2002

Source: The Bakersfield Californian

http://www.bakersfield.com/local/story/1505644p-1623213c.html

On July 29, 2002 The Bakersfield Californian reported that in Bakersfield, California "a ceremony in the council chambers will formally dedicate... 'In God We Trust'... the words that were mounted last week above the city seal behind the council dais... And representatives of the city's Islamic, Buddhist, Sikh, Hindu, Jewish, American Indian, Catholic and...

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Appeals Court Rules "Under God" in Pledge of Allegiance Unconstitutional

July 26, 2002

Source: The San Francisco Chronicle

On July 26, 2002, The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the State of California "appealed the Pledge of Allegiance case Thursday, telling a federal appeals court that school children's vow of loyalty to 'one nation under God' is not a religious invocation... The federal government and the Elk Grove Unified School District, where the case arose, are also planning appeals."

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