Source: The Bellingham Herald

[bellinghamherald.com/stories/20031219/TopStories/168888.shtml]

On December 19, 2003 The Bellingham Herald reported on how Muslims, Jews, Sikhs, and Pagans celebrate the Christmas holiday season. Interviews reveal that many local Sikhs exchange gifts, that some local Muslims put up Christmas trees, and that Jews sometimes celebrate secular Christmas along with Hannukah. Pagan celebrationsoften involve time for introspection and a ritual commemorating the winter solstice.

Source: Akron Leader

http://www.akron.com/20031218/FPAGE/spread.htm

On December 18, 2003 the Akron Leader reported on the Akron Area Interfaith Council (AAIC), an organization of leaders and lay people representing 20 houses of worship that promotes understanding and religious tolerance.Christians from Unitarian Universalist, Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Episcopalian and Baptist churches are represented, as are members of Islamic, Jewish and Buddhist houses...

Source: Yahoo! News

Source: The Associated Press

http://www.newhousenews.com/archive/okeefe121803.html

On December 17, 2003 The Associated Press reported that Judea Pearl, the father of journalist Daniel Pearl, is transforming his son's February 2002 murder into an opportunity for dialogue between Muslims and Jews. Pearl is teaming with Islamic scholar Akbar Ahmed to pursue "an insightful and unconventional perspective, an unshaken belief in the effectiveness of education and...

Source: NCM

http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=ec1ff42f6189fb8627f8fa29b48ba6a0

On December 16, 2003 NCM reported, "Braving the bitter cold and frost after the East Coast's first major snowstorm, two dozen Vietnamese Americans staged a hunger strike in front of the United Nations headquarters in New York last week to demand an end to religious persecution in Vietnam, reports Vietnamese-language weekly...

Source: The Times of India

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/xml/uncomp/articleshow?msid=360962

On December 16, 2003 The Times of India reported, "Standing side by side on the corner of a road at IS Sadan, Saidabad, a temple and a masjid have become a lasting example of communal harmony in the bustling locality. A deep and long-standing friendship between the purohit and the mouzan has made that possible. The mouzan, Syed Pahelwan Ali...

Source: The Star

Source: The Times of India

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/xml/uncomp/articleshow?msid=357370

On December 14, 2003 The Times of India reported, "Perhaps for the first time, Christmas will be celebrated inside a temple and that too with bhajans, kirtans and sufi songs. It may not be Yuletide spirit exactly, but the message of peace and joy will come alive at Maatrimandir, near Deshapriya Park in south Kolkata on Sunday. This unique...

Source: The Indian Express

http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=37174

On December 14, 2003 The Indian Express reported, "Last month the bombing of a mosque [in the North Indian city of Nanded] triggered riots that went on for a week. In a place where Hindus and Muslims clash at the drop of a grenade, the Sikh community plays the all-important role of the neutral party that often mediates and mends. They enjoy a peaceful existence away from the...

Source: Zenit News Agency

http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=46168

On December 14, 2003 Zenit News Agency released the text of an address Pope John Paul II delivered to Walter Woon, the new ambassador of Singapore, on the occasion of Woon's visit to the Vatican: "The time I spent in Singapore allowed me the opportunity to experience at first hand a culture shaped by the influence of so many different ethnic and religious groups, which have for years...

Source: Cleveland Jewish News

http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/articles/2003/12/22/news/israel/rparty1215.txt

On December 14, 2003 Cleveland Jewish News reported, "Thousands of Jews and Arabs fill the winding stone alleyways of a Haifa neighborhood sampling latkes, roasted chestnuts and pastries dripping in honey at a coexistence festival to mark the holidays of Chanukah, Christmas and Ramadan...Now in its 10th year, The Festival of...

Source: Raleigh News and Observer

http://www.courierpress.com/ecp/religion/article/0,1626,ECP_782_2499592,

On December 13, 2003 Raleigh News and Observer reported that "Trust Me," a documentary on the first Elk Shoals Interfaith Camp, organized in response to 9/11, will soon be aired on Showtime. The summer camp "brings together 32 boys, ages 9 to 13 - Christians from Ashe County and environs, Jews from Charlotte, Muslims from Greensboro. But the...

Source: Knoxville News-Sentinel

http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/religion/article/0,1406,KNS_315_2499777,00.h

On December 13, 2003 the Knoxville News-Sentinel reported that "the Knoxville office of the National Conference for Community and Justice and the East Tennessee Interfaith Alliance sponsored the interfaith dialogue, 'One Season, Many Holidays; One Nation, Many Faiths,' Thursday, Dec. 4, at the Magnolia Avenue campus of Pellissippi State Technical...

Source: San Jose Mercury News

http://www.bayarea.com/mld/cctimes/news/7483256.htm

On December 13, 2003 the San Jose Mercury News reported on the problems that plague interfaith relationships during the holiday season. The article notes that "childhood memories, religious faith and pressure from in-laws all can add layers of complication to the task of developing new traditions as a couple and family. Even partners who come from different denominations can clash: Do...

Source: The Herald

http://www.heraldonline.com/local/story/3124008p-2828730c.html

On December 12, 2003 The Herald reported, "Gov. Mark Sanford has bestowed the state's official blessings on Parrotheads, the martial arts, poultry and former President Ronald Reagan, so his refusal to issue a proclamation celebrating the state's religious diversity mystified a University of South Carolina professor. At a public forum earlier this week, Dr. Carl Evans, chairman...