Interfaith

Muslims Fear Backlash from Sniper Attacks

October 26, 2002

Source: The Columbian

On October 26, 2002 The Columbian reported that "local Muslims have not experienced any backlash as a result of the arrest of a Muslim in the Washington, D.C., sniper shootings, according to Shaaban Naim, president of the Islamic Society of Southwest Washington. John Berger of the Greater Vancouver Interfaith Association said he was a little worried. 'I'm concerned that there might be a backlash,' he said. 'But I have a bit of faith in this community. I have an implicit faith that we will weather this one too.' There were no...

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Poll Shows Americans' Unfamiliarity with and Negative Views of Islam

October 25, 2002

Source: ABC News

http://more.abcnews.go.com/sections/us/dailynews/islam_poll021025.html

On October 25, 2002 ABC News released the results of an ABCNEWS/Beliefnet poll on attitudes of Americans towards Islam. "Amid broad public unfamiliarity with Islam, doubts about the religion's tenets have grown. More than a third of Americans now don't think it teaches respect for other beliefs, and nearly a quarter believe Islam encourages violence against non-...

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Religious Groups Speak Out Against War with Iraq: Oct. 2002

October 24, 2002

Source: U.S. Newswire

On October 24, 2002 U.S. Newswire reported that "Calling a unilateral pre-emptive action against Iraq immoral, more than 125 Christian leaders and representatives from Jewish and Muslim faiths in the United States have signed onto a Statement of Conscience on the Iraq War... Citing sacred texts from the Qu'ran, Jewish and Christian scriptures, and elsewhere, religious leaders caution their government to take action against Iraq only through the United Nations, if at all. The...

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Continuing Controversy Over Ten Commandments and Municipal Buildings

October 24, 2002

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...

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Houston Muslim Sues Chick-Fil-A

October 22, 2002

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."

Waukesha School Board President Urges Study of Religions in High School

October 22, 2002

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...

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Controversy Over Somali Muslim Immigrant Communities in Small N.E. Town

October 20, 2002

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...

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Author of Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths Urges Interfaith Dialogue

October 19, 2002

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."

Author of Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths Urges Interfaith Dialogue

October 19, 2002

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...

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Heifer International Holds Interfaith Prayer

October 18, 2002

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...

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Court Upholds Ruling: No Sectarian Prayers at Government Agencies

October 18, 2002

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."

The Bhajan Belt

October 18, 2002

Source: The New York Times

On October 18, 2002 The New York Times reported on "the Catskill Mountains... [which] some call... the bhajan belt, applying a word derived from Sanskrit for devotional song to an area that stretches from the holistic enterprises of New Paltz to a yoga ranch in Woodbourne. The term fits, for as much as the region is defined by dairy farms, summer campers and a John Deere ruggedness, it is also home (or second home) to the influential stars of the new New Age -- people who dine with the Dalai Lama or turn up on the cover of...

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Interfaith Volunteers Sew Lap Quilts for Houston Elderly

October 17, 2002

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."

Balinese Hindu Prayer Ceremony for Peace at University of Vermont

October 15, 2002

Source: AScribe Newswire

On October 15, 2002 AScribe Newswire reported that "two Balinese psychiatrists and visiting professors at the University of Vermont... will lead a Balinese Hindu prayer ceremony for peace and lead a discussion to correct misconceptions about their country at noon Friday, Oct. 18, on the university campus. A concurrent prayer vigil at a Hindu temple in Bali will include friends and family of Dr. Cok YaYa, a member of the Balinese royal family, and Dr. Sri Whyuni, whose family owns the Bali Post, the country's largest...

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Religious Diversity in Queens, New York

October 15, 2002

Source: The Village Voice

On October 15, 2002 The Village Voice reported that "Flushing is no longer 'the valley of ashes' that Fitzgerald described. The former cultural void brims with residents from over 30 countries. An afternoon's stroll will expose you to cultures of Asia, Europe, Africa, and South America. Heralded as the birthplace of religious freedom, Flushing teems with Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Jews, and Christians."

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