Interfaith

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

October 14, 2002

Source: The Washington Post

On October 14, 2002 The Washington Post reported that "Lewiston, Maine mayor, Laurier T. Raymond, has asked the Somali elders [leaders of the Somali Muslim immigrant community] to put a stop to... immigration. In a public letter earlier this month, Raymond warned of the toll taken by so many immigrants on the city's finances and cultural fabric, and asked the elders to help stanch the flow. 'This large number of new arrivals cannot continue without negative results for all,' Raymond wrote. 'I am well aware of the legal right...

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

October 14, 2002

Source: Portland Press Herald

http://www.portland.com/news/state/021014lewiston.shtml

On October 14, 2002 the Portland Press Herald reported that "about 300 people Sunday joined a peaceful march to show support for Somali immigrants. The one-mile march originally was planned as a Sunday school procession, but it was opened to the entire community after Lewiston's mayor issued a letter expressing concerns that local services will be strained if many more Somalis...

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Civic and Religious Leaders Prepare for Donovan Jackson Beating Case

October 14, 2002

Source: Los Angeles Times

On October 14, 2002 Los Angeles Times reported that "the trial of the two police officers accused in the Donovan Jackson beating case won't start for weeks or even months. But in Inglewood, civic leaders are feverishly organizing for the day a verdict is reached... Worried that an unpopular outcome could prompt violence in a mostly minority city that has begun to lift itself out of a years-long economic slump, members of the Inglewood Peace...

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George Pataki Signed Bill that Requires Accommodations for Religious Observances

October 14, 2002

Source: Newsday

On October 14, 2002 Newsday reported that "backed by local representatives from a variety of faiths, [NY] Gov. George Pataki in Cedarhurst yesterday signed into law a bill that requires employers to make reasonable efforts to accommodate their employees' religious observances. The bill, introduced in the State Senate by Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre), strengthens an existing state law. The earlier law required employers to accommodate their workers' Sabbath and holiday observances, unless it would impose an undue hardship on the...

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Corpus Christi Muslim Leader Reaches Out to Local Community

October 14, 2002

Source: Corpus Christi Caller-Times

On October 14, 2002 the Corpus Christi Caller-Times reported that "Usama Nassar, an Islamic leader and member of the mosque on McArdle Road... said he and other local Muslims have been pursuing a public relations campaign of sorts to prove to the community that people of the Islamic faith are the same as anyone else living in Corpus Christi [TX]. Nassar added that he is looking forward to Nov. 3, when the mosque and the local chapter of the National Conference for Community and Justice will hold a forum called '...

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Larchmont, Virginia's Cultural Diversity

October 13, 2002

Source: The Virginian-Pilot

On October 13, 2002 The Virginian-Pilot reported that "Larchmont has the highest concentration of foreign-born residents of any neighborhood in Hampton Roads, according to new figures from the 2000 census... it is a hodgepodge of religions: Christian and Muslim and Jewish and Hindu and Buddhist."

Controversy over Required Reading on Islam at University of North Carolina

October 13, 2002

Source: Chapel Hill Herald

On October 13, 2002 Chapel Hill Herald reported that "the ongoing squabble about a summer reading assignment drawn mainly from the Quran figured prominently in UNC's 209th birthday celebration on Saturday. Speakers at two University Day events alluded directly to the controversy and praised Chancellor James Moeser and other officials for defending the faculty's right to have asked incoming freshmen to read Approaching the Qur'an: The Early Revelations."

Non-Denominational Jewish Community Center in Salt Lake City

October 12, 2002

Source: The Deseret News

On October 12, 2002 The Deseret News reported that "the Jeanne Wagner Jewish Community Center [in Salt Lake City] is unusual because its membership is about two-thirds non-Jewish, making it one of the highest such ratios in the nation. While the center will offer patrons an indirect exposure to and limited education about Jewish culture and religion... The center is intended to reflect Judaism's strong family-oriented values. Jewish restrictions on the eating of pork and shell fish are evident in the offerings at the center's...

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Reactions to Falwell's Statement "Mohammed was a Terrorist"

October 12, 2002

Source: Capital Times

On October 12, 2002 Capital Times reported that "more than 60 Madison [WI] Muslims held a protest march Friday to counter what they said were bigoted comments by the Rev. Jerry Falwell, who in a TV interview last described the prophet Mohammed as a terrorist. As the group walked up State Street, they sang prayers and some discussed the charged atmosphere in which they were delivering their message of understanding and awareness. Congressional passage of a resolution authorizing President Bush to use force against Iraq created...

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Cordial Interfaith Session: Free of Politics

October 12, 2002

Source: St. Petersburg Times

On October 12, 2002 St. Petersburg Times reported that "a cordial interfaith session [was] organized by the [B'nai Israel of St. Petersburg] synagogue's adult studies program. The occasion was studiously free of politics, steering clear of Israel, the Palestinians and other contentious issues. Barry Augenbraun, a member of Congregation B'nai Israel and an active member of the Jewish community, said he was not disappointed that Israel was not discussed."

Jewish Students Install Torah in Boston College

October 12, 2002

Source: The Boston Globe

On October 12, 2002 The Boston Globe reported that "Boston College's Jewish community was largely invisible as recently as the mid-90s. But with the revival of a Jewish student activities group, the creation of a multifaith worship center and the establishment two years ago of the Center for Jewish-Christian learning, Jewish students no longer have to leave campus to embrace their faith. In a ceremony yesterday that in a way marked a crowning achievement of the college's Jewish community, the school welcomed the Torah, and installed...

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Debate about Organ Donations

October 12, 2002

Source: Los Angeles Times

On October 12, 2002 the Los Angeles Times reported that "the questions of when death begins and when donated organs may be used have raised a thicket of moral issues... The Catholic Church and Islamic groups see such acts as charity. Among Jews, a debate rages. Rabbis from opposing camps continue to vociferously debate when death begins-- at the cessation of neurological functions, known as brain death, or when the heart and respiratory systems fail. The definition is key to organ donations, because doctors using heart-lung...

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Presbyterians Organize Interfaith Exchanges

October 12, 2002

Source: The Commercial Appeal

On October 12, 2002 The Commercial Appeal reported that "Christians were invited to the prayer service [at the mosque near the banks of the Ohio River] as part of an interfaith listening project organized by the Presbyterian Church (USA)... The church recruited seven teams from overseas, each consisting of one Muslim and one Christian, to visit Presbyterian congregations throughout the United States and - where possible - to bring together members of local churches and mosques."

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

October 11, 2002

Source: Rocky Mountain News

On October 11, 2002 Rocky Mountain News reported that "seven Colorado clergy... pleaded for peace at a news conference Thursday on the steps of the Denver City and County Building... the group also included leaders from the Lutheran, Catholic, United Church of Christ and Quaker churches, as well as an imam from a Lakewood mosque. Sister Cecily Jones of the Sisters of Loretto order said more than 130,000 Americans have signed a 'peace pledge' on behalf of Iraq."

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