Source: The Washington Times

On September 1, 2002 The Washington Times reported that "a national campaign is swelling in support of the Rev. David Benke, who was expelled from his post as head of the New York-area Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod for praying at a Yankee Stadium interfaith event after the terrorist attacks on the city. The 'It's OK to Pray' theme, being pushed by Mr. Benke's supporters in the 2.6 million-member conservative denomination, comes as a church review board considers his appeal that he did not commit 'syncretism' or 'unionism...

Source: Reconstructionism Today

On September 1, 2002 Reconstructionism Today reported on "a congregation serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and questioning (GLBTQ) community... [and the] quarter-century-old umbrella organization, The World Congress of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Jewish Organizations: Keshet Ga'avah. Jewish organizations serving the needs of the queer community have learned that these needs are as diverse as those of other Jews."

Source: The Seattle Times

On August 31, 2002 The Seattle Times reported that "religions [are struggling] for appropriate ways to mark the 1st anniversary of attacks... One year after pastors, rabbis and imams struggled for the appropriate words to comfort a shocked and wounded nation, they are grasping again for just the right words to mourn the loss, acknowledge the pain and look to the future. Finding that religious-cultural balance one year later can be precarious, many liturgists said. Many bristle at the notion of using the anniversary to rekindle...

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

On August 31, 2002 St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported on how "the Metro East [of St. Louis, Missouri benefited] by an interfaith network where lay people and leaders [got] to know each other, [held] joint worship events on Thanksgiving and Memorial Day and [worked] together... In early June [of 2002], [Cathy] Stoltz, [Brent] Shapiro and Dr. Muhlyuddin Khalid, a Belleville mosque founder, met for dinner and officially founded the Metro East Interfaith Alliance."

Source: The Boston Globe

On August 31, 2002 The Boston Globe reported that [Massachusetts] teens have "realized that as faithful Muslims they had an important obligation. 'Now I feel like we have more responsibility to do outreach and tell people about Islam,' said Kazmi, a sophomore at Notre Dame Academy in Worcester. 'If you don't tell them about Islam, they look to Osama bin Laden or suicide bombers [for answers to what Islam is.]' Following the attacks, Mohammad started a Muslim club at Belmont High and is [organizing] an interfaith group in her...

Source: Newsday

On August 31, 2002 Newsday reported that "[New York] houses of worship [will] offer special services, prayers and music to mark September 11... The Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church in Whitestone would build a shrine. 'One of St. Francis of Assisi's prayers is for peace,' says Latona, pastor of the 1,000-member congregation. For the Islamic Center of Long Island in Westbury, marking the first anniversary of the attacks will be about healing, for the families of the victims and also for the Muslim community. 'As we were mourning the...

Source: Copley News Service

On August 30, 2002 Copley News Service reported that Sheriff Lee Baca of Los Angeles "announced Thursday he will mark the first anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks with an interfaith prayer vigil designed to promote harmony between religious faiths...

���Representatives of Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Islam, Jewish, Hindu and other faiths will convene that day ... The 'Towers of Faith Prayer Vigil' event, which is open to the public, is seen as a way of celebrating the region's religious, ethnic and...

Source: The Associated Press

On August 29, 2002 The Associated Press reported that on the night of September 11, someone draped [Minnesota's Islamic Al-Amal] school in toilet paper, a usually benign prank that struck fear into students, parents and administrators in the context of the terror attacks. Since then, Al-Amal School has been reborn, determined to connect with its neighbors and demystify Islam. 'We felt the need to be more outspoken about the moral aspect and the peaceful aspect of our religion,' said Principal Salah Ayari. When police caught...

Source: University Daily Kansan

On August 29, 2002 University Daily Kansan reported on the challenges of non-Christian groups on [the Kansas University] campus. It reported on difficulties such as "Jay Lewis, executive director of the KU Hillel Foundation, explained that [having classes during holy days] was a problem for the Jewish students in early fall... 'The high holidays -- Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur -- come so early in the school year,' Lewis said. 'That's a day that students should spend all day in a synagogue. It's hard to just take days off.'...

Source: The Charlotte Observer

On August 29, 2002 The Charlotte Observer reported that "the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond refused to stop seminar conversations about the Quran at the University of North Carolina... The appellate rejection by a three-judge panel upheld a lower-court ruling by a Greensboro, N.C., judge."

Source: The Denver Post

On August 29, 2002 The Denver Post reported that Aspen Elementary School's plans to start a pilot program called Yoga Ed has stirred up a controversy over separation of church and state. The report states, "several parents have objected to their little ones participating in what they see as something bordering on a mystical religious practice. The school now plans to hold a meeting for parents next week to explain the program. 'I wish I could just change the name of this to 'stretching and breathing' and call it good,' said...

Source: Ctnow

On August 29, 2002 Ctnow reported that "many [American Muslims] are preparing to talk, even more, about their religion, having been thrust into the role of unofficial spokesmen for Islam, caught between those who use Islam to justify terrorism and those who equate it with the terrorist attacks. An August survey of 945 Muslim American households, by the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Washington, found that 57 percent experienced bias or discrimination after the 9/11 attacks. Also, 79 percent reported acts of kindness and support from...

Source: The Associated Press

On August 29, 2002 The Associated Press reported that a "Jewish-Muslim doubles team advances at U.S. Open... Amir Hadad is from Israel and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi is from Pakistan. In these troubled times, they play together, concerned less with symbolism than with serves... And the political implications?    'I never even thought of it,' Qureshi said. 'We're just sports. I don't believe to bring religion or politics to tennis. That's the main part of sports. Everybody gets together, people from all religions, backgrounds....

Source: The Associated Press

On August 28, 2002, The Associated Press reported that "a small wooden cross, an American flag and pink and yellow flowers stand in front of a suburban Phoenix gas station as testimony to a family and community's grief...    Americans were still reeling from the Sept. 11 attacks when shots rang out on this Mesa street corner four days later, killing station owner Balbir Singh Sodhi. As in the attacks, the sorrow over Sodhi's death remains strong nearly a year later... Authorities say Sodhi, an Indian immigrant, was shot...

Source: Hospital Topics

In the Winter, 2002 issue, Hospital Topics reported that "to be effective, [hospital] managers must have a basic understanding of the implications of cultural, ethnic, and religious diversity, as the number of Americans whose culture, ethnicity, and religion differ from those of the American mainstream increases... This means that the expectations and needs of diverse staff and, as important, the various patients treated in [hospitals] must be understood and met to the greatest extent possible... [The article] provides a basic...