Interfaith

Hanukkah Embraces "Spirit of Religious Freedom"

December 9, 2001

Source: The Boston Globe

On December 9, 2001, The Boston Globe reported that "with the country at war and violence raging in the Holy Land, the lights of Hanukkah must burn brighter than ever, some Jews say, to help dispel the darkness. The menorah, a symbol of freedom and religious tolerance, must continue to inspire hope... For the congregation of Chabad of Westborough, [MA] tonight's public lighting of a 9-foot menorah at the town rotary captures, in a small but meaningful way, the holiday's message of faith and resolve... One year ago, the town denied...

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Muslim Women Speak at Interfaith Program

December 9, 2001

Source: The Boston Globe

On December 9, 2001, The Boston Globe reported that wearing hijab, a head scarf, is a "religious practice [that] singles a woman out in America, but the Muslim women who took part in the clergy-sponsored interfaith program [in Plymouth, MA] said they welcomed the increased attention Americans have paid to their religion after the September terrorist attacks... organizers [of the program] focused the final session of 'Exploring Islam: An Interfaith Conversation' on the role of women. Three women from the UMass-Dartmouth Islamic...

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Columbus Religious Communities React to NY Rabbi's Proposal to Join in Hannukah Celebration

December 7, 2001

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

On December 7, 2001, The Columbus Dispatch reported that a "New York rabbi wants all Americans to celebrate Hanukkah this year as a show of unity against terrorism... [he thinks] this year's Hanukkah should reaffirm all Americans' commitment to the sanctity of life, the power of communities to support their members through difficulties and the desire to build and move on." Not everyone agrees however. Ohio Christians with "Vietnamese heritage said they have participated in candlelight vigils and other expressions of unity in...

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San Diego's Large Muslim Community Becomes More Visible

December 7, 2001

Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune

On December 7, 2001, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that "today, up to 100,000 Muslims live throughout San Diego County, quietly and largely unnoticed until Sept. 11. The revelation that the county is home to 80,000 to 100,000 Muslims surprises many... 'Meet Your Muslim Neighbors,' a series of town hall meetings organized this fall by several religious and interfaith groups, is intended to bridge the void of knowledge and unfamiliarity between the region's Muslims and their non-Muslim neighbors."

Editorial: "Pearl Harbor's Legacy"

December 7, 2001

Source: USA TODAY

http://www.usatoday.com/news/comment/2001-12-07-edtwof2.htm

On December 7, 2001, USA Today featured the editorial "Pearl Harbor's legacy." It noted: "Amid all the Pearl Harbor memorials one stood out as particularly fitting � a remembrance of America's worst instincts and a tribute to its best. ... Last weekend, a group of Japanese-Americans reached out to Muslim-Americans in a Pearl Harbor ceremony at a mosque in Santa Clara, California....

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Atlanta Area Police Force Holds Interfaith Blessing for its Cars

December 6, 2001

Source: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

On December 6, 2001, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported that "religious leaders, including Buddhists, Roman Catholics, Hindus and Muslims, lined up side by side one day last week while uniformed police officers stood inside the open doors of their cars, engines roaring, blue lights flashing. Taking turns, each cleric approached a podium and offered a special prayer during the first interfaith blessing of the fleet for the Morrow Police Department... A Buddhist monk concluded the ceremony by splashing...

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The Pew Research Center: Post-September 11 Attitudes About Religion

December 6, 2001

Source: The Pew Research Center

http://www.people-press.org/120601rpt.htm

On December 6, 2001, The Pew Research Center for People and the Press released its report on Post-September 11 attitudes. The report indicated: "The Sept. 11 attacks have increased the prominence of religion in the United States to an extraordinary degree, but not at the expense of acceptance of religious minorities. Fully 78% now say religion's influence in American life is growing -- up from 37% eight months ago...

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Boston Muslims Speak to Christian Community in Marion, MA

December 6, 2001

Source: The Boston Globe

On December 6, 2001, The Boston Globe reported that "Muslims from the Islamic Society of Boston traveled to St. Gabriel's Church [in Marion, MA] last week to talk about the differences and similarities between their faith and Christianity... The session was organized by St. Gabriel's and two other town congregations, the First Congregational Church and St. Rita's Roman Catholic Church, and supported by the other three churches in Marion: the Community Baptist, the South Coast Community, and Marion United Methodist... Since Sept. 11...

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Uproar Over Wiccan Chaplain Hired at Wisconsin Prison

December 6, 2001

Source: Wisconsin State Journal

http://www.wisconsinstatejournal.com/local/8446.html

On December 6, 2001, the Wisconsin State Journal featured an article on Rev. Jamyi Witch, the new Wiccan chaplain at Waupun Correctional Institution in Wisconsin. "Rep. Scott Walker, R-Wauwatosa, head of the assembly committee that egulates prison, said he was 'offended' by Witch's religion and was looking into whether she had been hired in defiance of the state's hiring freeze... At...

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Citizens Honored at the Capitol for Support of Arab-American and Muslim Neighbors

December 5, 2001

Source: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

On December 5, 2001, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported that "members of St. Anne's Episcopal Church in Reston, Va., organized an escort service" for Muslim women in their community that felt afraid to go outside in the wake of September 11. This "program was one of three honored on Capitol Hill for acts of compassion since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks... The awards recognized 'just a few of the many Americans here in the Washington area and around the nation who responded to the terrorist attacks by...

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Pittsburgh Community Gathers at Islamic Center

December 5, 2001

Source: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

On December 5, 2001, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that a 'sold-out' crowd of more that 350 people curious about Islam "flowed into Oakland's Islamic Center of Pittsburgh for the seventh Humanity Day -- a chance to give non-Muslims a peek at the religion." Among other activities "non-Muslim women were invited to try the hijab, or head covering, and showed how to put it on and tie it. Many wore them throughout the evening."

Hanukkah Celebrated with Interfaith Service

December 5, 2001

Source: Los Angeles Times

On December 5, 2001, the Los Angeles Times reported that "Temple Beth El in Aliso Viejo [CA] will celebrate the first night of Hanukkah... with a three-faith service that will include an observance of Islam's Ramadan and Christianity's Advent. The interfaith gathering was designed as a sign of peace between religions in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks and made even more poignant by recent violence in Israel, organizers say."

Citizens Honored at the Capitol for Support of Arab-American and Muslim Neighbors

December 4, 2001

Source: Department of Energy

http://www.energy.gov/HQPress/releases01/decpr/pr01203_v.htm

On December 4, 2001, The Department of Energy issued a press release stating, "Secretary of Energy Abraham Joins Members of Congress to Present Distinguished Citizen Awards." It read, in part: "Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham was joined by Members of Congress and the Chairman of the Arab American Institute in a ceremony on Capitol Hill honoring distinguished citizens with a...

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Columbus Community Gathers for Iftar

December 4, 2001

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

On December 4, 2001, The Columbus Dispatch reported on a Columbus, OH community Iftar or meal that breaks the daylight fast of the Muslim holy month, Ramadan. "For years, the Council on American-Islamic Relations has hosted the evening to explain Islamic culture and build friendships. Such an outreach paid off after Sept. 11. Many in the community already understood that Muslims, like Christians and Jews, follow God's laws." The Mayor of Columbus attended the event as did the Superintendent of schools and other government...

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