Source: BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3325285.stm

On December 18, 2003 the BBC News ran an article on the history of secularism in France, in light of the recent debate over the ban of religious symbols in French public schools: "Secularism is the closest thing the French have to a state religion. It underpinned the French Revolution and has been a basic tenet of the country's progressive thought since the 18th Century. To this day, anything that smacks of...

Source: IslamOnline.net

http://www.islam-online.net/English/News/2003-12/17/article02.shtml

On December 17, 2003 IslamOnline.net reported, "The French Muslim Council lambasted...a government report on secularity and religion, dismissing it as an 'affront' to the Muslim community in the western European country. In an open message to French President Jacques Chirac...the council said secularism in France took 'a step backward' after a government...

Source: IslamOnline.net

http://www.islam-online.net/English/News/2003-12/17/article04.shtml

On December 17, 2003 IslamOnline.net reported, "A new Islamic center is under construction in Rotterdam, with funds from a United Arab Emirates charity and the support of such prominent officials as the mayor of the Netherlands second largest city. Maktoum Charity Foundation had decided to pay for the entire cost of the construction, estimated at four million...

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: Yahoo! News

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 Houston Chronicle

On December 16, 2003 The Houston Chronicle reported that "a taste of Islam has come to Meyerland [TX], the cradle of Houston's Jewish community... Inside the Citgo convenience store on Beechnut and the West Loop, a Turkish Muslim named Mustafa Ozen has opened a Burger Express featuring meat certified as halal, permitted by Islamic dietary law... Muslims from other suburbs, like convert Christine Young, a dental hygienist, drive to Meyerland to eat there because halal hamburgers are a rarity in Houston, she said."

Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Inc.

http://www.rferl.org/nca/features/2003/12/16122003165720.asp

On December 16, 2003 Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Inc. reported, "In Kosovo this year, thousands of Muslim Kosovar Albanians will again be attending midnight Mass along with their Christian neighbors...[Dom Nosh Gjolaj, a priest at St. Ndou Roman Catholic Church] says he does not know how or precisely when the custom of interfaith visitation began in...

Source: Metro West Daily News

http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/local_regional/nthb_curriculum12152003.htm

On December 15, 2003 Metro West Daily News reported that "the Northborough K-8 School Committee approved the curriculum for the Alhuda Academy, a Muslim school formerly located in Westborough.The school, which is prekindergarten through ninth grade, is located on Southwest Cutoff in the former building of Al-Hamra...

Source: Mother Jones

http://www.motherjones.com/news/dailymojo/2003/12/12_517.html

On December 15, 2003 Mother Jones ran an article on the proposed ban of religious symbols in French public schools: "Although the new recommendation includes Jewish kippot (skullcaps) and large Christian crosses, the real debate centers around the hijab, or headscarf, worn by some Muslim women. Arguments differ on why the headscarves should be banned, feminists argue that it is...

Source: Zenit News Agency

http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=46236

On December 15, 2003 Zenit News Agency reported, "John Paul II urged Sudan's bishops and Catholic faithful to make their contribution and respond to their country's urgent social needs. The Pope encouraged the Church's growth in the war-torn country when he received the Sudanese Catholic bishops in audience today, at the end of their five-yearly visit to Rome...'A tentative opening on...

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: 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: The Houston Chronicle

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/religion/2293190

On December 13, 2003 The Houston Chronicle reported that Houston Muslims came out in full force last week to celebrate the election of M.J. Khan to the Houston City Council with 53.2 percent . "'The whole community is pretty excited,' said Naveed Quraishi, a 48-year-old NASA engineer whose family volunteered on Khan's campaign. 'They did something and it worked. We backed a...

Source: New Straits Times

http://www.mmail.com.my/Current_News/NST/Saturday/Columns/20031213081425/Article/

On December 13, 2003 the New Straits Times ran a column by Rizal Andalas, arguing that the proposed ban of "conspicious" religious symbols in France's public schools constitutes a violation of freedom of religion. Andalas writes, "[T]he proposed ban, while largely understandable when seen through the prism of French...