Source: Newsday

On March 20, 2003 Newsday reported that "Bruce Feiler is an unlikely evangelist. Not five minutes into a conversation, the best-selling writer of Walking the Bible, and Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths pronounces that the media have missed the most important religion story of our time... And no, he does not mean the much-hyped clash of civilizations between Islam and the West... Feiler is referring to a story unfolding quietly and off the radar screen from Peoria [IL] to Patchogue [NY]: people of different faiths...

Source: The Denver Post

On March 20, 2003 The Denver Post printed an editorial stating that "in the tense days ahead, we urge Coloradans to resist any temptation to make our Muslim neighbors the focus of anger toward Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein... Although Hussein's Ba'athist Party is markedly secular - indeed, some may properly say the dictator has been anything but devout - he recently 'rediscovered' his Islamic roots in a transparent attempt to win sympathy among the world's 1.5 billion Muslims... It's important to keep in mind that Saddam Hussein...

Source: Spokesman Review

On March 20, 2003 Spokesman Review reported that "members of the Baha'i Faith in Spokane and Coeur d'Alene will celebrate Naw Ruz or New Year on Friday, the first day of spring... This holy day is observed around the world, not only by Baha'is but also by Shi'ite Muslims and Zoroastrians in Iran."

Source: Tolerance.org

http://www.tolerance.org/news/article_print.jsp?id=731

On March 20, 2003 Tolerance.org reported that "suspicion, backlash, anger and fear... are the homeland insecurities that surround us in times of war... Muslims will feel it. Arab-Americans will feel it. Peace activists will feel it. The divides that separate us will be drawn into sharper relief... If 9.11 taught us anything, it taught us that our biases are emboldened in times of stress and...

Source: Los Angeles Times

On March 20, 2003 the Los Angeles Times reported that "at precisely 15 seconds before 5 o'clock tonight, a million Southern Californians of Persian descent will mark the beginning of their new year... Thanks to the Internet, the ancient story is recounted on a handful of Persian Web sites. The two-week celebration is the most important in Persian culture. Because invaders hate the old traditions, whenever Persia -- modern-day Iran -- was conquered through the millennia, the new leaders tried to erase the celebration from the...

Source: The Associated Press

On March 20, 2003 The Associated Press reported that "each Wednesday, four veterans of the U.S. military kneel and offer prayers for peace - using words of the faithful from all over the world - at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in the Yakima Valley... There are Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist, Bahai and even Zoroastrian prayers... 'We just don't think we have an exclusive voice to heaven,' said Bill Flower, 66, an Army veteran and a lifelong member of Holy Trinity... The idea came from the church's Spokane Diocese, which...

Source: Indystar

http://www.indystar.com/print/articles/2/029932-7392-092.html

On March 19, 2003 the Indystar reported that "Muslims in Indianapolis are preparing for a possible backlash in the wake of a U.S. war against Iraq... Leaders at the Islamic Society of North America and its mosque in Plainfield are distributing copies of the Muslim Community Safety Kit to help mosques nationwide. The kit is essentially a checklist of safety tips and legal advice......

Source: Democrat and Chronicle

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/news/0319story2_news.shtml

On March 19, 2003 Democrat and Chronicle reported that "the near certainty of war with Iraq raised hard questions and deep worries here Tuesday, perhaps especially with those who have cultural and ethnic links to the Middle East... At the University of Rochester [NY], sophomore Akshina Samtani questioned the need for war... 'I do understand we’re dealing with...

Source: The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47098-2003Mar18.html

On March 18, 2003 The Washington Post reported that "Civil-rights groups and immigration advocacy organizations are protesting one element in the government's security procedures announced yesterday in anticipation of war in Iraq--a decision to jail asylum seekers from dozens of mostly Muslim nations while officials check out their claims of persecution in...

Source: The Associated Press

http://www.azdailysun.com/non_sec/nav_includes/story.cfm?storyID=61962

On March 18, 2003 The Associated Press reported that "having had months to focus on the buildup toward conflict, America's anti-war activists say they are ready to mark the first days of war with protests in dozens of cities coast to coast... They vow to block federal buildings, military compounds and streets in a rash of peaceful civil disobedience....

Source: Mercury News

http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/5418922.htm

On March 18, 2003 the Mercury News reported that "on the verge of a likely war against Iraq, FBI agents in the Bay Area, like their counterparts around the country, are interviewing hundreds of Iraqis to harvest information that could help the United States win a war and fight terrorism... At the same time, they're trying to ease the worries of Arab Americans who fear being...

Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/112965_aboard18.shtml

On March 18, 2003 the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported that "it is here... abroad the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Persian Gulf... on folding metal chairs, that shipmates utter private secrets and confessions, gather in Wicca circles for meditation, study Bible verses, offer up devout prayers to Allah, work their rosary beads, celebrate the Jewish Sabbath... The number of...

Source: Reuters

Source: The Fresno Bee

http ://w ww.fresnoneighbors.com/showcase/story/6364678p-7313029c.html

On March 17, 2003 The Fresno Bee reported that "the growth of congregations in Fresno [CA] is also coming from religions other than Christianity. The Fresno Betsuin Buddhist Temple on Kern Street recently bought a 7-acre parcel on Alluvial Avenue near Willow Avenue. It has been downtown for more than a century... A new Sikh temple is being built on 14 acres of vineyard south of Fresno near Highway 99 and a $5 million Central...

Source: The New York Times