Islam

Opening Prayers at Ohio Governmental Meetings Increase in Diversity

July 14, 2002

Source: Dayton Daily News

On July 14, 2002 Dayton Daily News reported that "prayers from... a variety of Christian denominations routinely open governmental meetings in the Miami Valley [in Ohio]... [But] a Xenia councilwoman is inviting Muslims, Hindus and representatives from other faiths to do the same... 'This is America' Patricia Felton said. 'We need to make that opportunity available to anyone who wants to speak'... Likewise in Columbus, the majority of those who lead the prayers for state legislators are Christians, but in recent years several...

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Growing Muslim Community in Louisiana

July 14, 2002

Source: The Times-Picayune

On July 14, 2002 The Times-Picayune featured an article on the Muslim community of St. Bernard Parish in Louisiana. "Since 1985, Masjid Yaseen, the mosque maintained by the Islamic Association of Arabi... has served as a place of worship for a growing community of Muslims... Unlike New Orleans, where a large number of the Muslims are Arabs, the majority of Muslims in St. Bernard Parish are from India or Pakistan. About 60 percent are Indian, 20 percent Pakistani, 10 percent Arab and 10 percent American converts. Many...

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Pakistani Muslims Fear Continued Federal Raids in Philadelphia

July 14, 2002

Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/2002/07/14/news/local/3660920.htm

On July 14, 2002 The Philadelphia Inquirer reported on the federal raids and arrests of Pakistani immigrants that are "familiar, fearsome events in this South Philadelphia... neighborhood since Sept. 11... The sweeps have sown fear and resentment in this bedraggled stretch of South Seventh Street. Ten months after the terror attacks, apprehension may...

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Religious Diversity in Texas Prisons

July 14, 2002

Source: The Dallas Morning News

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dallas/tsw/stories/071402dntextdcreligion.32e5c.html

On July 14, 2002 The Dallas Morning News reported that "at first glance, prisons may seem an unlikely place to find religion... But as inmates grapple with the despair and monotony of prison life, some find religion... In all, nearly 140 denominations are represented in the Texas Department of Criminal...

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Islamic Summer Camp in California Focuses on Peace

July 13, 2002

Source: The Fresno Bee

On July 13, 2002 The Fresno Bee featured an article on "Camp Green Meadows, the annual Sierra gathering of Islamic youth and adults," in California attended this year by "nearly 250 Muslims... The five-day camp encourages Muslims in their faith and to be productive citizens... Classes and workshops this year focused on peace and ways to dispel stereotypes that link Islam with terrorism, especially in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States."

Atlanta Area Muslim Americans Fear Profiling in Federal Investigations

July 13, 2002

Source: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/epaper/editions/saturday/news_d3f24cf51683813b008a.html

On July 13, 2002 The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported that "recent federal raids of local jewelry stores coupled with reports that terrorism suspects are under nationwide surveillance has renewed anger and fear in Atlanta's Muslim community... 'People are very frightened...

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Controversy Over Participation in Interfaith Service

July 12, 2002

Source: The New York Post

http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/45304.htm

On July 12, 2002, The New York Post reported that the "Lutheran minister suspended for taking part in an interfaith prayer service for families of Sept. 11 victims said yesterday that he had no regrets... 'I feel that I've acted with integrity,' said the Rev. David Benke, pastor of Brooklyn's St....

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Central Florida Religious Leaders Meet to Discuss Religion and Public Education

July 12, 2002

Source: The Orlando Sentinel

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-locrelschools12071202jul12.story?coll=orl%2Dhome%2Dheadlines

On July 12, 2002 The Orlando Sentinel reported that "religious leaders from a spectrum of faiths met Thursday night in a Winter Park [Florida] church to grapple with the contentious issue of religious faith and public education... Panelists agreed that teaching about...

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Book to Focus on Religious Diversity of Ohio

July 12, 2002

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

On July 12, 2002 The Columbus Dispatch reported that "the Interfaith Association of Central Ohio... and the Religious Experience Advisory Council of the Ohio Bicentennial Commission are planning [a new] book, Religion in Ohio: Over 200 Years of Experiences... As the state approaches 200, Christian and Jewish bodies remain prominent, but now they have plenty of company. [The] book for Ohio's bicentennial in 2003 also will discuss the beliefs of American Indians, Baha'is, Buddhists, Hindus, Jains, Muslims, Sikhs and...

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Islamic Council Files Profiling Complaint Against Greyhound Buses

July 12, 2002

Source: The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58462-2002Jul11.html

On July 12, 2002 The Washington Post reported a passenger and American citizen "of Middle Eastern descent was ordered off a Greyhound bus last month at the terminal in the District, prompting a complaint of ethnic profiling yesterday from... the Council on American-Islamic Relations...

...

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Controversy over Required Reading on Islam at University of North Carolina

July 12, 2002

Source: Chapel Hill Herald

On July 12, 2002 the Chapel Hill Herald reported that a "Christian advocacy group hopes to sue UNC on the grounds the book on Islam the university chose for its required summer reading program is a religious text and is therefore unconstitutional... � But university officials are defending the choice, strongly objecting to any implication that UNC is pushing Islam on its students...� The book is 'Approaching The Qur'an,' a collection of 35 translated passages from the holy work along with written commentaries on each. All new...

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Muslim Woman Denied Request to Wear Hijab in Court

July 12, 2002

Source: The Plain Dealer

On July 12, 2002 The Plain Dealer reported that "more than 50 Muslims and community leaders gathered in front of the Justice Center [in Cleveland, Ohio] to protest the jail's refusal to let an Islamic woman wear a head covering in court...    Depriving Aisha Samad of her hijab, an object with social, religious and sexual implications, was akin to demanding that a non-Muslim woman strip to the waist in public, one protester said... Samad's scarf and other belongings were taken as part of standard procedure... Rufus Sims, an...

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