Islam

Religious Centers Grow with Northern Virginia Population

July 11, 2002

Source: The Washington Post

On July 11, 2002 The Washington Post reported that "followers of the Baha'i faith plan to begin construction this summer on their first center in Northern Virginia, an 18,000-square-foot building in Sterling that would serve the religious and community needs of more than 1,000 people... Local Baha'is held a groundbreaking ceremony in May. Several said they anticipate that construction will begin soon and hope that the center will open as early as next summer... Baha'is have only recently experienced the kind of growth...

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California Governor Sings Bill to Help Protect Integrity of Halal Products

July 9, 2002

Source: Los Angeles Times

On July 9, 2002 the Los Angeles Times reported that "a bill making it a misdemeanor to sell food products falsely labeled as halal, or sanctioned by Islamic law, was signed into law Monday by Gov. Gray Davis [of California]... during a news conference at the Islamic Cultural Center in Los Angeles... 'Halal is the Islamic equivalent to the Jewish kosher, and therefore a sacred necessity for the Islamic faithful,' Davis said... The law establishes a penalty of as much as 90 days in jail and a $600 fine for...

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Muslim Legal Defense Fund Formed to Represent Muslim Americans

July 8, 2002

Source: Chicago Sun-Times

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-islam08.html

On July 8, 2002 the Chicago Sun-Times reported that "a network of Muslim attorneys across the nation has formed the Muslim Legal Defense and Education Fund to give legal representation to the more than 1,400 Muslims who have been detained by the U.S. government since Sept. 11, organizers said Sunday... The defense fund now is representing...

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Groups Work to Alleviate Troubling Discrimination in Southern California's Housing

July 8, 2002

Source: Los Angeles Times

On July 8, 2002 the Los Angeles Times featured an article on discrimination faced by Muslim Americans and South Asian Americans when renting apartments in Southern California. "Anxiety... heightened in May when the FBI issued a memo saying terrorists might target apartment buildings with explosives... The Los Angeles Police Department followed that memo by releasing a list of guidelines that encouraged owners to be more vigilant about prospective tenants... Some housing advocates and civil rights attorneys worry that the...

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Muslims Continue to be Detained and Deported

July 8, 2002

Source: The South Florida Sun-Sentinel

On July 8, 2002 The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported that "Since Sept. 11, the Immigration and Naturalization Service has rounded up hundreds of Muslims, including an estimated dozens in South Florida, as part of far-reaching terror investigations... Some of those detained were held for months before their release or deportation. None is known to have been charged with any terror-related activity... According to Amnesty International, which sued the government and received a list of 718 detainees in January,...

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Muslim and Jewish Children Share Salaam-Shalom Circus in St. Louis

July 6, 2002

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

On July 6, 2002 the St. Louis Post-Dispatch featured an article on the interfaith bridges being built at the City Museum in St. Louis's Salaam-Shalom Circus, "a year-round circus class with Muslim and Jewish children and their parents." The participants come from the Central Reform Congregation where "parents eagerly embraced the chance for an interfaith experience... Their partners in the interfaith bridge building are parents and children from Clara Muhammad School... Along the way, the parents have even invited one...

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Muslim Advocacy Group Backs Jewish and Muslim Police Deputies Fighting Uniform Policy

July 6, 2002

Source: The Chicago Tribune

On July 6, 2002, The Chicago Tribune reported that "two Cook County sheriff's police deputies will be allowed to wear religious head coverings while on duty, the sheriff's office announced Friday, apparently resolving a controversy that tested the limits of religious freedom on the job... Sgt. Larry Davidson, an Orthodox Jew, will be permitted to wear his yarmulke, and Crystal Clark, a Muslim, will be allowed to wear a scarf. But both must cover their religious headwear with a department-issued cap or hat."

Appeals Court Rules "Under God" in Pledge of Allegiance Unconstitutional

July 6, 2002

Source: The Providence Journal

http://www.projo.com/opinion/contributors/content/projo_20020706_cthicks6.835aa.html

On July 6, 2002, The Providence Journal featured an editorial by Prof. Douglas Hicks of the University of Richmond entitled "Let's Pledge to Respect Differing Beliefs." The piece emphasizes that "'One nation under God' means different things to different Americans... Both critics and supporters of the...

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California Parents File Complaints Over Teachings about Islam

July 6, 2002

Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune

On July 6, 2002, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that "a Christian law firm is suing a San Francisco Bay Area school district, alleging it violated the Constitution with its way of teaching the Islamic religion to students. At issue is a world history lesson conducted at Excelsior School in the Byron Union School District... in October 2001. In a seventh-grade class, students reportedly were required to participate in various exercise simulations including selecting a Muslim name, wearing traditional Muslim...

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Universities Expand Offerings on Islamic Studies and Hire New Specialist Professors

July 5, 2002

Source: The San Francisco Chronicle

On July 5, 2002 The San Francisco Chronicle reported that "campuses across the nation, from Stanford to the University of Oklahoma and the State University of New York at Binghamton found that after the terrorist attacks they were unprepared for the new interest in Islam and the Middle East... They are now scrambling to beef up in the fields. In many cases, the hiring process, which usually takes more than a year, is being fast-tracked to get specialists into the classroom."

Long Island Teachers Take Seminar on Islam

July 5, 2002

Source: Newsday

On July 5, 2002 Newsday reported that due to immigration, more Muslim students are attending Jericho High School in a predominantly Jewish area of Long Island, NY. "Hoping to learn more about a religion that for many Long Islanders remains steeped in mystery, and sometimes outright suspicion,... about a dozen Jericho social studies teachers spent two days this week attending a 15-hour seminar on Islam at the high school... The seminar, which included sections on Islamic phrases, the role of women, the history shared by Jews, Christians...

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Latino Muslims Receive More Attention and Support

July 5, 2002

Source: The Chicago Tribune

On July 5, 2002 The Chicago Tribune featured an article on Chicago's Latino Muslim population, "a group consisting of perhaps tens of thousands of Spanish-speaking individuals who share Islam, but privately, without an overarching network or broad cultural background to support them... Among more established Muslim groups in Chicago and nationwide, however, a growing conviction has emerged that this subset of American Islam deserves a greater voice... One sign is that issues particular to Latino Muslims will headline a...

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Immigrants Become Citizens on July 4

July 5, 2002

Source: The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/77353_citizen05.shtml

On July 5, 2002 The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported that this fourth of July in Seattle, "311 immigrants from 65 countries celebrated becoming American citizens at the Ethnic Heritage Council's 18th annual naturalization ceremony... The event drew hundreds more spectators and a long list of speakers,...

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Appeals Court Rules "Under God" in Pledge of Allegiance Unconstitutional

July 3, 2002

Source: Los Angeles Times

On July 3, 2002, the Los Angeles Times reported that last week's two U.S. court rulings concerning religion in the public square demonstrate the strong "disagreements over the relationship between God and public life in America... First, a federal appeals court ruled that religion could not be part of a daily ritual of public school life... The next day, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that religious schools could receive public school dollars... The Rev. C. Welton Gaddy, executive director of the Washington-based Interfaith...

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