Source: Messenger-Inquirer

http://www.messenger-inquirer.com/columnists/owen/3382699.htm

On July 28, 2001, the Messenger-Inquirer reported on the growing religious diversity in the Bible Belt. "About 200 Jains and about as many Sikhs live in west-central Kentucky and Tennessee now... Bowling Green has 2,000 actively practicing Muslims, mostly Bosnian immigrants... Nashville has about 24,000 Hispanics, compared to 2,700 a decade ago." Thomas Russell and...

Source: The Arizona Republic

On July 28, 2001, The Arizona Republic reported on Torkom Saraydarian. "Through his philosophy, which he called Ageless Wisdom, he drew from the teachings of the world's religions to help others fulfill their destinies. He died at age 80 in 1997...Today in Cave Creek, his daughter, Gita Saraydarian, carries on her father's legacy by publishing his books and teaching classes...'It's a blend of Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity and Sufi,'" she said.

Source: The Council on American-Islamic Relations

On July 27, 2001, the Council on American-Islamic Relations reported that "members of the CAIR's Northern California office met recently with Congressman Mike Honda (D-CA)...Rep. Honda voiced support for..."The Secret Evidence Repeal Act," and acknowledged the unconstitutional nature of secret evidence and its use against Muslim and Arab-Americans...Honda outlined similarities between the experiences of the Japanese-American community and those of American Muslims."

Source: The Council on American-Islamic Relations

On July 27, 2001, the Council on American-Islamic Relations reported that they will be sponsoring a fund-raising dinner for Imam Jamil Al-Amin on August 3 in Santa Clara.

Source: The New Jersey Star-Ledger

On July 26, 2001, The New Jersey Star-Ledger published an editorial on Democrat Jim McGreevey's response when Republican Bret Schundler appeared before the American Muslim Alliance. "McGreevey,...playing on stereotypes, whispered to a group of...Jewish leaders about Schundler's meeting with the Muslim group. The impression intended -- and the one left -- was that Schundler had appeared last spring before an anti-Israel group that endorses terrorism" and accepted money from them. "For McGreevey to resort to tactics that he...

Source: The Daily Southtown

On July 26, 2001, The Daily Southtown reported that "a Chicago high school student said he was handcuffed and severely beaten by school officials because of his [Islamic] religion, according to a lawsuit filed on his behalf...in federal court...Yahya Hussain, 17,...is suing a teacher, three Chicago police officers, the Chicago Board of Education and the city of Chicago...In April...he was assaulted by a Chicago police officer at the school."

Source: The Baltimore Sun

on July 24, 2001, The Baltimore Sun reported on "a weeklong vigil [in Baltimore] honoring more than 130 Israelis killed since Israeli-Palestinian peace talks broke down in September...Vigil organizers with the Baltimore Zionist District, an Israel advocacy group, said the event is meant to personalize the killings and highlight the senselessness for Jews and gentiles alike." 500 Palestinians have also been killed in the fighting.

Source: The Sun Herald

On July 24, 2001, The Sun Herald reported that "pork is no longer on the menu at the Harrison County jail...because a growing population of Muslim inmates cannot eat pork or pork products for religious reasons." The change is a result of the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

Source: The Washington Post

On July 23, 2001, The Washington Post reported that "state officials announced that the petition drive [to repeal Maryland's new gay rights law] has netted 47,539 valid signatures, enough to delay the law's implementation and put the matter before Maryland voters...The drive owes its unexpected success to an unusual coalition of Catholics, Baltimore Muslims, social conservatives and Christian activists...Coalition leaders are largely ignoring the law's stated intent of extending legal protections to gays and focusing instead on...

Source: American Muslim Council

On July 23, 2001, the American Muslim Council reported that "a coalition representing nine major Muslim groups in New Jersey issued a joint statement today expressing its dismay over anti-Muslim bigotry in remarks made last week by the campaign of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jim McGreevey. This bigotry was manifest in attempts to ostracize the American Muslim Alliance, a mainstream American Muslim civic organization." McGreevey said "he would refuse to attend events organized by the group or accept donations from its members...

Source: The Boston Globe

On July 22, 2001, The Boston Globe reported on "the potential financial bonanza for churches, synagogues and other religious organizations sitting on increasingly valuable parcels of land...In the city itself, the value of real estate owned by religious denominations has doubled over the last five years...At the same time, many religious denominations...are scrambling for money."

Source: The Boston Globe

On July 22, 2001, The Boston Globe reported on "the big demographic changes in the swelling Muslim community north and northwest of Boston...As their numbers increased, Muslims have started making their homes in the northern suburbs...The Muslim merchants have followed. Halal butchers and restaurants in Revere, Everett, and Medford cater to immigrant tastes and necessities of a Muslim life. Also springing up are stores renting music CDs and movies in Arabic...Today mosque membership has grown to about 50 families in Methuen [Mass...

Source: The Dallas Morning News

On July 21, 2001, The Dallas Morning News reported on Abdul Haqq, a Sufi shaykh, "a disciple of a Muslim mystical tradition that is more than 1,200 years old." He converted from Judaism 25 years ago. For the past 20 years, he has traveled "around the country explaining Sufism to non-Muslims and...carrying a spiritual power to fellow Sufis...Even many Muslims don't approve of Sufism...Sufism is a tradition with similarities to Jewish Hasidism and to some Christian religious orders."

Source: Council on Islamic-American Relations

On July 20, 2001, the Council on Islamic-American Relations reported that "CAIR is calling on Muslims in New Jersey and nationwide to express their support for a gubernatorial candidate's refusal to disassociate himself from that state's Muslim community, despite pressure to do so...New Jersey Republican candidate Bret Schundler has come under fire for speaking at a meeting of the American Muslim Alliance (AMA)." The Anti-Defamation League found Schundler's presence at the meeting "troubling," because of "unspecified...

Source: The Plain Dealer

On July 19, 2001, The Plain Dealer reported that "a guard at a Grafton [Ohio] prison is suing the state, claiming that his bosses won't let him pray behind bars. Dawoud Kareem Muhammad...filed a First Amendment claim in U.S. District Court in Cleveland...His attorney...said the prison discriminated against Muhammad because employees can wear crucifixes under their uniforms," but he is not allowed to wear a skullcap under his uniform hat.