Islam

Census Reveals Influx of Indian Asians in Washington State

May 28, 2001

Source: The Seattle Times

On May 28, 2001, The Seattle Times reported that "the population of Asian Indians in [Washington] nearly tripled from 8,203 to 23,992 during the 1990s, the largest percentage increase among Asian ethnic groups, newly released census figures show...The settlement of Indians here is largely a suburban phenomenon." Many are drawn by jobs in high-tech. "Sikhs, many of whom are originally from the Punjab region of India, are moving here from other states to be near relatives in British Columbia."

Indian Population Has Doubled in Washington, D.C and in Nation

May 27, 2001

Source: The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A82283-2001May26.html

On May 27, 2001, The Washington Post reported that the 2000 Census found that, "attributable in part to the U.S. high-tech industry's demand for skilled workers, the [Washington, D.C.] region's Indian population has swelled by unexpected proportions, from 38,000 in 1990 to more than 78,000 in 2000, apparently becoming the most populous Asian group in the area...

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Growth of Indian American Population in Minnesota

May 24, 2001

Source: Star Tribune

On May 24, 2001, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that "in Minnesota, the Asian Indian population has doubled in the last decade from 8,234 to 16,887 people, according to" the 2000 Census. "Nationwide, Indians are the fastest-growing Asian group and are now the third-largest Asian group...Asian Indians number almost 1.7 million...Much of the growth nationally and locally is due to the recruitment of high-tech workers from India."

Leader of Syrian Catholic Church Speaks in L.A. about Middle East Conflict

May 23, 2001

Source: Los Angeles Times

On May 23, 2001, the Los Angeles Times reported that "congregants of the city's only Melkite Church welcomed Syria's new Catholic leader to Los Angeles, comparing the visit by black-robed Gregory III to an appearance by the Roman Catholic pope...The 67-year-old 'patriarch of Alexandria, Jerusalem and all the East,' stopped briefly in Los Angeles to greet parishioners and draw attention to unrest in the Middle East... One of the largest of the Eastern rite churches, the Melkite Church has been called a 'voice for the East within the...

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Editorial Claims Bush Is Losing Trust of American Muslims

May 21, 2001

Source: The Baltimore Sun

On May 21, 2001, The Baltimore Sun published an editorial by Muqtedar Khan, the director of international studies at Adrian College in Michigan, which criticized Bush's stance toward Muslims in the Middle East. Khan quotes Bush as saying, "My administration will be steadfast in supporting Israel against terrorism and violence." He complains that "promises to Muslims were made before the [presidential] election and promises to American Jews are being made after the election...Nowadays the White House does not acknowledge letters...

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City Closes Muslim Place of Worship Because of Its Septic System

May 19, 2001

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

On May 19, 2001, The Columbus Dispatch reported that "Muslim worshippers arriving for Friday prayers at a North Side mosque found the building locked and posted with notices that it violated environmental codes..City officials closed the Islamic Center...because of its septic system." Hundreds of Muslims, many of whom recently arrived from Somalia, now have no place to gather for traditional communal Friday prayer.

Businesses and Institutions Find Creative Ways to Get Around Islam's Ban on Usury

May 19, 2001

Source: The Washington Post

On May 19, 2001, The Washington Post reported that "the world of American finance is changing to deliver more options, thanks to demand from the growing number of observant Muslims in the United States and their adherence to Islam's moral code on financial matters. Islam prohibits usury, or interest...What makes interest-free financing possible is a system in which the capital supplier shares ownership -- and risk -- with the consumer...As Islam grows in the United States, it's not just for-profit lenders who are rethinking...

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Seminar at UCLA Explores How to Bring Peace to Middle East

May 19, 2001

Source: Los Angeles Times

On May 19, 2001, the Los Angeles Times reported that "a daylong seminar on ways to bring peace to the Holy Land...held...at UCLA by a coalition of liberal Jewish peace activists, Muslim organizations and Christians." The seminar is called "The Israeli-Palestinian Crisis: New Conversations for a Pluralist Future."

Interreligious Dialogue in New York City Illustrates Depth of Middle East Conflict

May 18, 2001

Source: Newsday

On May 18, 2001, Newsday reported that "after an unusual effort to hold an interreligious dialogue about conflict in the Middle East, [New York City] clergy said that they hoped to meet again in hopes of finding ways to help ease tensions. But the Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders who met at Marble Collegiate Church in Manhattan said their intense, private discussion gave a sense of how deep the conflict runs."

Muslim Chaplain Needed for New York City Fire Department

May 16, 2001

Source: Newsday

On May 16, 2001, Newsday published an opinion piece by Kevin James, a fire marshal at the New York City Fire Department, president of the Islamic Society of Fire Department Personnel and a spokesperson for the Council on American Islamic Relations-New York, condemning the New York City Fire Department's "continuing refusal to hire a Muslim chaplain...The Islamic Society of Fire Department Personnel has presented Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Essen with more than 60 signatures of employees requesting a Muslim chaplain...A Muslim chaplain would...

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Director of Faith-Based Initiative Meets with Muslim Leaders

May 15, 2001

Source: American Muslim Council

On May 15, 2001, the American Muslim Council issued a press release in which they reported that "the Director of the White Faith-Based Initiative, Dr. John Dilulio, met at his office in the White House with Dr. Yahya Basha, President of American Muslim Council (AMC) and Imam Hassan Qazwini, leader of the Islamic Center of America and member of the Board of Directors of (AMC). The discussion centered on relations with the American Muslim Community and the concerns raised by Rev. Jerry Falwell's comments calling on the White House to...

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Many American Women Drawn to Islam, to their Families' Dismay

May 13, 2001

Source: The Boston Globe

On May 13, 2001, The Boston Globe reported on "a growing number of women embracing Islam in Greater Boston, and in one mosque, the Islamic Society of Boston in Cambridge, they outnumber new Muslim men by as much as 2 to 1." These women insist that, contrary to popular belief in America "in fact Islam is more forward-thinking about gender than many Western traditions...In modelling a more egalitarian form of Islamic culture in the United States than in some parts of the world, these women also say they may influence Muslims worldwide...

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New Book Strains Relations Between Jews and Muslims

May 5, 2001

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

On May 5, 2001, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that "relations between Jews and Muslims in the United States...have been strained further by the release of Children of Abraham: An Introduction to Islam for Jews, a book whose stated purpose, paradoxically, is 'to enhance mutual understanding and reduce mutual ignorance and suspicion.'" The full version of this story can be found online at http://www.jsonline.com.

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