Source: Chicago Sun-Times

On November 27, 2000, the Chicago Sun Times reported that "many American Muslims are making the most of Ramadan coinciding with the holidays and school winter breaks this year by planning family trips to the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Chicago area travel agents who specialize in booking trips to Mecca say the number of reservations for late December pilgrimages, called umrah, are heavier than they've been in recent years. 'This year traffic for the umrah will be the highest of years that have gone and years to come,' said...

Source: Chicago Sun-Times

On November 27, 2000, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that "the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins today and marks the revelation of Islam's sacred scriptures to the Prophet Mohammed, is a period of abstinence, spiritual reflection and renewal. For many American Muslim parents, it is also an opportunity to share the history, traditions and beliefs of their religion with their children's schools...Fasting students often are excused from gym class or other strenuous activities. And many schools make offices or vacant rooms...

Source: Los Angeles Times

On November 27, 2000, the Los Angeles Times reported that "builders of a grand mosque in Garden Grove are putting their faith in the giving season of Ramadan to help them raise up to $ 1 million for one of the larger Islamic worship halls in the country...'We're hoping this Ramadan will be very critical in raising funds,' said Ahmed Ali, project coordinator for the Islamic Society of Orange County's $ 8-million mosque under construction...The new mosque eventually will replace the society's overcrowded, one-story facility next door...

Source: Los Angeles Times

On November 27, 2000, The Los Angeles Times reported that "builders of a grand mosque in Garden Grove are putting their faith in the giving season of Ramadan to help them raise up to $1 million for one of the larger Islamic worship halls in the country...'We're hoping this Ramadan will be very critical in raising funds,' said Ahmed Ali, project coordinator for the Islamic Society of Orange County's $8 million mosque under construction...The new mosque eventually will replace the society's overcrowded, one-story facility next door...

Source: The Washington Post

On November 27, 2000, The Washington Post reported that "Muslims in the Washington area and across the country begin observing the holy month of Ramadan today amid signs of Islam's growing acceptance in the United States--but also persistent examples of how Muslims here sometimes face mistrust and unusual legal problems because of suspicions about their Mideast ties. Muslim chaplains now serve in the U.S. armed forces and on many college campuses, and women in head scarves are not an unusual sight in the workplace. The Clinton...

Source: American Muslim Council

On November 27, 2000, the American Muslim Council issued a press release saying, "President William J. Clinton delivered a warm and eloquent message of friendship and respect to Muslims around the world on the occasion of the start of the holy month of Ramadan."

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

http://libpub.dispatch.com/cgi-bin/documentv1?DBLIST=cd00&DOCNUM=37752&TERMV=230:4:234:7:241:5:

On November 26, 2000, The Columbus Dispatch published an article entitled "Moon Signals Start of Ramadan."

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

On November 25, 2000, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that "Ramadan, Islam's holy month of fasting, will soon be observed by about 25,000 Muslims in the St. Louis area. Thirty years ago, a relative handful of Muslims lived here. More than 30 years ago, a Muslim in St. Louis might find three men and three women in a room at St. Louis University breaking their Ramadan fasts together, recalled Waheed Rana, a founding member of the community here. In the upcoming month of Ramadan, more 25,000 Muslims in the St. Louis area...

Source: Los Angeles Times

On November 25, 2000, the Los Angeles Times reported that "a few days before the Islamic holy season of Ramadan, many of Leah Greenwald's seventh-graders at McFadden Intermediate School in Santa Ana were meeting a real, live Muslim for the first time in their lives. Maria Khani, a speaker from the Council on Islamic Education, wore a black jacket, a long gray skirt and a silk head scarf--but said that at home she dressed as she pleased. She brought in a Koran, a prayer rug and a small model of a mosque--but also a toy camera, just...

Source: The Houston Chronicle

On November 25, 2000, The Houston Chronicle reported that "Sheik Mamdouh Mahmoud was 10 years old when he finished memorizing the 114 chapters of the Quran, the holy book of Islam. 'I started when I was 4 and finished memorizing it by 10,' said Mahmoud, now 28 and imam of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston's southeast zone mosque. Committing the Quran, also known as the Koran, to memory is expected of imams and is commended to devout Muslims. A person who memorizes the holy book is known as a hafiz, Mahmoud said. Muslim...

Source: The Plain Dealer

On November 25, 2000, The Plain Dealer reported that "thousands of miles away from her family in Pakistan, Sabeen Mushtaq couldn't help but think of her relatives as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan approached. The George Washington University freshman was living away from home for the first time and missed her family's holy season traditions - especially the egg omelets and homemade bread that her mother cooked for suhur, the family's morning meal...With the advent of Ramadan this year on Nov. 27 (a movable season because the...

Source: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

On November 25, 2000, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported that "at the first glimmer of sunrise Monday, Muslims around the world will begin the monthlong observance of Ramadan, one of the holiest periods of their year. During daylight during this period, Muslims are prohibited from eating, drinking and engaging in sexual activity. Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic year, is one of the five pillars of Islam --- the others are the affirmation that there is only one God, daily prayer, charity and...

Source: The Times-Picayune

On November 25, 2000, The Times-Picayune reported that "Palestinian-born Karem Abdullah, his wife and their two young sons plan to leave their Metairie home and go to the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain at sunset today and Sunday to try to sight the new moon...Of about 5,000 Muslims in the New Orleans area, possibly hundreds are expected to be outdoors for the same purpose, on both shores of the lake, on sections bordering the Mississippi River and on the few manmade hills around, anywhere that gives them a clear and broad view...

Source: The Kansas City Star

On November 25, 2000, The Kansas City Star reported that "early next week Bahiyah Shakur will be rising before dawn and eating a light breakfast before beginning a day without food or water. She will repeat this every day for a month as part of the observance of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting. Because it follows the lunar calendar, the actual time and date of the start of Ramadan is governed by the sighting of the new moon. Before leaving for work Shakur also will start reading the Qur'an, which Muslims are supposed to...

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

http://libpub.dispatch.com/cgi-bin/documentv1?DBLIST=cd00&DOCNUM=13261&TERMV=202:9:211:7:218:4:

On November 20, 2000, The Columbus Dispatch published an article entitled "Religious Leaders Urge Tolerance Among Faiths."