Source: The Miami Herald

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/4762383.htm

On December 18, 2002 The Miami Herald reported that "when Ditsy Carmen Suarez glanced at the holiday display in a West Miami-Dade County government building a week ago, she did a double-take... There, brightening a corner: a Christmas tree, a Hanukkah menorah, six dreidels and a Kwanzaa candelabra... But missing was a nativity scene, a symbol of the birth of Jesus... That started her crusade against...

Source: The Orange County Register

http://www2.ocregister.com/ocrweb/ocr/article.do?id=16527

On December 17, 2002 The Orange County Register reported that "at least 22 men from Arab or Islamic countries were arrested Monday as they went to the Immigration and Naturalization Service's Santa Ana office to register under a new program aimed at improving screening of foreign visitors in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, police officials confirmed... The men...

Source: The American Immigration Lawyers Association

Source: The New York Times

On December 14, 2002 The New York Times reported that "they are immigrants, or immigrants' children, who want to combine the hectic reality of American life with the ancient Chinese practice of filial piety... They want to take care of the souls of their ancestors but cannot frequently visit their loved ones' distant graves in the mountains of China or even among the woods in upstate New York... So on Sunday mornings or on their way home from work, they go to [the] Mahayana Temple on the eastern edge of Manhattan's Chinatown...

Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/4728127.htm

On December 13, 2002 The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that "President Bush signed an executive order in Philadelphia yesterday that bars federal agencies from discriminating against religious organizations when awarding social service money. The order - which circumvents Congress - directs all federal agencies to give equal consideration to both faith-based and secular organizations seeking...

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

On December 13, 2002 The Columbus Dispatch reported that "for house hunters in a new city, finding the right place to worship ranks right up with tax rates, schools and entertainment as a priority... Real-estate agents anticipate clients' religious needs...'It's a very important part of people's lives; it's something that absolutely comes up,' said Lynda Long, president of the Columbus Board of Realtors... When newcomers narrow their home selection to a given community, she retrieves names and contact information for the 25...

Source: The Anti-Defamation League

http://www.adl.org/PresRele/CvlRt_32/4210_32.asp

On December 12, 2002 The Anti-Defamation League reported that "Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, issued the following statement: 'While we welcome the President's remarks making it clear that he supports the Constitutional mandate requiring that no federal funds be used to directly support inherently religious activities, we are very concerned that the Executive Order he signed will...

Source: Fox News Channel

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,72791,00.html

On December 12, 2002 the Fox News Channel reported that "members of Syracuse University's Pagan Society lighted candles in the campus chapel, while curious students signed up for a new class on witchcraft. And at the University of Arizona and Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, believers can be excused from class on Wiccan holidays... 'There is a cultural shift with college students identifying...

Source: The Washington Post

On December 12, 2002 The Washington Post reported that "yesterday's Supreme Court oral argument over Virginia's law banning cross-burning produced an intense discussion of whether the Constitution permits states to prohibit political symbols that strike fear in the hearts of many citizens... The court's only African American, Thomas broke his customary silence during oral argument to drive home the point that the history of cross burning as a symbol of Ku Klux Klan hatred and violence toward blacks, Jews and Catholics makes...

Source: The Interfaith Alliance

http://www.interfaithalliance.org/press/index.htm

On December 12, 2002 The Interfaith Alliance issued a statement from its Executive Director, Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, which states, "President Bush’s Executive Order, signed today in Philadelphia, represents a step backward in the fight to promote equality for all Americans. The president’s Order, promoting key pieces of his faith-based initiative, not only usurps congressional power...

Source: American Civil Liberties Union

http://www.aclu.org/ReligiousLiberty/ReligiousLiberty.cfm?ID=11458&c=37

On December 12, 2002 the American Civil Liberties Union reported that "President Bush's Executive Order directing federal agencies to make tax dollars available to religious organizations is unnecessary and dangerous... [T]he American Civil Liberties Union of Florida today voiced its strong opposition to the President’s plan. Rather...

Source: White House

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/12/20021212-6.html

On December 12, 2002 the White House reported that President Bush issued an Executive Order that aims to "guide Federal agencies in formulating and developing policies with implications for faith-based organizations and other community organizations, to ensure equal protection of the laws for faith-based and community organizations, to further the national effort to expand...

Source: The Daily Statesman

http://news.mywebpal.com/partners/884/public/news403974.html

On December 9, 2002 The Daily Statesman reported that "legislation proposed this week by Senate President Pro Tem Peter Kinder, R-Cape Girardeau, could strengthen Missourians' abilities to practice their faith. The bill was filed in advance of the 2003 legislative session that begins in January. It would require the state to have a compelling interest in regulating...

Source: Newsday

On December 8, 2002 Newsday reported that "religious, ethnic and gay organizations say factors from victims' fears of reporting such [hate] crimes to police indifference in pursuing them add to the problem... The hate crimes report for 2001, released by the FBI on Nov. 25, cited a 17 percent increase over 2000 in such crimes. That included an alarming 1,600 percent increase over 2000 in attacks on individuals, businesses or organizations identified with Islam, a jump attributed to post-Sept. 11 bias... But if the FBI reports are to be...

Source: The Boston Globe

On December 7, 2002 The Boston Globe reported that "monks have been flying in from around the world this week to stand vigil for the guru of Kriya Yoga [Paramahamsa Hariharananda], who died... at age 95 Tuesday of pneumonia... He had lived in South Dade [FL] for five years and his global organization is headquartered there... Not a religion, and accepting people of all faiths, Kriya followers believe spiritual energy is drawn through the crown of the head, and that concentration on breath draws one closer to God."