Source: Daily Press

On March 26, 2003 the Daily Press reported that "members of one of the world's oldest religions broke ground Wednesday for one of the newest places of worship in Virginia... The Zoroastrian Center and Darb-e-Mehr in Vienna, which will serve a growing community of Zoroastrians in the Washington area, will be the first temple ever built in Virginia to serve the religion that is more than 3,000 years old... The Washington area's Zoroastrian community is not the largest in the country, but it has been growing, due in large part to sectarian...

Source: Spokesman Review

On March 20, 2003 Spokesman Review reported that "members of the Baha'i Faith in Spokane and Coeur d'Alene will celebrate Naw Ruz or New Year on Friday, the first day of spring... This holy day is observed around the world, not only by Baha'is but also by Shi'ite Muslims and Zoroastrians in Iran."

Source: Los Angeles Times

On March 20, 2003 the Los Angeles Times reported that "at precisely 15 seconds before 5 o'clock tonight, a million Southern Californians of Persian descent will mark the beginning of their new year... Thanks to the Internet, the ancient story is recounted on a handful of Persian Web sites. The two-week celebration is the most important in Persian culture. Because invaders hate the old traditions, whenever Persia -- modern-day Iran -- was conquered through the millennia, the new leaders tried to erase the celebration from the...

Source: The Associated Press

On March 20, 2003 The Associated Press reported that "each Wednesday, four veterans of the U.S. military kneel and offer prayers for peace - using words of the faithful from all over the world - at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in the Yakima Valley... There are Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist, Bahai and even Zoroastrian prayers... 'We just don't think we have an exclusive voice to heaven,' said Bill Flower, 66, an Army veteran and a lifelong member of Holy Trinity... The idea came from the church's Spokane Diocese, which...

Source: Chicago Daily Herald

On November 27, 2002 the Chicago Daily Herald reported that "a smorgasbord of religions will emphasize the spiritual side of Thanksgiving next week. Participants in the DuPage Interfaith Thanksgiving Service will include Muslims, Catholics, Jews, Zoroastrians, Hindus, Sikhs, Bahais and theosophists. The annual service began in the early 1990s after members of the DuPage Interfaith Resource Network decided they could find common ground in recognizing that Thanksgiving goes deeper than turkey and football. The ceremony will...

Source: The Plain Dealer

On November 25, 2002 The Plain Dealer reported that "Zoroastrians celebrated bountiful harvests in Persia long before the storied fall gala the Pilgrims put on near Plymouth Rock in 1621. Ditto for the Jewish faithful, who call their harvest festival Sukkot, and for followers of many of the world's other religions. So last night, four days before the Thanksgiving holiday, John Lecky brought together Buddhists and Christians, Hindus and Jews, Muslims and Zoroastrians to reflect on the thanks they all give in one way or another....

Source: India Abroad

On July 26, 2002 India Abroad featured an article on the 12th North American Zoroastrian Congress in Chicago which "drew about 600 delegates from across the United States and Canada, about one-third of them young people... They discussed ways to foster inter-generational dialogue and spirituality, and promote Zoroastrian identity in the continent.. Other topics at the congress included... 'Interfaith: building bridges - the Zarathushti imperative'... There were representatives from all the 24 Zarathushti associations and small groups in...

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

On July 12, 2002 The Columbus Dispatch reported that "the Interfaith Association of Central Ohio... and the Religious Experience Advisory Council of the Ohio Bicentennial Commission are planning [a new] book, Religion in Ohio: Over 200 Years of Experiences... As the state approaches 200, Christian and Jewish bodies remain prominent, but now they have plenty of company. [The] book for Ohio's bicentennial in 2003 also will discuss the beliefs of American Indians, Baha'is, Buddhists, Hindus, Jains, Muslims, Sikhs and...

Source: New York Daily News

On June 15, 2002 the New York Daily News featured an article on "the Interfaith Alliance, with headquarters in Washington, [which] claims 150,000 members who represent 69 faiths, ranging (alphabetically) from African Methodist Episcopal to Zoroastrian, a religion dating to ancient Persia. Members represent themselves, not their denominations... [and membership] grew by 20,000 last year alone... The alliance was founded in 1994 to counter the political activities of the religious right... The Interfaith Alliance plans to...

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

On March 28, 2002, The Columbus Dispatch featured a story in the weekend section about a local Persian restaurant, Nanak Sweet Shoppe...

Source: The Detroit Free-Press

http://www.freep.com/news/mich/dyear21_20020321.htm

On March 21, 2002, The Detroit Free-Press featured the story "Afghan family reflects on new life in America." It reported on the experiences of the Sadat family in Lansing: "Wednesday, the first day of spring, was a special day for Lansing's struggling Afghan community. It was Nowruz (pronounced No-ROOZ), a New Year's holiday that's a major celebration of the year in Afghanistan, Iran and...

Source: The Journal News

http://www.thejournalnews.com/newsroom/082601/26zoroastrian.html

On August 26, 2001, The Journal News reported "Zoroastrians celebrate move to Pomona." It noted, "One of the world's oldest — and smallest — religions has made Rockland its home after purchasing a vacated temple. An organization of Zoroastrians, an ancient religion founded in what was originally Persia, was to hold its first official, full-scale celebration in its new...

Source: Los Angeles Times

On March 14, 2001, the Los Angeles Times reported that "thousands gathered [the night before] at an Orange County beach to mark the Iranian new year with a ceremony dating back centuries."

Source: Dayton Daily News

On February 26, 2001, the Dayton Daily News reported on the concerns of members of the religious community and others "about how [Bush's new faith-based initiative] would work. They fear a blurring of the First Amendment-sanctioned line between religion and state. They wonder about the possibility of religious groups' misusing tax dollars to woo converts, religious institutions losing autonomy, and the government slighting less mainstream religions." Another concern is that Bush may be "attempting to 'push the burden on the...

Source: The Houston Chronicle

On January 8, 2001, The Houston Chronicle reported that "2,200 Zoroastrians from 18 countries gathered [in Houston] for the Seventh World Zoroastrian Congress--their largest gathering ever...Zoroastrianism originated in ancient Persia between 1400 and 1000 B.C. Their prophet, Zoroaster, taught people to worship one god, Ahura Mazda, and to believe in good and evil spirits and in heaven and hell. In its prime, the faith had millions of followers...The community today does not surpass 250,000." This...