Source: Newsday

On July 5, 2002 Newsday reported that due to immigration, more Muslim students are attending Jericho High School in a predominantly Jewish area of Long Island, NY. "Hoping to learn more about a religion that for many Long Islanders remains steeped in mystery, and sometimes outright suspicion,... about a dozen Jericho social studies teachers spent two days this week attending a 15-hour seminar on Islam at the high school... The seminar, which included sections on Islamic phrases, the role of women, the history shared by Jews, Christians...

Source: The Boston Globe

On July 4, 2002 The Boston Globe reported that "literature espousing views that are racist and anti-Semitic was tossed on lawns and driveways by unknown people" in five Massachusetts towns north of Boston. "The literature, which included a pamphlet and a booklet, carried the name of the World Church of the Creator, a white supremacist group based in Illinois... Bedford police... Chief James Hicks said... "A lot of it was picked up by officers and thrown in dumpsters. [But,] I'm sure there is more out there.'"

Source: Los Angeles Times

On July 3, 2002, the Los Angeles Times reported that last week's two U.S. court rulings concerning religion in the public square demonstrate the strong "disagreements over the relationship between God and public life in America... First, a federal appeals court ruled that religion could not be part of a daily ritual of public school life... The next day, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that religious schools could receive public school dollars... The Rev. C. Welton Gaddy, executive director of the Washington-based Interfaith...

Source: Statesman Journal

http://news.statesmanjournal.com/article.cfm?i=44359.

On June 30, 2002, the Statesman Journal of Salem, Oregon featured an article on the recent Pledge of Allegiance ruling. "The decision created instant furor, in part because the pledge is an American icon. But it may have just as much to do with people’s relationship with God — or lack thereof... In America, God means different...

Source: The Buffalo News

On June 29, 2002 The Buffalo News reported that various congregations in Western New York State "have come to the aid of refugees from some of the most dangerous parts of the world to assist them as they start a new life in the area... St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church... in the Town of Tonawanda recently heeded the call when it sponsored a four-member family from Bosnia. The church was expecting a Christian family, but the family is Muslim... 'As Christians we are all called to love all people, regardless of background...

Source: The Hartford Courant

On June 29, 2002 The Hartford Courant reported that All Saints Catholic Church in New Britain, Connecticut "is closing after 84 years of service to the New Britain Slovak community. For many, it represents the closing of a bridge to their ancestral home... All Saints... is one of a dozen Catholic churches in New Britain... it is an ethnic parish, originally built to serve the city's bustling immigrant community... The closing, announced in April, is part of the Archdiocese of Hartford's plan to restructure and streamline...

Source: The Washington Post

On June 29, 2002, The Washington Post featured an article on an Orthodox Rabbi convicted of sexual abuse. "While sexual abuse of minors by priests has shaken the Roman Catholic Church this year, a smaller-scale but still painful scandal over sexual abuse by a charismatic rabbi has reverberated through the nation's Orthodox Jewish community... A jury of six men and six women in central New Jersey found Rabbi Baruch Lanner, 52, guilty of abusing two teenage girls... Once a rising star among Jewish educators, Lanner had...

Source: Newsday

On June 29, 2002 Newsday reported on an interfaith conference in New York City designed to help religious leaders "sustain their post-9/11 ministry." The conference was attended by "approximately 800 priests, pastors, imams, rabbis and other spiritual leaders from the metropolitan area... 'Leaders of faith communities are the first line (of defense) in mental health,' said Rabbi Stephen Roberts, president of the National Association of Jewish Chaplains, who chaired the daylong conference sponsored by the American Red Cross last month...

Source: St. Petersburg Times

On June 29, 2002 the St. Petersburg Times reported that "in the classrooms of a small Episcopal church... Hindu members of the Swadhyaya movement (pronounced Swad-HI-ya), a sect little more than 50 years old... chant and study... The arrangement is treated with aplomb by the two vastly different religious communities... The St. Petersburg Swadhyayees have met since the late 1980s. The group, one of 350 in the United States, started with two people. Today there are 50 families, which include many children. Members come from...

Source: The Washington Post

On June 28, 2002, The Washington Post reported that "even as a court ruled that it is illegal for school children to recite a Pledge of Allegiance that mentions God - and then swiftly put an indefinite hold on that decision - Virginia schools are preparing to quietly welcome Him into every foyer... Starting Monday, every Virginia school will be required to hang a poster with the words 'In God We Trust, the National Motto, enacted by Congress in 1956,' in accordance with a law signed by Gov. Mark R. Warner (D) in May...

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

On June 28, 2002 the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that "SS Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Milwaukee, seeking an injunction ordering [the city of] New Berlin [Wisconsin] to allow it to build a church... The lawsuit... alleges that the church was denied the exercise of its religion and that city officials are liable for any violation of constitutional rights... The church, attended by 450 families, planned to use the land in New Berlin to build a $10 million...

Source: The Washington Post

On June 27, 2002 The Washington Post reported that "Census figures show that the Northern Virginia suburbs [of Washington, DC] are among the fastest growing in the country. But unlike giant chains such as Blockbuster and Burger King, churches, synagogues and mosques often do not have the capital or luxury to stay one step ahead of the demographic curve. Planning and fundraising take time, and dealing with the thicket of local land-use regulations can [be difficult]... 'We've seen the number of people attending in the last...

Source: Muslim Public Affairs Council

http://www.mpac.org/NEWS/newsitemdisplay.asp?ID=177&ITEMTYPE=NEWS

On June 27, 2002, The Muslim Public Affairs Council issued a press release declaring their agreement with the statement issued by The Interfaith Alliance which concludes that "it is sad to see that religion has been so secularized that its use in a patriotic statement must be considered unconstitutional."

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

On June 24, 2002, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette featured a letter to the Editor from Rabbi James Gibson, responding to the comments of Rev. Vines. "I am the senior rabbi of Temple Sinai in Squirrel Hill and have worked to improve inter-group relations in Pittsburgh for the last 14 years. I am shocked at Mr. Vines' callous disregard for interfaith sensibilities as well as his ignorance about Islam... Every person of faith, regardless of their belief, should demand a public retraction of Mr. Vines' statement. Neither explanation...

Source: The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26419-2002Jun21.html

On June 23, 2002, The Washington Post featured the editorial "Back to the Bully Pulpit." It noted, "Some people who follow these things say no one should be surprised by the anti-Muslim bigotry of a former leader of the Southern Baptist Convention. Maybe ... we shouldn't have been shocked, only disgusted. What is surprising, and more than disappointing, is the...