Source: The Charlotte Observer

On August 29, 2002 The Charlotte Observer reported that "the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond refused to stop seminar conversations about the Quran at the University of North Carolina... The appellate rejection by a three-judge panel upheld a lower-court ruling by a Greensboro, N.C., judge."

Source: Star Tribune

On August 26, 2002 the Star Tribune reported that "bells will toll and tornado sirens will go off. Muslims, Jews and Christians will pray together. Firefighters, police officers and emergency medical personnel will be honored. There will be events at the Minnesota History Center, the Metrodome, the Mall of America and the State Capitol...

�������Across Minnesota, an extraordinary number of events are planned for the first anniversary of Sept. 11 to commemorate those killed."

Source: The Times Union

http://www.dharmawalk.org

On August 26, 2002 The Times Union reported that "20 peace marchers began a journey from Schenectady County [New York] to New York City on Sunday...    They plan to reach New York Sept. 11 in time for a candlelight vigil seeking a nonviolent resolution to global conflicts...    Representing various religions and nationalities, marchers started near the site of the former Mohawk Mall in Niskayuna and made their way to the Islamic Community...

Source: Star Tribune

On August 26, 2002 Star Tribune reported that "across Minnesota, an extraordinary number of events are planned for the first anniversary of Sept. 11 to commemorate those killed. Bells will toll and tornado sirens will go off. Muslims, Jews and Christians will pray together. Firefighters, police officers and emergency medical personnel will be honored. There will be events at the Minnesota History Center, the Metrodome, the Mall of America and the State Capitol."

Source: Albuquerque Tribune

On August 24, 2002 the Albuquerque Tribune reported that "three local organizations have teamed up to survey how people born abroad hold on to their culture... language, art and religion [in Albuquerque, New Mexico]... the survey... is aimed at identifying and documenting about 45 ethnic groups with populations of 750 or more... Funding slightly more than $60,000 comes from the city's Urban Enhancement Trust Fund, the National Endowment for the Arts, New Mexico Arts and the Arts Alliance...   Interviews are designed to find...

Source: St. Petersburg Times

http://www.sptimes.com/2002/08/24/TampaBay/Podiatrist_s_arsenal_.shtml

On August 24, 2002 the St. Petersburg Times reported on the arrest of Robert Jay Goldstein, a 37-year-old podiatrist from Seminole, Florida who was "charged with possessing illegal bombs and attempting to damage Islamic centers... [He] had compiled a list of 50 Islamic centers and mosques in the Tampa Bay area and Florida, federal authorities said...

Source: The New York Times

On August 20, 2002, The New York Times reported that the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's "3,500 freshmen gathered today to discuss their summer reading assignment, which this year was a book about the Koran... The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, in Richmond, Va., upholding a district court finding from last week, ruled against... a conservative Christian group that had sued to stop them... In the courtroom, lawyers for the university had spent the weekend arguing that the discussions...

Source: The Associated Press

On August 19, 2002 The Associated Press reported that after September 11, "mosques around the country recoiled in fear of a backlash from angry Americans... But in Paterson, the northern New Jersey city... the community's leading mosque responded with openness... Leaders of the mosque welcomed outsiders into their center, held a blood drive and collected $15,000 for the Red Cross victims' fund, and offered classes explaining Islam to those of other faiths. They had Christian neighbors in for brunch, and still offer free...

Source: Omaha World-Herald

On August 17, 2002 the Omaha World-Herald reported that in Nebraska, "'Faith to Faith,' a new interfaith radio show, will debut Sept. 8...     The weekly show will discuss religious issues from several different faith perspectives, including Jewish, Christian and Muslim.  Guest panelists will address such topics as faith and ethics, creationism, forgiveness and the afterlife... During the first half of the hourlong show, local and national panelists of different religious persuasions will discuss a topic among themselves...

Source: LJworld

On August 17, 2002 LJworld reported that "KC Pagan Pride Day 2002, a community festival celebrating its fifth year, will [take place on] Aug. 24 in Lenexa's Shawnee Mission Park, and event organizers expect about 250 people from the region to attend... 'The people that come (to the festival) have always been friendly, and I believe Christians would be made to feel welcome. It's about educating people. Yes, it has a very pagan slant, but the main focus is community,' said the Rev. Duane Marshall, event coordinator. Marshall is a legal...

Source: The New York Times

On August 16, 2002, The New York Times reported that "incoming freshmen at the University of North Carolina will participate in discussion groups on Islam's holy text after a judge ruled that having them read about the Quran did not threaten religious freedoms... U.S. District Court judge Carlton Tilley Jr. refused Thursday to grant a temporary restraining order requested by two taxpayers, one of them an official of the conservative Virginia-based Family Policy Network, and three unidentified freshmen."

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

On August 16, 2002 The Columbus Dispatch reported that "for millennia, religions have addressed workplace ethics and business conduct. In recent months, however, such issues have been given heightened attention because of corporate scandals, widespread layoffs and the vast influence of corporations... Lama Kathy Wesley of the Karma Thegsum Choling Buddhist Meditation Center on the West Side, said people in her temple often come to her with questions about work relationships and duties. They sometimes express anxiety about...

Source: The New York Times

On August 15, 2002, The New York Times reported that "nine months after calling Islam 'a very evil and wicked religion,' the evangelist Franklin Graham said yesterday that Muslims had not sufficiently apologized for the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and that they should help compensate victims' families... Last week, Mr. Graham said that terrorism is part of 'mainstream' Islam and that the Koran 'preaches violence'... Muslim groups dismissed Mr. Graham's statements... The Council on American-Islamic Relations has tracked and...

Source: The Boston Globe

On August 13, 2002 The Boston Globe reported that "the Catholic Church, which spent hundreds of years trying forcibly to convert Jews to Christianity, has come to the conclusion that it is theologically unacceptable to target Jews for evangelization, according to a statement issued yesterday by organizations representing US Catholic bishops and rabbis from the country's two largest Jewish denominations...  The declaration, which was negotiated by the bishops and an organization representing Conservative and Reform rabbis,...

Source: The Seattle Times

On August 13, 2002, The Seattle Times featured an editorial on the activities of a Seattle Mosque. "The Idriss mosque in the Northgate area reached out to its neighbors and the community at large after Sept. 11, even after enduring attempts to vandalize and burn down the mosque. Mosque leaders and members helped to explain Islam to people suddenly fearful of it... And the community, including members of many faiths, reached back, some even watching the mosque 'round-the-clock to prevent any further attacks...    On Sunday,...